Review of Ace on the River

[xxx]

Just finished the book. I enjoyed it.

More importantly some of the text made me think about some things in a different light. I will reread it soon.

I wish it were available in hardback.

[dogsballs]

I got the book and pretty much agree w/ OP & Microbob.

Thin on the good stuff. 4/10.

[Matt Ruff]

[ QUOTE ]
It's a unique book that is designed to help moderately high limit players, I would say those playing $80-$160 (like I do) and higher move to even bigger games and be successful.

[/ QUOTE ]

If that's really the book's target audience, shouldn't the price be higher and the production values lower?

-- M. Ruff

[stoxtrader]

[ QUOTE ]
Boon,

I would never want anyone to feel ripped off by me. I guess it is to be expected that there will be people who will not enjoy what I have written. Similarly, some people like me and some don't.

Send the book along with a note stating how much you spent including shipping (and shipping it back to us).

Here is the address:

Last Knight Publishing Company
P.O. Box 270006
Fort Collins, CO 80527

Be sure to include your address, and I will make sure you get your refund.

Thanks for taking the time to read the book, anyway. Sorry, you didn't get much out of it.

Barry

[/ QUOTE ]

wow!

I'm going to have to read it again just for that.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
at least a half dozen top poker pros and writers have said the book is incredible.

[/ QUOTE ]

My observation is many big name poker pros routinely hide their true opinions when it comes to promoting each others products.

~ Rick

[boondoggle]

Rick,

Thank you for stating that.

cheers
Boon

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi RIck:

I agree. I think it's shameful what some of these people will endorse, often for a fee.

This comment has no relevance to barry's book.

Best wishes,
Mason

[barryg1]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
at least a half dozen top poker pros and writers have said the book is incredible.

[/ QUOTE ]

My observation is many big name poker pros routinely hide their true opinions when it comes to promoting each others products.

~ Rick

[/ QUOTE ]

This was what I intentionally avoided with my book. I quoted what people actually said. (Obviously, you can make a case that they didn't want to offend me, but my poker sense says otherwise.) Other authors have been known to write the quotes for people and have them sign off.

My book is allegorical. For the beginner, it's a guide to the poker world. For the top players, it details the considerations that they face as professionals, which is where the “Advanced” part of the subtitle comes in. I had tested the book for two years before I put it out, and I already knew that there were players who fell right in the middle between the two levels it was written on, which prompted Phil Ivey's comment, "It will go over their heads."

Boone seems to be my least satisfied reader. I assume he is approximately an 80-160 player who doesn't value the psychology and philosophy because he doesn't play much in live games. I have read some of his posts and I have seen that he is very keen on proving himself to be right, instead of dissecting the merits in other’s ideas and using them to make even better decisions. My suggestions about being very understanding and non-confrontational in interpersonal relationships are diametrically opposed to his mission.

My book was essentially a 200 page book (which is a normal length) that I enhanced with photographs. Most people like the enhancement. Some view it as filler. I think the photography is spectacular, and I certainly spared no expense to get it done the way I wanted it.

On twoplustwo, I have had a few detractors say they knew almost everything in my book. If they fully understood, they wouldn't be middle-limit players anymore. I will try to satisfy the middle-limit players by adding a few more tournament hands in the second edition. (It will come out whenever the first 100,000 have been sold.) Hopefully, that will cover all the bases better.

You can check out the reviews on the “Links” page of my website, barrygreenstein.com. They have been spectacular. I chose not to include Boone’s review, so I guess I was selective, but I also omitted some very positive reviews that can be found on twoplustwo.

Barry

[Shaun]

It's not a strategy book, it's a window into the guy's mind. The advice is about being a proffessional, not about raising for free cards or playing AJ UTG.

I enjoyed it because of the personal anectdotes and ideas discussing the life of a proffessional. I am at the point where I want to hear about people who have chosen a life similar to my own (but on a larger scale) more than a book on strategy. There are plenty of those already.

[Rick Nebiolo]

Mason,

You wrote: "I think it's shameful what some of these people will endorse, often for a fee. "This comment has no relevance to barry's book."

My comment wasn't directed at Barry's book either, I just happened to end up in this thread because Barry's book is the one I'm most interested in reading about.

It just appears that some inferior, hastily put together products are simply out to take advantage of the poker boom where, among some "celebrity pros", there seems to be some sort of "tit for tat" i.e, you endorse my video/book/boot camp, I'll endorse yours.

A couple of days ago I was lucky enough to score "Harrington on Holdem Vol 2" and Barry's "Ace on the River" in the Hollywood Park Casino gift shop using my frequent flyer points. I've only had time to skim a bit of Barry's book, and if I had a problem it was that it was different than my expectations (and I had trouble reading the print often overlaying the graphics without my strongest reading glasses [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]).

Anyway, "Ace on the River" and the 20th and final volume of the Patrick O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin Napoleonic warfare series are waiting for me on a shaded porch during a nice Southern California day. I think I'll go there now.

Congrats on all your success and excellent products!

Regards,

Rick

PS Of course I've seen Barry's taken time to post another thoughtful response. If I further involve myself in this thread, it would probably be after I read and thought about the book.