Killer Poker: By the Numbers?

[noonun]

I was trying to use up my HollywoodPark points and decided to get a book. Killer Poker: By the Numbers by Tony Guerrera was the only one that I could find that seemed worth-while (that I didn't already have). It seems to focus on statistical analysis of situations, and in that sense it is very dry. I have only read the first 20 pages, and leafed through the rest...

Has anyone read this in its entirety? Is it worthwhile? I lack alot of the in-depth understanding of the mathematical side of poker that this book seems to provide, but it seems so God-awful boring that I fear it might be a huge waste of time.

If anyone has read some/all of the book please comment.

[npc]

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It seems to focus on statistical analysis of situations,

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I would restate this as it's focus is on mathematical analysis of no-limit poker situations where you put your opponent on a range of possible hands.

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and in that sense it is very dry.

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Fair enough. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" it ain't.

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I have only read the first 20 pages, and leafed through the rest...

Has anyone read this in its entirety? Is it worthwhile?


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Short answer: Possibly. Slightly longer answer: I think it will be worthwhile for a significant number of no-limit poker players.

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I lack alot of the in-depth understanding of the mathematical side of poker that this book seems to provide,


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Sounds to me like a good reason to read it.

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but it seems so God-awful boring that I fear it might be a huge waste of time.


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This makes absolutely no sense to me, boring != waste of time. Is this an aspect of your poker knowledge that could use improvement? It sounds like it is. So, if you're serious about your game, it's possible that you might learn something if you roll up your sleeves and work your way through the book.

It would be nice if the most informative poker books were also the most fun to read, but that's not always the case. Serious students of poker will read the useful boring ones as well as a the fun ones.

So you can make a well-informed decision, the book is all preamble up to about page 78 (or arguably the subsequent chapter). Until that point I didn't completely understand what it was about.

[phydaux]

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Has anyone read this in its entirety?

[/ QUOTE ] Not in its entirety. I got half way through and decided I would rather have forced intercourse with a baboon than finish reading it.

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Is it worthwhile?

[/ QUOTE ] Possibly. Do you forsee needing to kindle a wood burning stove in your near future?

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I lack alot of the in-depth understanding of the mathematical side of poker

[/ QUOTE ] You are not alone. Many players don't have all the "back end" math. Lack of the advanced math is not a sin, nor is it entirely nessasary to become an over-all winning player.

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it seems so God-awful boring

[/ QUOTE ] I love poker, so anything that helps my fundamental understanding of the game isn't boring to me. This book was boring to me.

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I fear it might be a huge waste of time.

[/ QUOTE ] I would say your fear is not irrational.

[mikever]

In short, KPBTN is a worthwhile book.

Slightly longer story: I picked up the Killer Poker Online crushing the Internet game a year or two ago, and it was godawful. Since then, I had leafed through other Killer Poker books and found them equally atrocious.

A couple weeks ago I glanced at KPBTN but didn't give it much of my time because of prior experience with the Killer Poker line. But it did seem to have some actual content instead of the usual fluff and stuff.

Then I saw a post somewhere on here where the OP seemed to praise the book. So I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. It's not as dry as you think. Sure there's math, but there is also a good bit of practical advice that is derived from the math. He has a good writing style. Make sure to read from the beginning because he explains how he goes about calculating the probabilities and odds for the rest of the book.

I'm not a "math" guy, in that I usually suck at math. But his explanations made it very easy to grasp.

[shymijo2love4]

There is a new Killer poker book out i think its called Killer Poker No limit. dont confuse it with the Killer Poker Online series. I heard this book is better then the online series.

[BlueSmurf]

Is "Killer Poker: By the numbers" about limit or no-limit or both? Or all poker games?

Amazon won't tell you, reviews won't tell you and even the book's own web site won't tell you.

Cheers,

Smurf

[mikever]

No limit Hold them.

[Collin Moshman]

Hi guys,

I just discovered this book, and was quite intrigued since the author was a friendly aquaintance of mine during our undergrad days (before I moved and we lost touch...). I am currently about half way through and intend to post a more detailed review when finished. So stay tuned to this forum [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Best Regards,
Collin

[MyTurn2Raise]

I love this book

If you're a math geek who loves thinking about opponent ranges and playing with pokerstove, you'll love it as well.

It isn't a guide, but a great addendum to any no-limit library IMO.

I like it to Hold'em on the Come for no-limit play.

[JJay1231]

what would be in this book that isn't in "Mathematics Of Poker"?

anyone?

just curious.