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So I like that an author finally has approached the play with what was actually going through his head at the time. Often sitting at a table I can't go through all the mathematically correct ways to play a hand in my head nor do I have access to a million charts. As pointed out it really isn't the in depth analysis of books by say Harrington and Slanksky but for the price it is well worth the easy read. For the price you can't go wrong with this book. I really like this approach too. It's refreshing.I gave it five stars because I like Gus Hansen.
I couldn't put it down. If you learned the tight aggressive style from the conventional poker literature, read this and add another gear to your engine. The loose aggressive style is described theoretically in other books, but it's handled expertly in this one. It's packaged in soft paperback, at a bargain price. My pattern for learning and reading about poker goes something like this: read a book by Sklanksky, Harrington, Chen, et al.play, LOSE, keep playing, something eventually clicks.WIN. Immediately during and after reading Gus' book, something in my playing just clicked, and I started WINNING right away. The innovative form, witty narration, and thoughtful hand analysis make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
You could get murdered making some of his moves in smaller stakes action, especially online.What makes the book most valuable is Hansen's explanations of his behavior: whether he crunches pot odds/implied odds, he's playing near the bubble and therefore more aggressive when others are typically tight or he's analyzing the info he's gotten from players' body language. I think his strategies work best in live tournaments where the stakes are high. I recommend this for devotees/players and casual fans alike. This book takes you through all the hands Gus Hansen played on his way to the 2007 Aussie Millions Championship, and the real-world charting of hands is a welcome change from books that only provide examples to underscore various poker principles.Hansen is at once witty, incisive, self-critical, self-congratulatory, and his play is often surprising. He's not a madman, as some think, but he sure is aggressive (both pre- and post-flop). He's also honest when reflecting on his mistakes and misreads, and this candor makes him more appealing as a player/person.I flew through the text, as it was highly entertaining.
You will read through it in a heart beat. Instead of pages full of mathematical views on what is the right thing to do, this book takes you into every hand Gus played at the tournament. Gus' book is a simple and no-nonsense approach. It is not a learning-book, but just a great view into the mind of one of poker's best. He shows how and explains why he played it that way, why he went aggressive at some points and laid back at others.
First and foremost, this book is not the correct one if you are looking to know the basics of math involved in poker. But be ready to have some unknowns at the end of the read. Also, Gus Hansen has jotted down all the hands that he played. This book, as the title suggests, is about all the hands he played in a tournament-winning performance.He explains in a very lucid way the logic behind all his decisions at the poker table. There are lots of bad cards that he played with (5-3 offsuite, for example), and he gives good reasoning for those plays, but he never talks about similar hands that he might have folded and reasons for those folds.One more thing that I felt required more explanation was the reason behind selecting the amount of raise or re-raise.
Gus Hansen has brought in this book a lot of practical play, rather than mudane theory and mathematics. The book is entertaining and easy to read, and helps us know how top players play poker.However, this book does not answer all questions that we might have about his tournament play. This book assumes you know the mathematical basics. He mentions his raise amount, but does not delve into details of what made him decide that particular amount.All in all, a very instructive and entertaining book that I would certainly recommend. Every Hand Revealed is a different book as compared to other poker books.
He also explains the mistakes that he made and what could have been the more appropriate course of action. But he does not mention what type of hands he folded pre-flop.
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