Has anyone read this book? I did a search in this forum, but didn't find almost any info at all.

http://www.balugapoker.com/books.html

Worth reading? Upsides and downsides?

Good read, 2nd half > 1st half, if you're going to buy it just skip the front.

What's wrong with the first half? Curious.

Very basic.

This is right on. Unless you've never read a poker book before, the 1st half is very basic stuff although he does present it in a slightly different manner.

Overall I thought it was a pretty good read.

edit: This book is a ripoff at anything over $100 imo.

Vol. 1 is pretty basic, but it introduces you to 3-betting and HU play. Vol. 2 is where the good stuff is, along with the beverage to wash down everything you just digested.

Hi,

I thought that this is a waste of money since it seemed to me that this is one of "get rich in one month book".

First my surprise was that book has 274 pages when properly formatted for the reading.

I started to read a book to be sure that there is no errors compared to the original and then came the second and most pleasant surprise. It is an excellent poker book.

It explains why you want to do something and when you know why you will easily adapt how and when to do it.

One of the best books about poker I have read and easily enters my top 5 (maybe even top 3) and i have read more than 50 poker books.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
ZEX

What is your top 5 list, then?

1) Play Poker, Quit Work and Sleep Till Noon
2) Poker Strategy Winning With game Theory
3) Super System
4) Small Stakes Hold'em
5) Easy Game


Those are the books that have helped my game. They are not listed by rank. They are listed by time I have read them.

I bought the book, printed and binded it (color, cardstock paper, vinyl cover, comb binding -- paid around $30 for both Volumes 1 and 2) through FedEx Kinko's, and didn't have any problems reading it.

How much errors did you come across?

I just finished reading this book a month ago...

Obviously this isn't a book to read as your "first poker book". It doesn't explain basic poker knowledge like pot odds and pre-flop starting hand guides, etc. After you've gained most all the basic poker knowledge, this book will most definitely help you become a much better player.

It helped me fill in the gaps where I was confused about subjects, it helped me know when and when not to apply specific strategies and it explains WHY you should be doing things. I don't find myself lost in hands hardly ever anymore and I seem to have a confident answer to most poker situations now.

I think when you combine this book with Balugas videos from DC, it's a deadly combination.

More than 900 dollars on a poker book??? Are you serious? Come on...

Considering the content of the book, it's actually cheap. Much cheaper compared to getting yourself a poker coach, which costs hundreds of dollars an hour.

Thanx for the kinkos tip i think ill do the same. Love the book. +ev

Wanted book to be printed on A4 paper, 1.5 line spacing and non-serif font.
I have done same thing with some of my 2+2 books (I had to reformat them because I don’t like binding)

I haven’t looked for authors errors, just ones that ware introduced by OCR during reformating.

Regards,
ZEX

i thought this book was fantastic. this book and "the poker puzzle" are the best books i've read although for different reasons.

OT: I think I paid $75 for John Fox's classic and thought that was extraordinary at the time. Now somebody is selling it on Amazon for $400.

Could you expand on that?

Can someone tell me what stakes this book would benefit the most? I realize with such a price the concepts would probably apply to mid to higher stakes and thinking opponents. Would concepts in these volumes also apply to the micros?

easy game outlines some obvious/not so obvious poker strategy. all of the concepts are explained very clearly and examples are given. you will definitely learn a lot from reading this book (esp if you are a low stakes player).

the poker puzzle is a book that gives you theory, but then asks you questions to answer and exercises to complete about the theory. it forces you to think about situations and spots and different player types. it is designed for you to actively learn the concepts - and i think that this is one of the strongest points (if not the strongest) of Improva's book - you learn by actually thinking through situations.. so that when they come up in the real world you are prepared for them. it is one thing to read a concept and say 'yep, i get that' but it is something else to integrate these concepts into your game and apply them correctly

so i think both books are excellent for theory. the poker puzzle goes one step further, however. that being said, if you don't take the time to do the work that is asked of you in the poker puzzle (all the questions and exercises), easy game is probably the better choice in ebooks.

why improva lost lots of money online if his book works?

i'm not sure what his poker win rate is,
but his book will teach you to think like a winner and how to approach difficult situations against both 'standard' and non-standard players.

the greatest coach in the world isn't necessarily the best player in the world. and vice versa (not saying improva is the best coach in the world, but just something to think about).

I doubt Improva lost anything playing poker that he didn't win by playing poker, all of these "but the coach is a losing player" posts are tilting - obviously they did something right to be able to afford to lose as much as they have. Welcome to variance.

Variance can also be positive ... somehow only losses are attributed to variance