Barry Greenstein's "Ace on the River".

Does anyone else feel that as they get older this book just becomes more and more brilliant?

When I first read it, although I did enjoy it, I remember thinking that a lot of the advice seemed so obvious. Well of course you should 'make money while the making is good', and save your money for if times get tough. Obviously.

And yet, looking back, I definitely did not take full advantage of the days when there were online games I could crush. I didn't exactly save my money either.

I realize now that most of the advice in his book were specific warnings about common mistakes full time grinders often make.

There's another little thing in his book I was thinking about, where he talks about how tourney scores are better received by friends and family. I only played cash at the time and thought what he was saying was irrelevant.

But now I know better. For example: you're talking to someone you don't know that well, and they're asking about you making a living playing poker. If you say "I won two grand off this drunk whale last night!" you often get funny looks. But if you say "I won a $20 tourney with 500 players last night, I won two grand!" their faces light up.

Well maybe I'm full of it but I do wish I'd appreciated his advice a bit more.

AOTR is one of the best books ever written. I highly recommend the audio version which I have listened to too many times to count. Much of BG's advise is timeless and ought to be reviewed on regular basis.

Thanks Dread.

Most poker books, unless they are really bad, are useful when read at the right time. My book wasn't applicable to a lot of the young 2+2 crowd since it was about my exploits in the live poker world. The high stakes players I played with liked it (sincerely) because they didn't need anyone to tell them how to play. It was enough for them that I gave my thought progression which validated what they were already doing.

I gave a full money back return to one guy who said it was useless. A year later he messaged me and said, "I get it now."

Now that a lot of you are forced to play live poker you may want to check it out. It's out in ebook form.

Barry: Nice to see you posting in "Books and Publications." You never posted in the "Ace in the Hole" thread, though. What gives? WG

Hey Barry. Will Ace on the River be available on the amazon Kindle?

It's finished and I expect it to be on amazon any day now. It takes special reformatting to work on the kindle. For other reading devices and tablets, use the link provided by professionalpoker.

Does that mean you will be giving away signed ipads to anyone who busts you in a live tournamant?

I hope he refunded the refund, once he "got it".

I certainly can't argue the fact that this book WILL unquestionably benefit a live professional, but what I'd like to make clear is that this book will benefit just about anyone, assuming you have the prerequisite cognitive aptitude to digest its contents. However, repetition is the key, and in addition, for most of us mortals it will take time and experience to REALLY grasp, absorb, and value, Barry's perspective, advise, and wisdom! Hence why in my 1st post ITT I recommend the audio version! Personally, I have listened to AOTR on my IPOD during many walks, or while falling asleep. And I give much credit to this book for not only making me a better and more profitable player, but also perhaps a better human being (relative concept, ldo ).

Post BF, I am still exclusively an online HU pro based in U.S., playing only on sites that are "legitimately" available to the U.S. market. In other words, the material in AOTR is not exclusively relevant to live players! Aside from Barry's own content, the quotes that he chose as a prelude to each chapter, are more than enough to justify the price of the book IMO. E.g. "If everything seems under control, you are not going fast enough." ~ Michael Andretti. Even though I was introduced to this quote years ago, and at face value it's not difficult to understand, nevertheless, it took me years to really assimilate it's meaning and wisdom into my own modus operandi and perspective. This is just one of the many examples that pops into my mind after a bottle of cabernet sauvignon complimenting a nice filet mignon.

Anywho so as to not bore you guys w/ my additional intoxicated drivel, my final message is GET THE BOOK. And if after giving it an honest read/listen, you don't think the world of it, well, there may simply be something wrong with you.

Agree with OP. I read it for the first time six months ago and have read it again three times since. AOTR is the best poker book I have read along with Positively Fifth Street. Thanks Barry

First book I ever bought!All time favorite in my collection. yes purchased, will get a signed one! one day doctor.

The big lebowski of poker books: On first read (or listen), it's pretty good but nothing special; only after the 2nd or 3rd time do you recognize its true greatness.

It's indispensable to anyone who wants to take poker seriously.

Ace on the River is easily the most over-rated poker book out there. It's pretty. It looks great on a coffee table. Unless you are greatly lacking in simple common sense, it won't help your poker game. Greenstein is at his best discussing the personality traits of winning players. The man is a mind...but you know he really held back when you read this lovely coffee table book with so many pretty pictures. The strategy section is flimsy and disappointing. If you want to peek into his world of high stakes play and the players in it...buy this book. I really expected a lot better from Barry Greenstein. He was really short on detail and depth in strategy discussions and really short on number of hand examples.

The point of the book isn't to be a rigorous strategy book that teaches you the technical mechanics of poker. Saying it is a bad book because it doesn't have enough strategy content is attacking a straw man.

The book is meant to be a guide of how to behave as a poker professional in a live setting. In this respect he didn't hold back at all because he presents many things that are common sense but are often over-looked by most people because they think more about the technical aspects than the social aspects.

If great technical players started using the advice in this book they would have a huge edge over players who were equally good at the technical aspects but did not understand the social aspects Barry talks about.