Recommended Reading: Every Hand Revealed

Weregoat

Weregoat

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Hi guys, I haven't posted in a while, and really put poker on the back burner for a while as cash games really dried up in Los Angeles, and various life events put me in a position where I was too busy to commit myself to the game.

Well, I am trying to transition away from cash games and into tournaments (I would love to play a few wsop events this year, bankroll permitting), so I've been really focusing on the tournament scene. I knew I wanted to do some reading, and pulled out the $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Mom sent me while I was deployed to Iraq.

I ordered 3 poker books and a fiction (Ready Player One, love it so far).

Every Hand Revealed covered Gus Hansen's journey to win the Aussie Millions (tbh I don't even know what year he won it.) After each hand he played, he would step away from the table, speak some notes into his voice recorder, and return to the game.

The result is a chronological hand-by-hand analysis that outlines in detail his course from start of the tournament until he was tournament champion.

Gus played somewhat more aggressively than I would have liked, and got pretty lucky at a few key points in the tournament, but having read the book twice, I can say my outlook on tournaments has transformed significantly.

After reading, I loaded up $25 onto Carbon to fire into MTTs last Friday, and made three final tables that night! I cashed a couple the next night, and won one the next.

The main focus I took away from Gus' book was that he aggressively went after blinds and antes - opening early and often when his stack and position would allow it.

I may have mentioned in the post earlier that he got lucky - HE DID!

Often people would just surrender blinds and antes to him several times in an orbit. He called an all-in behind with Ace high and chopped a pot. Few draws connected against him for lots of chips, and in general much of his aggression worked.

Now, the Aussie Millions is a rather deepstacked event and he managed to recover from his early blunders quite wonderfully to take it down, and while I don't raise EVERY POT since reading the book, I do raise pots in position and am more effective at gaining and utilizing a chipstack at various stages of the tournament.

I would highly recommend it to anybody looking to up their MTT game, whether live or online. Since my deposit a week ago, I've grinded my account balance to over $900, and with the WSOP Circuit coming to town and a home game MTT, I hope to transfer some of his lessons to the felt and I develop a resurgence into poker.

I really can't recommend this book enough. Read it.

- WG
 
Grebbsy

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Every Hand Revealed is definitely entertaining and insightful, but the only caveat I'd give is that you are not Gus Hansen and unless you are a crazy aggressive Danish poker and backgammon genius with very deep pockets too, it is probably -- no definitely -- a mistake to try and play exactly like him. Nonetheless, it will still probably have a few tips and tricks that almost any MTT player can learn from. And it sold enough copies when it came out that second-hand ones are available dead cheap online most of the time.

(It was the 2007 Aussie Millions, by the way.)
 
Weregoat

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Haha! Yes, I am definitely not Gus, but reading the book has upped my MTT game!

:party:
 
Shumkoolie

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I read that book as well and really enjoyed it, as well as learning a little bit that I try to incorporate into my game. I also have all the episodes from that event and after reading this thread, I may have to watch it again.

He beat Gobboboy Jimmy Fricke heads-up for the title, and Aussie star Lee Nelson was also at that final table (no, I didn't Google that - I have a good memory). :)

I thought it was funny, when they interviewed Fricke and he said that he respected Patrik Antonious' game and was glad he wasn't playing him heads-up, that he didn't respect Gus' game.

Of course we know how that match went. :D
 
Poker Orifice

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It's cool that it is working for ya but in my opinion I thought it was garbage. I purchased it right after it first came out & was extremely disappointed.

There are many far better tournament books out there on the market today. If someone wants to pay the postage they can have mine for free.
 
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attbis

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It's cool that it is working for ya but in my opinion I thought it was garbage. I purchased it right after it first came out & was extremely disappointed.

There are many far better tournament books out there on the market today. If someone wants to pay the postage they can have mine for free.


I am with you this book sits in the bottom of my closet, I thought it was garbage.
 
Jacki Burkhart

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I lOVED this book. I have read it 3 times. And it has improved my game quite a lot. But in the opposite way you might think.

First of all it is entertaining to read and can easily be finished in 1 or 2 sittings.

It really has helped my game to get into the mindset of a good LAG. I've been able to recognize LAGs for a long time, but didn't always know what they were thinking or why they were playing the way they were.

Understanding their thought processes has helped me to build a strong defense vs. LAGs and get them to basically dump their stacks to me when I hold mediocre holdings that they think they can push me off of.

I used to feel nervous when I was at a table with a tough LAG or 2 but now I lick my chops and wait for them to bluff off their stack to me.

I do recommend this book, but I don't recommend that you emulate his style unless you're already extremely experienced and an excellent hand reader with a strong stomach for high variance.
 
AlfieAA

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I lOVED this book. I have read it 3 times. And it has improved my game quite a lot. But in the opposite way you might think.

First of all it is entertaining to read and can easily be finished in 1 or 2 sittings.

It really has helped my game to get into the mindset of a good LAG. I've been able to recognize LAGs for a long time, but didn't always know what they were thinking or why they were playing the way they were.

Understanding their thought processes has helped me to build a strong defense vs. LAGs and get them to basically dump their stacks to me when I hold mediocre holdings that they think they can push me off of.

I used to feel nervous when I was at a table with a tough LAG or 2 but now I lick my chops and wait for them to bluff off their stack to me.

I do recommend this book, but I don't recommend that you emulate his style unless you're already extremely experienced and an excellent hand reader with a strong stomach for high variance.

+1

class book and have read it a good 3 or 4 times myself..helped me get into the mindset of a LAG too..how to be one and how to counter them etc.
 
DonSifu

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Love that book! After I read it I went on a tournament tear, winning or cashing in like 8 tourneys in a row!
 
Daniel72

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I read it many years ago, and i remember it was at least very funny and the hands well explained. Maybe it is now also a little bit out dated like the Harringtons.
 
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