Ace on the River: an Advanced Poker Guide

"This book is dedicated to the children of gamblers. They were rarely promised anything, because the promise might have been too hard to keep. They may have wanted to play a game with their parent rather than watch a sporting event on which their parent had placed a bet. They were told everything was done so they could have toys and clothes and a nice place to live, but all they wanted was a little more of their parent's time. I apologize to my children, Michael Sebok, Joesph Sebok, Chris Sebok, Christina Tran, Nathaniel Greenstein, and Melissa Greenstein, for when I have failed as a parent." --- Barry Greenstein (dedication to his book "Ace On The River", 2005)This is not your normal poker book. From the dedication I have reprinted here, it's easily evident that this isn't like most books of ANY genre that you will find on a bookshelf. I've never read a dedication that elicited so many emotions which cover the spectrum. Most dedications are to children, spouses, parents, friends. While this indirectly mentions his children, it's the kind of dedication and the kind of words that take a strong person to write, a stronger one to put into print.If you are looking for a poker strategy guide, this book isn't for you. If you are looking for hand rankings and learning about suited connectors, go pick up a 2+2 book. There are lots of them out there, and some are very good. While some hand analysis is examined at the end of this book, this book is meant to show you the lifestyle of a poker pro. Split into 28 chapters with an addendum, Barry peels back the glitz and glammer that you always see on television where edited highlights and spectacular bluffs make the casual fan say "wow".Barry starts by telling his life story, and for anyone that thinks he worked at Symantec and then started his poker career afterwards, they are very wrong. Barry was a card player since he was a young child, and much of the money he made at Symantec was used to build and replace his bankroll for doing what he really wanted to do. While Greenstein doesn't deny making a lot of money at the software giant, it's more likely that Barry made a nice salary, but nowhere near the gobs of cash that others have made in the industry.From discussing ways to think and act like a poker player, to bankroll management, to sports betting, sexuality, and remembering to put family first, Barry gives the most honest analysis of what a pro poker player's life is really like. The writing is pretty good most of the time, but it could use a couple more edits. In no ways does this detract from the book, it makes it more genuine, more Barry Greenstein. The pictures in this book are quite simply beautiful. Filled with 2-300 color pictures of players, casinos, and the poker life, you will be hard pressed to find another poker book with better (or even similar) photography. Some of the places where pictures were taken (like the high stakes room in the Bellagio) are off limits to most people. This picture from the 'Family' chapter is my favorite in the entire book.If you want to move beyond your regular books and want to learn more about what makes a pro poker player a pro poker player, this is a one of a kind book on the market. If you are already a pro poker player and you need some more direction, this book will no doubt enlighten and enthrall you. Finally, if you ARE looking for hand analysis from one of the top players in the world, Barry covers some of that as well towards the end of this book and it's good, but Dan Harrington's book excel far beyond the little stuff that Barry touches upon here (no doubt it was added later to cater towards this type of audience).For anyone that gives this book anything less than 4 stars, they don't understand how important a piece of work this is in the field of poker.***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is a great book for any poker enthusiast. The pictures alone are worth the price. It is probably one of the best looking poker books on the market. However, outside of the autobiographical section, most of the advice is geared toward a player who is pondering making the move to professional poker. That doesn't mean that the average player should not pick up a copy. Quite the contrary. Anyone can learn from such a disciplined and seasoned pro as Barry Greenstein. One of the more interesting discussions in the book is the charitable donations of his tournament winnings. Many people think that Barry is so wealthy that he can just give away the millions he makes in high-stakes tourneys. Barry points out that, yes, his career in the dot.com world did afford him the luxury of playing full time, but he is very dependent on his income from CASH games.He also goes into great length to dispell the myth that is the glitz and glamor of the world of professional gambling. He points out that it can be a lucrative industry, but it requires a LOT of self-discipline. There are so many distractions that accompany gambling--sex, drugs, alcohol, sports betting--Barry discusses the pitfalls of them all. What he does is put poker playing for a living in perspective. His writing style is simple and easy to read. No complicated math formulas or probabilities discussions a la Sklansky. While he does discuss these things, he discusses them in terms we all can understand.My favorite part of the book is his discussion of various tournament hands he has been involved in over the years. He presents the scenario (pictures to help) and then asks, "How would you play the hand?" After thinking, turn the page and see how he analyzes the hand. Sometimes his analysis differs from how the hand actually played out, hindsight being 20/20! These are very valuable for any interested tournament player.Overall, this is a must add for any poker enthusiast, and would be worthy of coffee table display for even the casual poker/gambling fan.

This book is filled with practical information that will be valuable to intermediate and advanced players. Barry Greenstein is a very intelligent and sensitive person. He has written a book about how to play certain problem hands, the other players and how to manage your own life as a poker player.His chapter on poker society helped me get into the minds of the people who play this game a lot more often than I do.The hand examples go over the most common tricky situations you find yourself in at the table. I think the information contained in this part of the book helped me overcome a serious flaw in my own game and make the transition from being an inconsistent player to a winning one. There was also something about his general poker and personal philosophy that really clicked with me.I had been struggling at the intermediate level for a few months at the time i read this book. Immediately afterwards I became aware of some of the situations where I was donking off chips and began to avoid them and winning (of folding) in the same situations.The charts in the back of the book showing certain hand match-ups, number of outs, and winning percentages will give you something to chew on after you finish the book.Without the illustrations and photos, this would be a thin book but the value of what is written in is very high. This is clearly a case of quality over quantity.I see Mr. Greenstein at our local casinos from time to time. I am going to start keeping this book in my car so I can have him sigh it. I'd also like to thank him personally.

This book is really about the life of a poker player. Don't expect to be enlightened by this book with amazing poker tactics. Barry Greinstein is quite an extrordinary guy . He does a lot for charity work and is an excellent cash games poker player. If you are looking to improve your game you are better off buying Dan Harrington's books "Harrington on Holdem 1,2 and 3". But as am insight into the life of a poker player and a lot of good quality photographs you can't get much better than this book.

More of a biography than a guide to playing better poker. Interesting and entertaining, some great anecdotes, Greenstein knows how to tell a story and he has some stories to tell.

i found this book inspiring. it calmed me down at the tables and make me think more, think. poker is a game of cards but barry plays it so calm and cool, i felt this through the book and simply it has changed my whole approach. other books bang on about strategy, there isnt much of that in this book, its more a view of the game, an approach that you will learn from this book. must readfor all serious poker players

Good.

This was a fantastic book and one of the best poker books I've read. My wife liked it also and she doesn't like poker.