With the plethora of tournament poker educational books now in circulation, it is becoming a headache sorting out the good from all the regurgitated dross. One such good book was 'Every Hand Revealed' by Gus Hansen and now we have another which comes into the 'must read' category. Well known poker author Matthew Hilger

devised a project where he would get 3 of the most successful online poker tournament  players together to show how they played and the thought processes involved in 50 hands each. Then to round off the book he asked each, individually, to write how they would approach and play particular hands that Matthew had played himself.

 

The result is an excellent new poker book, particularly for online players called:

 Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume I

 

The 3 players he recruited are legends within the online poker community.

Eric 'Rizen' Lynch is recognized as one of the top tournament players in the world in both live and Internet play. In just two years at the World Series of Poker, he has seven cashes, including a 2nd and 3rd place finish. He finished 26th in the 2006 main event, winning $494,000, his biggest prize so far. His lifetime total for cash finishes in live tournaments is a little shy of $1 million. Online, Eric has over 50 wins, made 300 final tables, and has won over $1.5 million. In 2007, he won one of the major Sunday tournaments, beating out thousands for a prize of $156K.

Jon 'PearlJammer' Turner, who also plays online under the name 'PearlJammed', actually got his start playing live games in Raleigh, NC, and then later in Las Vegas. He won the 2007 Internet Player of the Year award, tracked by InternetPokerRankings, after a 3rd place finish in 2006. Over the last couple of years, PearlJammer has amassed an impressive online resume: He has over 100 wins, made 600 final tables, and won almost $2 million. In 2007, he placed second in one of the major Sunday tournaments to win his biggest online cash prize of $100,000.

Jon 'Apestyles' Van Fleet started playing professionally in 2004 after graduating from college, and quickly moved up the ranks in the online poker world. He ranked in the top 20 in both 2006 and 2007 at InternetPokerRankings. Jon has made close to $2 million playing in tournaments online, including over 350 final tables and 70 wins. His biggest online cash to date is $135K when he finished 2nd in a major Sunday tournament. 

 

 Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time Volume I

What sets this book apart from others is the depth of thought shown in each hand. They all write clearly and interestingly, explaining the reasons for their actions very well. They assume the reader understands basic theory such as pot odds etc, so for someone like me who owns lots of poker books there is plenty of new food for thought. Their styles are noticeably different, which adds to the interest.

Each author outlines hands ranging from the very early stages right up to the 'bubble'. Volume 2, when published will cover play 'in the money'. In Apestyles' section he discusses a succession of 44 hands leading to the tournament bubble bursting which I found very illuminating.

This isn't a book for the tournament beginner, but for someone who has read the Harrington books and maybe a few others. If you feel you are fairly competent at poker tournaments, but want to take your game to the next level, then this book is a must for you. I am eagerly looking forward to volume 2.