Greenstein's New Book Offers Unique Inside Look at High-Level Poker

In my last column, I reviewed Matt Matros' new book, The Making of a Poker Player, in which Matros traces his personal development as a player. The book I am reviewing here takes a considerably different approach. Barry Greenstein, one of the most successful, well-known, and admired players in the poker community, has written a new book titled Ace on the River.

I found this book to be successful on two completely different levels. For one thing, it is a good "coffee table" book. It is chock-full of high-quality glossy photographs of players and well-known poker destinations. Its organization is such that although it follows a logical progression, you needn't read the book in any particular order; each section is capable of standing alone. Greenstein offers insights on a wide variety of topics, largely in "list" format, making the material very easy to sift through. As a result, the book is an entertaining, fairly easy read. Players and non-players alike will be drawn in by the way the book is presented.

The book also succeeds as a strategy guide. Unlike most new strategy books these days, Greenstein's book does not focus on how to play a particular brand of poker. Instead, he chooses to explore aspects of poker strategy not typically discussed. This is a "how to be successful" guide rather than a "how to play" manual, focusing largely on psychological aspects and character attributes that contribute significantly to a poker player's overall success or failure. For example, one chapter lists what Greenstein considers to be the top 25 character traits that separate winning players from losing players. Each of the 25 traits is explained and its position on the list justified.

Greenstein also devotes sections to providing money-management tips and outlining his views on how a healthy lifestyle outside of poker can benefit your poker results. While many poker books these days redundantly outline strategies to beat various forms of poker, Barry's book has added significantly to the body of poker literature by discussing aspects of poker strategy typically ignored by other writers. In addition, Greenstein is one of the world's elite poker players, and I am of the opinion that anytime a member of this small group decides to offer his or her insights into poker for public consumption, it is worth the time it takes to read what they have to say.

Ace on the River also contains a large, sharply illustrated section of no-limit hold'em tournament hand examples. These hands are taken from major events that Barry has participated in, and in each example he takes the reader through the various stages of the hand, explaining at each point the reasons for his decisions. Anyone who plays tournament poker would benefit from reading this chapter.

In the back of the book, there are some more nice features. There is a glossary, and an explanation of poker odds. Also, there are a couple of easy-to-read charts, one depicting the odds of making a hand in hold'em depending on your number of outs, and another showing the odds of various hand matchups, such as 9-8 suited versus A-10 offsuit. Although these features are not unique to Greenstein's book, they are presented more vividly here than in other sources I have seen.

Overall, I think readers will both enjoy and benefit from Barry Greenstein's efforts. He speaks candidly about his personal experiences, and outlines his views on how to be a success in the poker business. I think his new book has a good chance to earn a place alongside the best poker books on the market.

Please feel free to contact me. Feedback on my columns is appreciated. You can reach me at MarkGregorich@hotmail.com.