Rating: 
Summary: Don't shoot the messenger!
Review: Yes, Phil Helmuth, Jr. is a ... er, unlikeable guy, and his writing style won't win any awards. On the other hand, this is simply the most understandable book out there for the fundamentals of playing the most popular poker games in the world today, limit, pot-limit and no-limit Hold 'Em, Omaha, Omaha Eight or Better, Seven Card Stud and Razz. Helmuth presents beginner, intermediate and advanced strategies for each, including which starting hands are playable, when to play aggressively versus when to toss it in, and how to play position. There are, in my opinion, books that are better for improving a particular game (T.J. Cloutier's and Tom McEvoy's book on tournament pot-limit Hold 'Em, for instance, gets in-depth on playing this particular game), and books that are better for general poker theory (Sklansky's books, for example), but this is just a great starting place and one of the few books that gives solid "how to" advice. Get over your opinion of the guy -- he's a great player and has written a really useful book.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a book, but an investment.
Review: My exposure to Texas Hold'me having been watching it on ESPN2, I found myself at a 27-man tournament. For two weeks prior, I had done nothing but read the beginner and intermediate strategies in this book. I took notes, I highlighted passages, and, oh yeah, I took first place. Why? Because Phil's advice works. Who am I really going to listen to? A bunch of guys here on Amazon, or someone who's won seven WSOPs? Exactly.A common complaint I see is that he doesn't tell you what to do on the turn or the river. Well, in fact, he does. If you're a sloppy reader, you might miss it. But for top ten hands, small pairs, K-Q, A-x suited, and suited connectors he explains how to play them pre-flop, post flop, on the turn and on the river. I mean, if you can't figure out pot odds and that if you've made it to the river you should probably call, then you might not be that good a poker player. Anyway, I see a lot of reviews for people who delved into the book winning a fair amount of money. Then I see a lot of whiners who don't like his "arrogant"(?) style, and they review it poorly. Sorry for the hurt feelings, ladies, but Poker is a man's game. Anyway, the anecdotes are relevant, they illustrate the point he's tryiung to make, and they're very interesting, to boot. Loved it, took first place, won seven-hundred dollars, and can easily say it's worth the money. Period.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Book I Expected :(
Review: Phil Hellmuth has enjoyed a truly meteoric rise to poker fame. Not only is he the youngest player ever to win "The Big One", the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em championship at the World Series of Poker in 1989, but he has won almost innumerable titles since then. Most folks who'd know consider Hellmuth to be among the finest tournament players in the world, and when he's not playing tournaments he can be found playing either in some of the highest limit money games around, or online at UltimateBet.com. With the veritable explosion in poker popularity in recent years and with Hellmuth's success, it's only natural that this attention-grabbing poker star share his knowledge of the game he loves. Play Poker Like the Pros jumps right in by explaining Texas Hold'em at an introductory level. This primer on the mechanics of the game does a pretty thorough job of covering the basics with an economy of words, and we progress to Hellmuth's strategic advice almost immediately. Limit Hold'em isn't the only game covered, the author also discusses No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold'em, Limit and Pot-Limit Omaha High, Omaha High-Low, Seven-card Stud, Razz, and Seven-card Stud High-Low. The last chapter in the book covers playing poker online. The book concludes with some appendices covering the rank of poker hands, a description of Hellmuth's Champion of the Year award, a list of the most prestigious poker tournaments, and some brief information on what it's like to play in the World Series of Poker. Overall, Hellmuth's explanations on game strategy are an enigma to me. While there is a great deal of worthwhile advice, there are also places where I was left dumbfounded by some of the suggestions he makes. Does he really believe that a pair of sevens to be one of the top ten hands in low-limit Limit Hold'em? Should you really raise with it on the flop if you haven't made a set or you don't have an over pair to the board? His advice seems most applicable to games where folks play tight and passive, where they can be run over by sheer aggression. This just isn't the case in the 3-6 games I've seen, even if you name is Phil Hellmuth, Jr.. Heck, I'd expect that his advice on Limit Hold'em probably works better in a No-limit tournament than it would in a 3-6 game at the Commerce. Another thing that bothers me is that in almost all his examples Hellmuth tacitly assumes you're up against only one other player when it's time to bet (or not bet) on the end. While this is often true, I would prefer if he had spent the extra effort to lay out each situation he discusses more precisely, although once you understand the situation, his advice usually makes a great deal of sense. In fact, some of the plays and strategies he espouses are downright inspired. In my opinion, the problem is that a great deal of this book doesn't maintain that level of excellence. Each of the games Hellmuth discusses obviously warrants its own book, if not several. Consequently, there is much that is left unsaid on each particular game. While the strategies printed in this book are not the most complete in print, that doesn't mean they don't contain useful information. Sometimes, though, crucial information is left out. In order from best to worst, I'd rank his strategies as follows: Omaha High, Omaha High-Low, No-limit Hold'em, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Limit Hold'em. Even after a significant amount of reflection, I still can't easily categorize his chapter on Seven-card Stud High-Low. Others may certainly disagree, and I don't consider myself to be an expert in all these games. Play Poker Like the Pros seems to be targeted at a relatively inexperienced audience, which makes me of two minds about this book. Those true beginners who read, digest, understand, and follow Hellmuth's advice will almost certainly become much better poker players as a consequence. However, I believe that as the reader grows in experience, they will probably need to unlearn a great deal of what they read in this book, and they will have to understand a great deal that isn't covered. I fear that this might be a painful process. On the other hand, despite the descriptions of games that are oriented toward beginners, there are enough good tricks in here that an experienced poker player will likely have enough to think about to make reading the book worthwhile, if for no other reason than to glean how some of the biggest names in poker approach certain games. So, do I recommend this book or not? After some soul searching, I would have to say, "Yes, with some reservations." Play Poker Like the Pros can certainly make weak players better, but I don't believe all of the advice on all games is good. In places, this book provides some thought-provoking ideas for more advanced players, but there are a lot of gaps in its coverage. Even the places where I think Hellmuth's strategies are flawed, though, they can often be useful as an extra "gear" to have available under certain circumstances, even if the reader wouldn't want to play that way all the time. If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You can also use the code "AMAZON100" to receive a 20% bonus up to $100. If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100. joe
Rating:
Summary: Great book from a bad guy
Review: I don't like Hellmuth's attitude when I watch him play on TV. That said, he is playing on TV for millions and I am playing for pennies at home. The advice in this book is solid. If you really figure out what he is saying and put plenty of time into the game, this book alone will take you from beginner to intermediate. There really isn't much good advice for advanced players, but there are plenty of other books for that. His advice for beginners is better than other books I've read because his strategy is simpler and still likely to produce results. Definitly worth the price and definitly solid advice on all the most popular poker games. This guy KNOWS poker, and he shares some of his hard earned knowledge here.
Rating: 
Summary: More Like Play Poker Like a Fool
Review: Before I give my review I want to make something clear. I have nothing against Phil Hellmuth he is a very talented tournament player, and is probably one of the top 5 in the world. Now with that said I'll begin my review. Phil's advice is very straight forward play only his top 10 hands and you're going to win more times then you will loose. This is probably the worse advice you can give for a ring game, where being unpredictable and aggressive is the most important factor. He advices players to be tight and aggressive, but he offers no advice on how to actually achieve that. He doesn't go into great detail post flop, and almost completely neglects the play on Fourth Street and the River. Another nuance with this book is his constant bragging of how great he is, players didn't purchase the book to hear how great you are Phil! They bought it to try to improve their game. Now the only upside to this book is the chapter on no limit play, there are some good ideas presented here which is why it earned those two stars. However, that's not enough to make this book a buy. Overall, I wouldn't waste my time on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I LIKED IT
Review: I play mostly internet texas hold'em. So this book was a great resource in some areas...others it was just ok. I look forward to playing live soon and then I think I will be able to bring all of my game together. If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You can also use the Bonus Code "AMAZON100" and you will receive a 20% bonus up to $100! If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100.
Rating:
Summary: Phil Hellmuth loves himself as much as he loves poker.
Review: This is not a bad book for beginning poker players, but honestly, there's not much in it that you couldn't cull from a little online searching. The most useful part of this book dwells on pre-flop and flop betting; for the turn and the river, you're on your own. He's also much more detailed on betting in Limit hands than in No Limit hands, and wastes a number of pages just explaining low hand in Omaha H/L. I'd expect a book on playing poker like the pros to not really have to explain the very basic rules of said game. In any case, the gratuitious stories about his wins (and losses) could have been replaced by some straightforward information on betting through to the river and other tidbits you might have found useful in a book about, well, poker - but overall, it's a good place to start for the novice.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Phil. Thank you.
Review: I started playing seriously in January after reading this book and I turned $200 into over $7,000 in four months. The numbers speak for themselves. The strategy is simple to understand, but requires patience to follow. Super System is considered to be the poker bible, but it was a hard read for me, early on. Play Poker Like the Pros took me less than a couple of days to read and I refer to it once a week. YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENCE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING TIGHT STRATEGY. This book is very clear and very easy to follow, but most importantly, it has made me a fearless successful poker player.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS THE BOMB!!!!!
Review: I BARELY STARTED PLAYING POKER IN MARCH AND AFTER READING PHIL'S BOOK I HAVE ALREADY PLACED 1ST IN 8 INTERNET POKER TOURNY'S AND HAVE WON OVER $4000 PLAYING 10/20 LIMIT SIDE GAMES AND PLAYING NO LIMIT TOURNAMENTS. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW EASY IT IS TOO WIN MONEY AFTER LEARNING ALL THE STRATEGIES THAT HE INPUTS INTO HIS BOOK. THE NO LIMIT HOLDEM SECTION IS A MASTERPIECE!!! AFTER READING IT ABOUT 100 TIMES....BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE TOO READ IT, TO REALLY GET IT SINKED INTO THE BRAIN IT JUST SEEMS LIKE I CAN'T LOSE....THE ONLY TIME THAT I HAVE LOST IS WHEN I GET A BAD BEAT(EX. HOLDING AA OR KK AND THE OPPONENT CATCHES THREE OF A KIND OR TWO PAIR OR A STRAIGHT ON THE BOARD). I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL POKER PLAYERS, THIS GUY IS FOR REAL...I WAS A NON-BELIEVER LIKE MANY OTHERS, BUT AFTER STUDYING ALL HIS STRATEGIES TO THE PEAK....I KNOW FIRST HAND THAT IT CAN BE DONE....REMEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HE WRITES IN HIS BOOK, STAY PATIENT!!!! IF YOU STAY PATIENT AND WAIT FOR YOUR CARDS TOO COME THEN YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT CHANCE TO WIN YOUR HAND. ANOTHER THING THAT YOU MUST REMEMBER WHEN READING HIS BOOK IS, DON'T EXPECT TO WIN AFTER READING THE BOOK ONCE, YOU HAVE TO READ IT A FEW TIMES...LIKE I SAID, I READ IT ABOUT 100 TIMES UNTIL I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE IS TRYING TO TEACH. WELL EVERYONE I HOPE THIS HELPS THOSE THAT HAD THEIR DOUBTS...HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU AT THE TABLES!!!
Rating:
Summary: Limited Depth
Review: First, there is hardly anything worth noting in this book about online play. As with most poker books, the author is overly general and employs a vague typology for different games (like whether its loose or tight or aggressive), which is not too informative. The message for no-limit is basically this: only play pairs, and if you get AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, well, just go all-in. To me this is basically the superficial way to play the game. And while you may create some big pots and wins with this strategy, in the long run your going to find yourself almost concretely bound to this strategy, and missing the deeper repertoire which makes a very solid player who can last. I'd recommend Hold Em for Advanced Players by David Sklansky. This is a much more critical text (though it has a lot of faults too), comparatively Helmuth's rag is a comic book. BTW, I brought it back and exchanged it, don't let this warp your mind, he's trying to weaken the next generation of poker players. Above all, play your own game!
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