Dynamic Full Ring Poker: Beyond The Basics |
Author: James SplitSuit Sweeney Publisher: DailyVariance Publishing, LLC Pages: 366 Pub. Date: January 1, 2011 Price: $35.96 |
Book Review
Crushing $1/2 No-limit Holdem
James Sweeney’s 366 page monster on Dynamic Full Ring Poker could be called a textbook; similarly it could be called a guidebook. The fact remains though, that this book is the ultimate piece of kit for anybody interested in taking up no-limit hold’em poker.
Published in 2011, this book goes into great detail about the Full Ring poker form, used by many online poker rooms to play no-limit hold’em. As with any top class poker book, Sweeney’s work is not the easiest thing you’ll ever read if you know nothing about poker. But, those players with a basic handle on no-limit hold’em, and interested in furthering their knowledge of Full Ring, this guide will make for essential reading, and is easily comprehensible if they are willing to take the time to learn and understand the material covered in the book.
Sweeney’s Dynamic Full Ring Poker mostly focuses on small stakes poker games, specifically for the online gambling audience, however the general principles he discusses in his book could have merit in land based poker games, and also high stakes poker games, such is the effectiveness and broadness of the topics he discusses in his work.
The larger part of his book focuses on the pre-flop, whilst the backend focuses almost exclusively on post-flop poker action. This gives the book a general two-part look.
In the first, the author – who is world renowned poker player himself – offers helpful advice on a range of sectors within the pre-flop arena, such as calling, raising, isolating, 3 betting, squeezing and 4 betting, most of which gamers should be somewhat familiar with if they are going to take a lot from this book. Each of the chapters focuses on a specific part of the game, with new concepts and new ways to look at the game in general, a huge part of their content.
The way that the first part of this poker guide is set out, is ideal for players to judge their own gameplay before the flop. Sweeney very cleverly and creatively makes you think about all your pre-play decisions and about all the possible situations you might find yourselves in when playing. This makes critical reading for players not entirely convinced that they are playing in a manner which best suits them.
After taking a long hard look at some of the factors involved in no-limit hold’em in the first part of the book, the author quickly moves into the second part by discussing the post-flop action. This section contains content about how to understand the decisions you have made when playing poker. There is a lot of focus on continuation betting, floating, calling, check raises, barrelling and value betting, among other areas.
If the first part of the book was designed to help you analyse your own game, and to help you understand all the possibilities and situations surrounding any future decisions you make when playing; then the second part of the book is almost certainly an attack manual which hints to players, methods about how they can counter an opponent, and potentially find holes in an opponent’s poker plan. Arguably the most attractive part of the book, the ability to attack an opponent’s weaknesses is irrelevant if you haven’t set yourself up for a good run, by reading the first part of the book carefully.
James Sweeney’s Dynamic Full Ring Poker concludes with an in-depth chapter on Creative Line Composition, which is the ultimate swansong on looking at your own game and how you play. Nowehere does the author make you think more about your own no-limit hold’em strategy and awareness than in this chapter. It makes for a great summary of everything you have learned by reading the book.
But to whom does Dynamic Full Poker suit? Well, as with most poker guidance books, somebody only half interested in the game of poker will inevitably find the book confusing, and completely uninteresting. This book is deep and contains a lot of ideas and topics that casual, regular poker players imply won’t understand, or attempt to.
Those players that are deeply interested in learning about yet another various aspect of the famous card game will find Sweeney’s book captivating and riveting read, if they are prepared to invest the time and patience to understand what it is he is trying to get across to you. So you might say that like most poker books, the book is superbly ideal for those poker players who are interested in no-limit hold’em, that already have at least an elementary understanding of the game, and have the desire to learn as much as they can about it; poker lovers, in essence.
To his credit, the author has made certain that Dynamic Full Ring Poker’s chapters are organised and accessible for a quick easy reference. This pays off dividends, especially if you are the type of player that has trouble soaking up a lot of information in one sitting. The ability to quickly flick back and find exactly the chapter you were looking for, ensures that players don’t need to have the skills and advice learnt stick in their brain immediately. Who needs to rush through something and not take note, when you can dash back and pick up on a point you’ve previously only half understand at any time.
Any gamer that is interested in playing Full Ring Poker online, and has at least dabbling with online poker gaming before, could find themselves in for a treat with James Sweeney’s Dynamic Full Ring Poker. For gamers still struggling to grasp the concepts of the world famous card game, you might find this excellent poker textbook, slightly out of your element, but if you’ve got an eagerness to learn, it’s worth a read anyway!
