According To Doyle is a collection of articles written by American poker champion Doyle Brunson in the early 1980's for Poker Player newspaper. Brunson is widely regarded as the finest poker player of the Twentieth Century and has also authored a book of his own, Super System, which details his style of play and how he has been able to win consistently for the last fifty years.
High Points
- Written by World Champion Doyle Brunson
- Easy to read format for learning through stories
- Fun and memorable stories are used
- Did I mention it's by Doyle Brunson?
Low Points
- No Tournament Stories
- The Book Ended
Description
- According to Doyle by Doyle Brunson was first released in 1984 by Gambling Times Incorporated
- The 2008 edition is 240 pages
- Publisher: Cardoza
Guide Review - 'According to Doyle' by Doyle Brunson - Book Review
According to Doyle is nothing more than the ramblings of a poker player; a collection of articles from a bi-weekly newspaper called Poker Player that were first published in the early 1980's. That said, you'll be a lesser poker player is you miss this book!
Just so you understand the legacy here, Gambling Times Magazine was the first national magazine to deal with gambling in the United States. It then launched Poker Player. When it did, some of the greatest players of the 1970's and 1980's joined the staff. Doyle Brunson was one of those great players.
After graduating from college, Brunson planned on being a teacher and then school administrator, but he got hooked on playing poker in the mid 1950's and emerged as the best player in the country. By the 1970's he was living with his family in Las Vegas after a solid twenty-year career as a poker pro and was the World Champion of Texas Hold'em. That alone made him noteworthy, but his ability to write interesting and educational articles for Poker Player made him unique.
Sure, other writers offered advice, but Doyle has a way of telling stories that contain educational wisdom and the reader can't help but be moved and have their play improved, simply by reading.
The book was re-released as Poker Wisdom of a Champion by Gambler's Book Club and then released again in 2008 by Cardoza Publishing.
Brunson writes well, and his stories are full of home-spun fun about life on the road as a poker player. He grew up poor, and he spent several years after college honing his game before he was the player he is today. The chapters in this book represent the education he received from the school of hard-knocks. It's always easier to learn from another person's mistakes, and in poker, it's always cheaper.
This is not a course in how to play poker like Super System, it is a gentle storybook filled with life wisdom about poker, people, and the emotions that run through us all when playing a game - for money.
Chapters tell stories, just as Don't Take A Bluff Personally tells a story of when a bluff goes good for one player, and bad for another. Readers are expected to be able to tell who they might be in the story, and who they ultimately should be.
Brunson is one of the greatest poker tournament players ever, and unfortunately there are no stories about tournament play, bur really, the only knock I have against this book is that it ends. I've read it several times, and can find no flaws with the stories, writing, or the advice that is passed on through the chapters.
Every poker player, and everybody who knows a poker player, can enjoy this book.
