Super System by Doyle Bruson - Review
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Title: Doyle Brunson's Super System Author: Doyle Brunson et. al. Publisher: B&G Publishing Length: 605 pages Date: 2002 (3rd Edition) Rating:  Intended Audience: Poker hobbyists, advanced to expert players, fans of Doyle Brunson Available at: Amazon.com ($29.95 w/Free Shipping available) |
Review by Dave, TightPoker.com contributor
Super System was originally published under the title How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker in 1978. Since then, the game of poker has changed quite a bit since then. While the basic fundamentals are still the same, the game is played quite a bit differently (The small blind, big blind system being one example), which changes some of the strategy. Despite all that, this book still has some good poker advice.
The book consists of separate sections on a variety of poker games. For each of these games, Brunson has recruited an expert, with Brunson writing the section on Texas Hold'em. The book goes through and explains fairly in depth, five different variations of poker: Draw, Stud, High-Low Stud, Lowball, and Hold'em. Some of these forms of poker have a number of variations that are touched upon in the book, for example: The Lowball section covers Ace-to-Five, Deuce-to-Seven, and Seven-Card Low. ach of these sections contains a discussion about the rules and strategies. Strategies covered include range from good starting hands, to when to raise or fold, to bluffing, to the psychology of the game. There is information for both beginners as well as expert players.
Super System is one of poker classics. Because it's not as up to date as it once was, I couldn't really recommend this book to anyone as a book to teach them how to play better. It definitely has some good points to it, but there are a number of books which will get you more bang for your buck. That being said, the book is an interesting read if you're a fan of poker.
Note: The book has gone through a number of name changes. It can be found as Super/System, How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker, Doyle Brunson's Super System, or simply Super System depending on where you look and the revision of the book.
-Dave
