Play Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth — An Unbiased Review

Book and Author Information

Play Poker Like the Pros was published by HarperCollins Publishing Company in 2009. This 419-page book was written by Phil Hellmuth, a poker legend with 15 WSOP bracelets. In 2007, he was introduced to the Poker Hall of Fame. In addition to this book, Hellmuth has also published six other books, including

• Phil Hellmuth’s Texas Hold’em,qaaa
• Phil Hellmuth Presents Read’em and Reap,
• Bad Beats and Lucky Draws.

Book Summary

Hellmuth wrote this book to teach his readers how to play and win by following his strategies. In it, you’ll come across Phil’s tournament-tested tips that can help you beat any type of player, such as:

• The Jackal
• The Elephant
• The Mouse
• The Lion.

How Can You Get A Poker Audiobook For Free?

The opening pages of the book introduce players to the basic rules and setup of Texas Hold’em. Nevertheless, the following section builds on that to explain more advanced gameplay. Then, Hellmuth repeats the same for Omaha and Seven Card Stud. In addition to game strategies, Phil gives useful advice on when to bluff, raise, or fold, which hand to play, and how to read other players.

A separate chapter is dedicated to online poker games, while the final pages talk more about the most popular poker tournaments.

Praise, Critique, and Recommendation

Although the book uses simple language and is easy to read, Hellmuth’s approach is all over the place. He’ll treat you like a complete newbie at times, which is okay since beginner strategies are quite well explained. However, he then moves on to explain how to read other players, which might be overkill, especially if you’re a novice.

The theory part of the book is quite solid and explained in great detail. However, the examples are lacking. Namely, you will get insight into a few hands that have been drawn on the WSOP tournaments, but it’s highly unlikely an occasional player will come across them. That is why those readers who have already developed a certain style may find it difficult to adapt to Hellmuth’s way of playing.

What’s more, throughout the book, Hellmuth hangs onto specific strategies. For example, if you look at the “Limit Hold’em: Beginners Strategy” chapter, you’ll notice that he focuses solely on the top ten hands. In fact, he states,

“Before the flop, then, successful play in Hold’em is pretty darn easy using the top-ten-hands strategy.”

But, many experienced players would disagree with this approach.

Overall, Play Poker Like the Pros is an excellent choice for beginners. The rules and basic setup are easy to understand, while the more advanced strategies could use more examples. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for entertaining literature, you’re better off reading other authors