Secrets of Professional Tournament Vol. 3 – Book Review

Summary

In this day and age, it’s hard to choose an excellent practical poker book from the countless books available. However, the Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker Volume 3 (SOPTP III) is an insightful poker strategy book written by Jonathan Little, back in 2013.

Volume three is mainly a sequel to Little’s other books released in 2011 and 2012, respectively. But, unlike the first ones, which present a game plan for winning Hold ’em tournaments, this focuses on teaching readers how to implement the strategies and fundamentals described in the first two books.

The format used, question and answer, is easy to understand for both pro players and amateurs. Plays for each hand are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least good and 10 the optimal play. Scores are given after a reader answers all the questions provided for each hand. Then, for all the options, there are explanations offered for that particular choice. As Little puts it,

“In no time, I am clear you will have a clear understanding of why I play the way I do.”

Moreover, the author has included many hands from three different tournaments that he played in. Players learn how to analyze the limited information in a particular hand.

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Praise and Critique

This volume is different from the previous two SOPTP books by two-time world poker champion Jonathan Little: 

• First, he uses a question-and-answer format whereby choices are presented as a set of four answers for each question. Each choice scores between 1 and 10 points. This scoring system gives readers a chance to examine each hand individually, formulate their thinking, and weigh up the relevant factors. However, even if you choose the best answer, it’s always wise to consider the reasons for choosing such an answer and whether your thinking matches up with the explanation offered for that choice.

• Second, Little doesn’t focus on the theoretical side of poker. He simplifies complex thoughts and concepts. Jonathan has transformed his book into a question-and-answer workbook for poker players to sharpen their critical skills and examine their decision-making skills. Furthermore, he includes 150 hands in the book using a group of real hands played by him in three different poker games. These are the $2.5K World series of poker tournaments, the $1K WSOP, and the $25K World Poker Tour Championship.

Is the book for beginners or advanced players?

Little puts readers’ knowledge to the test and attempts to turn amateur poker players into pros using his experience as a World-class poker player. Still, SOPTP III provides little help to beginners on its own. It is best to read with the other SOPTP series books to learn the various concepts first before completing the workbook. Most beginners will find themselves a little lost going through the hands if they have not read the first two books. 

Another critique is that since Little uses actual hands and not hypothetical hands, there is a lot of repetition in the gameplay.

Recommendation

This final book in a three-volume series is a definite go-to book for taking your game to the next level. Having 150 explanations from a top tournament player for the choices made in actual hands also helps readers gain greater insight into the game. The question-and-answer style used makes it simple for anyone to understand.

I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to reinforce their skills in tournament poker. But, I wouldn’t recommend it to a newbie due to the advanced poker jargon and most hands coming from higher stake tournaments.

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