Let's be honest here...I'm not the sharpest lightbulb in the toolshed. I decided I wanted to jump on the poker bandwagon and just see what all the fuss was about, but I only had cursory knowledge of how the game of pirates and cowboys actually worked. So one day I was browsing the 'Zon and came across this book. Looked interesting, a great review provided by Jonathan Roth, and the price is right...if I'm going to start gambling, I might as well start here!

It's written by two brothers: Curt and Dr. Doug Frye (I call them the "two aces"...LOL!) Yup, that's right...DOCTOR! And a COMPUTER EXPERT!

This book covers a lot of stuff. I never knew there were so many different versions of poker out there! PINEAPPLE?!? It's not just for cocktails anymore! LOL! I'm glad all of this is included....who knows what would've happened if I signed on and logged into some game I had no idea about. I wouldn't have even known the difference!

What I also found interesting was how in depth it gets with all these crazy situations you can get yourself into and how to handle them. I thought I was just going to get an overview of what hand beats what and things like that, but they managed to cram a lot of juiciness into this book. I like how they weave all of the normal poker stuff into playing online and all of the different program possibilities there are. This is very nice because right now, online is the only way I can play as I'm bedridden!

And not only will this book help sharpen your poker skills, it will sharpen your LAUGHING SKILLS! I'm so glad this book isn't some boring technical manual. The boys really know how to make a girl laugh!

Overall, if your someone slightly familiar with the game of poker but really want to approach it seriously, this is a great book to have! It covers all the basics, and I found it indispensible for getting started online and actually HOLDING ON TO my money. It also feels like a book I can grow into. I haven't been able to use all of the information in it yet, and I don't think I will outgrow it soon. Plus, it covers a lot of different games, so you don't have to buy allthese different books...it's all there in one handy guide! I keep it handy whenever I'm online.

Perhaps a better title for this book would be, "A Thorough Introduction to Online Poker," as it excels in instructing readers about the basics of the game, but does not reveal many unknown secrets. It was published with neophytes in mind. Some of the topics, such as when the authors thoroughly discuss the legalities of online poker, are quite valuable; particularly when they quote from the federal court case illustrating the vagueness of the law in regards to contests. Further, there is a unique emphasis on the technological aspects of poker which is evident from the three chapters devoted to poker spreadsheets and software. The best of these programs are the ones which fit over the poker website like a template and record information automatically. The worst of them are the ones that make you record, with individual keystrokes, the results of your hands. It takes unusual dedication for the average player to do this, but I can see how it would immediately improve one's game.

Overall, with its stylish presentation and excellent organization, the manual is excellent for beginners, but I can't say that it offers much for those of us with a great deal of experience. Again, with few "secrets" shared, the title is rather misleading.

This book has all the good qualities of a beginning poker book and then goes farther, introducing the reader to ways of analyzing their game never covered before, as far as I've seen.

The authors begin with a quick primer on the history and legality of online poker and then move on to the basics of how to set up an online account and get money into it so you can play away. (Go to a place like rec.gambling.poker for more in-depth discussions on how the rewards programs work.) After that, they go into a lot of detail about the games themselves, which makes this book not only an internet poker book but also a general poker book. A very strong point is that they talk about several different games: Hold `Em, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pineapple (a little). So many books concentrate on only one game. They get into the statistics a lot, noting that their statistical analyses showed you'll win a certain percentage of the money when you're in a given situation. They also go through the different ways the hands can win or lose depending on how the cards fall the rest of the way. In Omaha Hi-Lo, for example, they'll give you three a scenario in which three different hands are competing for the money. They describe how the best highs and lows can be made and how the situations change on the flop and the turn. Rest assured, though, they do cover Hold `Em extensively! This book does NOT cover pot-limit and no-limit poker, though.

The analysis section talks about how to use Excel and the Wilson Software packages to analyze your play. If you're serious about improving your game or are curious about how big a favorite or an underdog you are in a given situation or if you want to be able to play poker for free after buying the packages this seems like a good idea (I've never used the Wilson Software, I have to admit). But it would be interesting to see how a simulation would come out and by using something as simple as the chart wizard in Excel to cast an objective and unblinking eye on how well I play at certain times.

This book is really good and should be part of your poker library!