Ryan Carter

Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide
By: Barry Greenstein

Ace on the River started as a chapter in Doyle Brunson's Super/System II. After reading the manuscript, which had already reached 100 pages, Doyle suggested Barry transform it into his own book, so he wouldn't have to cut it down. In his forward Brunson writes "I hope players will read my books to try to learn the games. I would then advise them to read Ace on the River to learn how to turn that knowledge into money."

Ace on the River spends almost no time on starting hand requirements and only devotes 2 chapters discussing actual hands. Many topics he does touch on are just as important to winning at poker as starting requirements, but hardly ever touched on in poker literature.

The book is divided into the following four parts:

Part I is titled The Poker World. He starts with the interesting story of his own poker career. I've found a lot can be learned from studying the careers of others, why pay for a mistake that so many others have paid for before you? The rest of Part I goes on to describe the different members of poker society along with how to behave in this society. The final chapter talks about different superstitions that exist in poker.

Part II is titled Philosophy. This is an important aspect of one's poker game that is often left out of most poker books. Pay special attention to Greenstein's player profile and traits of a winning poker player. Some of them may surprise you, but make a great deal of sense once you absorb them. Other important sections discuss making money and how to hold onto it once you do.

Part III is titled Advanced Play. Before he gets into specific hand examples he touches on the subjects of math, game theory and money management. In the Play Lessons and Tournament section he finally starts discussing specific hands and situations. He sets up these hands in an excellent format. On the even number pages he sets up the situation on each street asking various questions, then answers them on the odd pages. He also includes some great pictures to set up each hand. While he doesn't focus much of the book on poker hands, the ones he does make their point in a way unlike other books. After reading these sections you will be able to look at poker situations in a whole new light.

Part IV is a short Addenda. It includes some great poker charts with explanations to go with them. He also includes some interesting situations that you may not have seen before.

Ace on the River should not be the first book you read on poker. Players need to know some of the more technical aspects of the game before they can absorb this book. Once you have that knowledge Ace on the River is the next step towards being a profitable poker player.

You can purchase this book at the Poker Dynasty Book Store: Ace on the River