I’ve been playing “Thursday Night Poker” for 20 years, and I’ve read a lot of poker books–and won a lot of money as the result–but none of those books have been especially good, and most have been downright terrible. This is the first all round excellent book on the subject I’ve found.

The author avoids those problems I have with the majority of poker books on the market.

First, he writes exceedingly well, a rarity among poker writers. The book is intelligent, readable and interesting. There are no wide page margins and large print. There is a lot of material. He sticks to the point. He’s not a windbag, off the subject, boasting about his individual accomplishments, another common poker writer problem.

Second, he writes with the Thursday night game or the low-to-medium-level casino game in mind, understanding that you want to stay in longer than you should because you are playing to have fun and dropping every hand, sitting around waiting for the nuts, isn’t how you want to spend Thursday night. He writes about playing with sophisticated players, tight games and when bluffing can be effective.

Third–he covers the games you’re likely to encounter, emphasizing 7-Card Stud, High-Low, Holdem and Omaha and covering, but de-emphasizing Draw and Five Card Stud. He covers, for example, how to play High-Low declare and “cards speak.” He covers the differences between no-limit and limit. He offers practice examples to be sure you understand his points.

Fourth–He’s a mathematician who writes clearly and provides the corrrect amount of text covering odds, pot odds and making seat of the pants calculations while at the table. He provides clear tables, and explains what you should expect to have in each game to win.

Fifth–and this is huge–He tells you exactly what to stay with to see the flop and 4th street in Holdem or 4th and 5th street in 7-Card Stud (given seven players at the table). He provides easy to remember general rules such as not chasing a higher pair, the dangers of coming in second best, not chasing a flush to the River.

My one small complaint is that he uses seven stereotypical poker players as examples from tight to “a calling station” to make his points. Game situations are more complex that that. I would have preferred instead discussion on how to play the tight game, how to play the loose game with more emphasis on position. Even the tightest players sometimes bluff or go on “tilt.” Or how to mislead with your betting pattern over the course of twenty hands. He also might have discussed wild cards, which many players encounter, even if only to state that they dumb down the game–you get out if you don’t have any, and stay (and raise) if you do.

This is not a book for an advanced player, and it is not the book for large stakes for he assumes that you play to have fun. For most of us, this is the book.

This book is not written from the standpoint of 99% of the other books on poker. Those books assume you are a full-time player grinding out a living at some poker table in Vegas. This book does not fit that mold! This book is for those of us who play once a week with our pals, and we want to BEAT THOSE PALS ON A REGULAR BASIS! Yeah! It tells you how to do the quick, simple math to take your game to the next level. It also gives you tips to “read” your mates at the weekly game. Since players like those at your weekly poker game are not professionals, they tend to exhibit certain habits which can expose their hand. This is not watching for a twitch or Oreo cookies like you see in “Rounders!” What this means is watching someone’s betting patterns. They don’t realize they do it, but now you will!!!

The author of this work was a former professor at the University of Michigan in law and economics, and this book is a product of his background. It features far fewer “war stories” than the usual work in this field. It does offer a much more analytical, nuanced guide to the various types of poker games, backed by solid computer analysis. Potential purchasers should be warned that this work is much more intensive and difficult to truly understand than the “Thursday Night Poker” title may suggest. It contains very deep explorations of probability, player psychology, pot management, and tactics. It wasn’t an easy read for me. Like the Bible, I can go back and reread it over and over again, and I see new truths in it every time. In fact, such rereading will almost be mandatory to really grasp everything the author is communicating. However, no one ever said that studying such a complex topic would be easy. The author writes like the high-level academician he is, and expects his “students” to put in the effort necessary to learn the lessons. However, I think this is a seminal work in the area, and a must for any serious poker player. I have read and reread my copy so much that the cover is falling off. I literally refer to it after every session. I can’t recommend it highly enough.