Real Poker II: The Play of Hands

[I am fish]

Real Poker II: The Play of Hands by Roy Cooke & John Bond

I am extremely impressed with this book. This is a collection of Cooke’s Play of Hand columns (1992-1999) from Card Player magazine which deals exclusively with Limit Hold’em. It is truly insightful to step inside of Cooke’s head and have the opportunity to experience an expert player’s thought process. The book is comprised of short essays, each in which he walks you through the play of a particular hand. Along the way, he examines the situation and various scenarios, paying close attention to kinds of questions you should be considering while at the table. The book is split up into 4 sections: Protecting your hand, Odds, Hand Reading, and Situational Adjustments. Real Poker II is entertaining and a smooth read.

I highly recommend the book for players who have already read Theory of Poker, Small Stakes Hold’em, and Weighing the Odds in Hold’em Poker. I think it is nice to have read Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players and Inside the Poker Mind before reading Real Poker II, but it is not completely necessary. It is excellent for the player who is looking step up their game and make the move beyond the low limits up to the middle limits. It will help players move past ABC poker to Real Poker and thoroughly improve your decision making process.

I am adding this to the curriculum that I recommend to friends who are getting started in Limit Hold’em. Currently, that list goes as follows in the order I feel they should be read.

1. Theory of Poker
1. Small Stakes Hold’em
2. Weighing the Odds in Hold’em Poker
3. Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players
4. Inside the Poker Mind
5. Real Poker II
6. How Good is Your Limit Hold’em (I have not read it yet, but I place it here due to good friends’ opinions)
7. Middle Limit Hold’em Poker