Review of "Fundamentals of Poker" by Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis

[Randy Burgess]

The following critique was written as part of the proposal to publishers for "Stepping Up" - I reviewed other books on the market for beginning to intermediate players. I post it here in response to Mason's comment in another thread that trying to give advanced advice to beginners can cost them chips. I haven't changed a word from when this was written, back in September of 2002:

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"Fundamentals of Poker," by Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis; 1999, Two Plus Two Publishing.

Audience. It's a little difficult to figure out exactly who this book was written for. Initially, it appears aimed at persons who have played little or no poker, whether at home or anywhere else. For example, the first section, "General Guidelines," includes such basic topics as a simple description of what it means to check, bet, raise, or fold; an explanation of what high-only poker means; and the ranking of hands.

However, this simplistic beginning is followed by advice that jumps to a far higher level. For example, two of the tips in the "Elemental Poker Concepts" section, starting on p. 14, are to "play in loose games whenever possible" and "bluff some, but not too much." Anyone who is so raw as to need to learn the ranking of the hands won't be ready for quite some time to judge whether a game is loose or not. Likewise, the average beginner will have no idea what bluffing "some, but not too much" really means in the context of the low-limit games that will be his first casino experience. He should probably be told not to bluff at all, at least to start with, in such games.

Writing style. Clear and succinct throughout.

Topics covered. For a relatively short book (72 pages), the authors cover a lot of ground. After describing cardroom etiquette and "elemental" poker concepts, they give street-by-street strategy for both hold'em and seven-card stud. They round out the book with quick summaries of other games, including Omaha, seven-stud eight or better, and Razz.

Quality of content. The tips throughout are indisputable, as befitting Malmuth's reputation as a top poker writer, but most of them will go over the heads of the audience for whom the book seems intended. Keeping the book short allows it to masquerade as a beginner's book, but it is too advanced for a beginner and too skimpy for an intermediate player of the sort I'm aiming at--someone who has played home games and wants to move up.

How would my book be better? Malmuth and Loomis touch upon two related points that I consider central to learning how to win: adjusting your play to your opponents, and observing the action when you're not involved in a hand. However, they devote only two paragraphs (a total of nine sentences) to what I will take several chapters to explain, complete with examples. Plus I'll cover other helpful topics that Malmuth and Loomis skip entirely: how to learn from your mistakes, how to use computers to learn, playing online, and so on. My book will be a guide for learning, not just a collection of rules and tips.