Phil Gordon's Little Green Book

Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em

By: Phil Gordon

Narrated by: Phil Gordon

Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Phil Gordon plays poker with the best players in the world. He has won, and lost, in tournaments and cash games around the globe, all the while studying the game and learning from every hand dealt. As the resident expert and cohost of Celebrity Poker Showdown, Phil has quickly become one of the most sought-after teachers of No Limit Texas Hold'em. It's a tough game. But anyone can become a winning player with the right amount of courage, patience, aggression, observation, and, perhaps most important, dedication to becoming a better player.

After fifteen years of keeping notes on the things he's learned, the greats he's played with, and the celebrities he's taught, Phil Gordon has poured every single thing he knows about No Limit Texas Hold'em into this little green book. Taking a page from Harvey Penick's bestselling book of golf wisdom, Phil plays the role of both teacher and student, offering up insightful tips on how to think about poker and how to develop a singular style of play. Through philosophy, psychology, strategy, math, and the knowledge gleaned from playing poker with everyone from T. J. Cloutier and Phil Ivey to Hank Azaria and Ben Affleck, Phil breaks down the game into enlightening instructional tidbits and illustrative anecdotes that inspire the kind of persistence and motivation necessary to improve your game.

A book to rank with Doyle Brunson's Super System and David Sklansky's The Theory of Poker, Phil Gordon's Little Green Book deserves a spot on the shelf of every serious student of the game.

©2005 Phil Gordon (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Get into the mind of a winner

This was a no-nonsense approach to playing winning poker. Phil dove right into what goes on in his head when sitting down at the poker table. He tells you how to handle different types of opponents, simplifies the math, and goes over the various situations that arise in almost every game.

Keep a pen and pad handy because you will want to take notes. This is one of the better poker books out there.

Little gem

I found the book to be very helpful and surprisingly interesting, I say that because I'm not a big fan of Phil Gordons. The book was very informative, had a great pace. I recommend it.

Good book!!!

Phil does a good job teaching in this book. I would buy again.

A unique approach to teaching poker skills

I enjoyed this book so much that I ended up buying the actual book to understand the deeper issues more clearly. Phil Gordon is a good writer who helps the reader understand the right frame of mind to play no-limit poker. His advice is clear, but not simplistic. Most poker books will devote too much time to explaining details in the interest of completeness, but Phil devotes his words to reinforce the ideas and decisions that a new player should always remember. I am certianly a novice player, but his style and clarity has drawn me into learning much more about the game. His starting hands guide is one of the easiest to understand.

This helped several leaks

it helped me appreciate aggression in a new way. I've tried it several times and it's mostly successful. Those failures are just bad reads! Now to work on that.

Always informational.

I am sure all interested parties, appreciate all additional information that can be provided. We await the next chapter.

Good book

Great tips and advice for anyone wanting to improve or sharpen their poker game. Highly recommend

Changed the way I play poker

I’ve listened to this book 4 or 5 times. Each time I listen I pick up something new. I do not think Phil intended this book for people to play exactly like he does but to help you open your mind about a different way of playing the game. I recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their poker game.

Phil Gordon's Little Green Book

This is the best book on poker you will find.

No Royal Flush

What did you like best about Phil Gordon's Little Green Book? What did you like least?

I liked the calculation of the odds, at least that stuff I can use.

Did Phil Gordon's Little Green Book inspire you to do anything?

It made me realize that playing poker is something that can't be taught.

Any additional comments?

The way I test the voracity of a book like this is the same way I evaluate what people say about the stock market. If they say the market is going up, then they have an opinion. If they say wait and see or hedge their opinion, then whatever they say is pretty much dog crap. This book cuts a path down the center, gives some opinions and gives some hedge my bet kind of comments.

Most people might not realize the advice is hedged. For example when someone says, "when I put my opponent on a small pair", that is a hedge statement because somehow you must discern that which cannot be known! Well guess what, if I knew what my opponent had I wouldn't need a book to help me play better.