Books and Videos

John Billingham is interviewed by House of Cards radio host Ashley Adams to discuss the book. Then, check out this video introduction to the book. How hard are you prepared to work to improve your No Limit Hold’em? The Education of a Modern Poker Player documents the efforts of a serious amateur as he pursues his ambition of rising through the stakes from NL10 ($10 game) to NL100 ($100 game) and beyond. John Billingham is an English maths professor, and a keen player of games. In the summer of 2009 he discovered online poker and was hooked. A year later he decided to trick a couple of impressionable young poker pros, Austrian Thomas Tiroch (TwiceT) and Romanian Emanuel Cinca (EmanuelC16), into teaching him how to play poker on the promise of writing a book with them. Little did he know what he was letting himself in for. The Education of a Modern Poker Player is the product of JB’s cunning plan, and documents his progress from being unable to beat NL10 to establishing himself on NL100. Over the course of this entertaining book, TT and Manu explain how to beat these small stakes games, aided and abetted by JB, and illustrate all the important concepts with real example hands. There is a particular focus on Fast Fold Games, such as Rush and Zoom, in which JB eventually became a specialist, and practical explanations of how to take advantage of weak players in this format. The Education of a Modern Poker Player includes: An extensive set of real example hands Practical advice on strategies to beat 6max No Limit Hold’em A basic strategy for Fixed Limit Five Card Draw Clear explanations of the Mathematics of No Limit Hold’em Specialist advice on Fast Fold Games (e.g. Rush and Zoom)

You’ve reached the business end of the tournament and you’re gunning for glory. However, you are now playing for the big bucks where one mistake could cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. You’ll undoubtedly feel nervous. Are you technically prepared? The Final Table will teach you how to make great decisions at every stage. It will also set out a program so you can learn how to continuously improve your final table strategy every single day. How do you apply pressure as the chip leader? What is risk premium and why is it so important? What's the best way to study the complexities of final table play? The Final Table features detailed analysis of over 100 hand examples at different stages of play. These vary from full ring to short-handed and heads-up play and cover the most common preflop and postflop situations. 

EXTRAS GRAPHICS FROM THE BOOK The Myth of Poker Talent is a unique book and is the culmination of renowned poker trainer Alex Fitzgerald’s work with over 1000 students over a 10 year period. Alex has discovered what makes a winning poker player and here’s the good news… It has nothing to do with poker talent.   If you want to excel at the game you’ll need to buy this book, study Alex’s method and work hard – but you don’t need talent. Alex’s method focuses on understanding generic poker situations and not specific hands. As a highly experienced teacher, he expresses his ideas in simple, easy-to-understand language. The Myth of Poker Talent will teach you: A “model of poker” built from scratch An understanding of every poker tool Why much of what experienced players think they know is actually wrong. … and much, much more.

Free yourself from back, neck and shoulder pain with the Alexander Technique DO you suffer from back or muscle pain? DOES the pain interfere with your life? DID you know poor posture is at the root of the majority of these problems? Poor posture can interfere with your mobility, breathing, circulation and digestion. It can contribute to overuse injuries to hands, arms and shoulders. It can affect your sense of wellbeing. Is there anything you can do to help yourself? With the help of this book the answer is a resounding – YES! Drawing on her 30 years of experience as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, Carolyn Nicholls explains exactly how to eliminate tension throughout your body and improve your habitual patterns of movement. Carolyn identifies typical behaviours that can result in unhealthy posture and explains how they can be improved. The Posture Workbook illustrates 5 key exercises to improve posture, awareness, flexibility and mobility. These ’5-A-Day’ exercises will teach you how to move more freely and easily and show you how to live your life free from postural pain. Carolyn is the founder and Head of Training at the Brighton Alexander Technique College, UK and a national advisor on clinical trials on back pain. Her first book, Body, Breath and Being – a new guide to the Alexander Technique is a great critical and commercial success.

Why do some poker players become immensely successful while others fall by the wayside? What is it that separates the successes from the failures? Is there a magic formula? Over the last 12 years, Lance Bradley has been one of poker’s leading journalists and now finds himself at the helm of PocketFives.com as President and Editor-in-Chief. During his time covering the poker world, Bradley has interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of the world’s best players. This experience has revealed one fascinating trend; contrary to what might be expected, there is no single guaranteed path to success. Each and every poker player featured in The Pursuit of Poker Success has taken their own route to becoming one of the world’s best players. The players interviewed for this book include World Series of Poker bracelet winners, World Poker Tour champions, online poker wizards and some of the best cash game players on the planet. Bradley spoke to each player about the way in which they found success in a game that can be humbling for so many. What worked for them can work for you.

The World’s Greatest Gambling Scams details the best scams ever pulled off in the adrenaline-fuelled gambling world. They range from those relying on basic sleight-of-hand manoeuvres to those that utilise gadgets based on the very latest high-tech wizardry, including: the famous Ritz Roulette Scam that used mini-computers and cell phones to determine on what number the roulette ball would drop big-action baccarat games in which the dealers merely pretended to shuffle the cards a dye solution for marking casino cards that can only be seen with special contact lenses and disappears without trace an hour after its application a tiny weightless receiver embedded into a roulette ball and controlled by a radio transmitter hidden in a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. Richard Marcus is from New York and has appeared on television in the US as an expert on gambling scams. He appeared in the UK on the Challenge TV series on gambling scams and has also had a successful career as casino cheat which he detailed in American Roulette and Great Casino Heist. As well as describing the scams from their inception to implementation, Marcus introduces us to the vastly diverse characters who carried them out and analyses what made them tick. 

Do you suspect that your poker skill is insufficiently well rewarded? Do you wonder how the professionals always get the money? Would you like to know how top players study and refine their game? If you have ambitions to join the ranks of the consistently winning players, this book will help you plan your campaign. Poker is a strange and fascinating game. There is a great deal more to being a successful player than simply knowing how to play a good game. Playing good poker is largely a technical skill which can be learned. Being a consistently successful player is much harder and necessitates acquiring expertise in many other areas. Byron Jacobs has been a successful online poker player for seven years. In this book he identifies precisely how this can be achieved and shows how much of the battle actually needs to be conducted away from the table. If you already play a fair game of poker but want to become one of the very few players who consistently “play well”, then you need this book. The concepts discussed in this book are brought into clear focus on the accompanying 180 minute CD of videos where the author can be seen explaining his decision-making process. Here is an extract:

For many years Jack Welch wrote for Running magazine and Track & Field News, chronicling the extraordinary developments of running during the 1970s, 80s and 90’s. When Running Was Young and So Were We is based on his columns from this period and is a unique book – telling the story of how running became a way of life for millions. It’s a book about excellence, inspiration and greatness. Not just what it takes to cross the finish line first, but also the lessons learned along the way. It’s a sports book – offering an up-close and personal look at Olympic greats, big races and long runs. It’s a training book – outlining many of the techniques and strategies that make you a winner, on and off the field of competition. It’s a celebration of the human spirit -examining what happens when both great athletes and keen amateurs are driven to challenge their own personal limits.  What do greats like Alberto Salazar, Joan Benoit, Dick Beardsley, Mary Decker and Steve Prefontaine all have in common? Read their stories and be inspired!

Meet Alex and Bobbie, who both like to play poker. Alex is a professional poker player who plays for a living and is a solid long-term winner. Bobbie is a recreational player who plays a decent enough game but mainly wants to have a good time. If you play poker regularly you will meet thousands of players like Bobbie in your games and very few like Alex. Of course one would expect that, in the long run, Alex will perform better than Bobbie. But have you ever wondered EXACTLY what it is that Alex understands better and does differently to Bobbie? This is a rather complex question that does not have a simple answer. In this book, UCLA maths professor Duncan Palamourdas addresses this question via a journey through human psychology, game theory, easy-to-understand mathematics and even philosophy. Topics include: Understanding the instinctive but unprofitable tendencies of inexperienced players. How to identify what a mistake actually is in poker – and how to exploit it. Why poker does not revolve around bluffing. The great impact of variance in poker and how to account for it. How to develop a consistent approach that allows you to play like Alex and not Bobbie. Duncan Palamourdas specializes in the mathematics of poker and poker education. His poker classes at UCLA always fill up early and have long waiting lists. He is also an author at Upswing Poker, Poker News, Card Player and Winning Network. Despite his impressive academic credentials, Duncan’s popularity is a product of his love for simple language and metaphors. Profitable poker play essentially revolves around correct risk-reward optimization. This is a complex topic and Duncan’s great strength is that he explains it in simple terms without resorting to technical jargon.

Are you a social or recreational poker player? Would you like to improve your game and win a bit more often? Do you have 30 minutes a day to spare? Then this is the book for you. There is a lot of material available for players trying to improve their poker game. However, much of the advice is rather advanced. It can be complicated and not always easy to implement at the table. Winning Poker in 30 Minutes a Day is different. It keeps the advice simple and direct and enables you to learn the basics of winning at no-limit hold’em with the help of over 30 appropriate and creative exercises. The aim of this book is not to turn an already very good player into an expert. The aim is to take a regular Joe (or Jane) and make him or her good enough to beat social and recreational games. Poker is a lot more fun when you are winning and this book will give you the tools to enable you to win.