Rating: 
Summary: VERY INFORMATIVE
Review: I just won a WSOP seat following this advice from the book. I took me 3 tries but following the mathematics behind tournament play and strategy It ended up costing me 300$ instead of 10,000$. I cannot recommend this book enough.
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Keep Flopping ACES
Rating: 
Summary: Some good information
Review: I must admit after reading some of Sklansky's other books I was a little disappointed. As other reviewers pointed out this book seems more for beginners than for "advanced" players. If you are a beginner this is certainly a book for you. However if you have read some other books on poker and tournaments in general and have played some tournaments then this book will not be very helpful
Rating:
Summary: Has some useful information
Review: I play a lot of tournament poker-- about a hundred small- to large-buyin live tournaments, and hundreds online, each year. David's book has excellent, easy-to-understand explanations of key tournament concepts. His description of why the value of a chip changes during a tournament is clear, concise, and spot-on, and what he calls the "gap concept" is something that every solid tournament player understands intuitively. "Advanced Players" is a misnomer, though. If you've played a few dozen tournaments, you probably know most of what is in this book. I was hoping to see a mathematical analysis of such things as tournament equity, all-in equities, and special considerations for different games and tournament formats, and it wasn't there. I think the book is moderately good, though technically light. David isn't really a tournament expert, and it shows. He places far too much emphasis on moving up the payscale, and not nearly enough on playing to win. I understand that he gave exactly this sort of performance in the 2002 WSOP main event-- getting into the money, then basically blinding off his stack without playing many hands. If you're serious about tournament poker you should read this book, but you should do so with a critical eye-- I believe it does contain some misinformation. It's certainly better than the first embarrassing tournament offering from Two Plus Two.
Rating: 
Summary: Tourney Players...Watch Out
Review: I play mostly internet texas hold'em. So this book was a great resource in some areas...others it was just ok. I look forward to playing live soon and then I think I will be able to bring all of my game together. If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You can also use the Bonus Code "AMAZON100" and you will receive a 20% bonus up to $100! If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100.
Rating:
Summary: Tournament poker
Review: I'd recommend this book... sklansky is a good author. you definitely need to read this to be a great player. It explains the most basic and important ideas to win in tournaments. This book is great i've learned a lot as a new player. Unlike other books, i like the authors teaching style. If you are a new or intermediate player, i'd recommend it before you read anything else. If you want to play online, I have the following sign up codes for partypoker.com that are better than the ordinary 15% bonuses.
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Rating:
Summary: Must have for Tournament Players.
Review: I've read Sklansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Players a few times now. Each time I've read it I've found something useful that I hadn't noticed before. I am an experienced mid limit poker player. I play a lot of 15-30 Holdem and Seven Card Stud. However, I would really prefer to play tournaments as a professional. I know how to play poker. I was looking for a book that explaind the nuances of Tournament Play. Sklansky's book does all of that. The "Gap Concept" is something that is known among experienced poker players. But Sklansky puts it on paper and explains it's effect during tournament play. His explanation of the Gap Principal is worth the price of the book alone. Sklansky also does a good job in explaining the value of chips and how that value changes throughout the tournament. He goes on to expalin when it is advisable to be aggressive and when one should sit back and try and survive. The book is definitely written in general terms and must be read a few times to glean the important information contained within. If you plan on giving Tournament Poker a shot and already know how to play poker well this is a book for you. Vince Lepore
Rating:
Summary: A must for a tournament player
Review: If you are a multi table poker player, then this book is a must. There is a winning way to go about tournaments and this book will teach you how to do it. The book provides wonderful insights that most people would never even think about. It teaches you about certain points in a tournament where you can make a move and points out times when you should hold off and paly conservative. You must play a patient controlled game to win tournaments as one mistake in no limit play can knock you out of the tournament. This book is a must read and will pay for itself the first time you reach the final table. Also, go to www.geocities.com/pacificpokerbonusoffer and click on the link and sign up with pacific poker and receive 25% on your first deposit. You won't even have to play a hand and the money will enter your account. Pacific Poker is home of the worst players on the internet so take advantage!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book if You Understand the Purpose
Review: Let me just begin by telling you that if you're looking for a book on Texas Hold'em Tournament strategy, this is not the book you're looking for. Sklansky assumes that you're already very familiar with your particular game's advanced strategy. In other words, this is a book for good cash game players who need to know how tournament structure changes their strategy. Therefore, if your only experience with poker is the No Limit Hold'em games you play at your buddy's house, you probably don't need this book. You haven't played in limit cash games, so the changes in strategy Sklansky discusses likely won't apply to you.
The book is based on the fact that in limit cash games, you always think in the long-term: that is, you always make plays that show a profit if you make them enough times. In a tournament, however, there is no long term. One bad play could send you packing, and you won't have an opportunity to make that play one more time, let alone enough times for it to show a profit. All of the concepts stem from this, and eventually lead to the concept of winning NOT being all-important. For Sklansky, winning is a bonus, but placing in the money is what's important. Winning one tournament but never finishing in the money again during the course of a year is not profitable. Never winning but placing in the money consistently is what you're looking for. This is a tough concept for most amateurs to understand: they want to win, and Sklansky sympathizes with them... he just differs in opinion.
In addition to the great concepts, this book is better than other Sklansky books because his writing is far more carefree; he isn't as cold and boring as he is in the Theory of Poker, etc. He's sarcastic, blunt, and much more... normal-sounding. The hand quizzes are great. Even if you don't play Stud or Omaha hi/lo, the quizzes give you real-life examples of why these concepts are so important. They aren't your normal hand quizzes, however... they don't focus on hand strategy, they look at the bigger picture. For example, most people who get dealt QQ at a final table on an average chip stack can't get all their chips in fast enough. Sure, you'll probably win with that hand, but what if you don't? You're out of the tournament. What if there are two other players at the table who have short stacks? Why would you risk busting out in 10th place when you're all but guaranteed to get 8th just by folding every hand? After reading this book, plays like folding JJ, QQ, AQ, etc will seem so logical you won't even believe you didn't do them before. Again, notice that the quiz isn't focusing on whether QQ is a good hand or not. Of course it is, but you have to think bigger than a single hand when you're in a tournament. These quizzes will teach you to do that.
That's the whole thing with this book. If you want NL Hold'em strategy, pick up Cloutier's book. He gives you a very specific strategy to use in a tournament. Sklansky is giving you concepts that drive all poker tournaments, not a specific game. These concepts transcend the type of game. Yes, they're boring. No, people will not think you're cool for folding to a semi-bluff because it's not worth busting out over. Hey, if you want to go all in on a stone-cold bluff and be the next Moneymaker, knock yourself out. But I'll take an 85% chance of finishing 5th over a 5% chance of finishing 1st any day.
Side Note: The "System" Sklansky presents is yet another concept that is twisted into something it's not. Sklansky isn't suggesting that his "System" is a great way to make NL tournaments easy to win. It's just a concept. He's showing you how No-Limit tournaments can have skill eliminated very easily. You don't have to use a system like this, you just need to be aware of this when you make a decision. So, if you have AKs... you usually want to see all 5 cards. Going all in lets you do this and remove skill from the hand, reducing it to luck.
Rating:
Summary: For tournament players, it will pay for itself
Review: Poker seems very simple if you see it from the standpoint of "the high hand wins". The thing that makes all variations of poker infinitely more complicated is the human factor. Add the variation of draw poker and the unknowns of what the end result increase geometrically since every hand changes with each new card that comes out. To balance out the impossible task of having to commit to memory every possible factor that could take place, players must base decisions on probability/odds of their hand in comparison to any other possible hand. Every poker book in existence offers tips on probability of certain hands and how to play them against categories of opponents in various situations. Since the mood of the player population is in constant turmoil and with every book that is released, many players create strategies to counter any newly discovered information that becomes effective. There will never be an end to poker books and new information. The point that I always stress when it comes to poker is that information is your Ace. It is impossible to have too much information or too many poker books. Tournament Poker for Advanced Players covers strategy on situations that could come up in various tournaments like plays that would work in no-limit as opposed to the same ideal that wouldn't work in limit. It is already assumed that you have at least an amateur to intermediate understanding on poker play. Is it possible that there would be a situation where pocket Aces should be dropped? Yes, if there are 4 players left in a tournament and you are last in chips, the 3 players go all in on a hand. Just by dropping out of the hand, you are almost assured to get 2nd place. If you happen to lose, then you're out at 4th place, the difference in the prize purse could be several hundred thousand dollars so it is quite possible that you are justified to drop pocket Aces! This is just one example of a topic covered in Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. If any poker book gives you a piece of information that helps you earn a pot or save a stack of chips, it easily pays for its cover price and in turn that information becomes at worst free. From my standpoint, this book is not a gamble but required reading for any tournament player.
Rating:
Summary: A very decent book with a confusing name
Review: The ambiguity in the name of this book is something that confuses a lot of people, including some reviewers. The target audience of this book is ADVANCED poker players who have NOT played much in tournaments. Experienced tournament players might get something out of it too, or use it as reference, but they are NOT who the author had in mind. So, if you are looking for advanced tournament tips, skip this one, save some money and aggravation, and drop me a "thank you" note. :-) This said, the book accomplishes what it is set to do rather well. There is a large number of very solid poker players who almost never play in tournaments simply because the price of learning tournament basics through first-hand experience is rather high. On the other hand, explaining tournament basics to an advanced player is easy, or at least Sklansky makes it seem this way. If you are a good player thinking of playing tournaments, read this book -- it has answers to most of your questions.
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