When you hear the name Barry Greenstein, charismatic isn't the first thought that springs to mind. For this reason, I wasn't overly excited about reading his new offering into poker literature. I tend to go for writers who can speak fun poker, with a gag or two around every corner. However, I'd heard on the grapevine that 'Ace on the River' was worth a look, and so, as a keen reader, I dipped into Amazon and ordered my copy.
The first thing that catches your eye is the presentation. Aesthetically, the book is far from dull and manages to exude a real sense of freshness. The pictures, a rarity in many books, are professionally photographed and inhibit too intense a read by breaking up the text. Although they could do with captioning, virtually every page greets you with a colour image of a famous face or location. Every chapter opens with a stunning shot of a casino, both internal and external. With such visual treats, I often found myself spending more time staring at these images than reading the text. In part 1, I was even able to spot a little known Blondite called Actionjack watching from the rail.
The book itself is pretty large. Although it's not the longest read, it won't fit in your back pocket. There is a clear aim to make this book organised and clearly presented. The font is big, chapters are spread out, and everything is given its own title or heading. Greenstein mentions in the introduction that he wanted readers to be able to start at any section and not be forced to read from the start. This is certainly true as each chapter is segregated from the others and rarely follows directly on from the one before.
The chapter headings themselves are very intriguing. Originality is blatantly the key aim here and with titles such as 'Poker and the Family' and 'Brain Chemistry' it is obvious that this target has been reached. The 'Poker and your Sexuality' chapter is sure to raise the odd eyebrow.
It was these chapter headings that really started to draw me in. I have lost count of the number of times books have forced me to retread ground that has been covered in other offerings. Here however, you are offered something unique to read, thoughts and views on poker that haven't necessarily been regurgitated. Chapters such as 'The Best Poker Player in The World' and 'Superstition' in particular drew my interest. They may not be sprawled in poker strategy, but at least they offer something different in terms of poker literature.
One trait that 'Ace on the River' does share with numerous other books is its author's duty to share his personal history. Like those before him, Barry doesn't hesitate to give us his life story, and, although I tend to welcome this, Greenstein's life hardly compares to the likes of Brunson, Cloutier, and Ungar. True, some of his high stake encounters with folk like Larry Flynt provide fun reading, but do we really want to know where some of these guys grew up, went to school, etc. Also, Greenstein was not a regular on the circuit until later in his career so he doesn't have too many alluring poker tales to tell.
Having said this, what did interest me were his views on some of the criticism regarding his charitable donations. Understandably, he is very keen to defend accusations of self-publicising or tax deduction motives. It is this aspect that makes him unique, which is why I found this particular topic so enticing. My own gripe was that he didn't expand on the subject further.
Admittedly, there are a few page fillers amid the early chapters. It takes a while before we get into the meat of the book and the opening paragraphs really don't give the reader too much to chew on. With this being targeted towards medium to advanced players, I don't think pages on casino roles and how to behave are really required.
I opened this review by mentioning Barry's supposed lack of charisma. However, I have come to the conclusion that his quiet demeanour witnessed at the table is merely a method of self-focusing. From reading this book, I get the feeling that Barry is a lot more vocal away from the table. Although clearly an intelligent human being, a sense of humour is, on occasions, allowed to seep through. The amusing list of idiotic player quotes and the unbelievable gambling tales were welcomed with open arms and prevented the book from becoming a stale read. The Jack Straus quote was a particular favourite of mine.
Although I enjoy reading about this side of poker, I am still keen to learn about actual strategy, and in true Harrington style, Greenstein delivers. In part 3 there is a chapter called 'Play Lessons' which covers certain scenarios formed from various hands that Greenstein has personally been involved in. Although the fact that they all come from high stake confrontations can limit their accessibility to the average player, he is still able to cover crucial aspects of the game. I always enjoy hearing the thought process of any player regarding any hand, and to see Greenstein discussing plays in the same way as Harrington is superb. He is very thorough in his logic and covers every feasible option before moving on. Like Harrington's, these scenarios are clear, concise and easy to follow. There aren't quite enough for my liking, but I still learnt a lot from ploughing through them whilst simultaneously trying to implement my own thought process into each hand.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this book. It offers something completely different to anything else out there on the market. Although I found it slow to get going, it wasn't too long before I was lured in by the unique topics and the top class presentation. Though too few, the play lessons were a welcome sight and reminiscent of Harrington in the way they were covered, which can only be a good thing.
If I were to form any criticisms, it would be in the length of the book. Too short for my liking and some chapters were unnecessary, merely becoming space fillers. The 'Brain Chemistry' chapter being a prime example.
However, still a great read and highly recommended. Just don't go expecting to know the ins and out of poker strategy by the end. It's a lot broader than that and much more aimed at discussing poker rather than teaching it.
The first thing that catches your eye is the presentation. Aesthetically, the book is far from dull and manages to exude a real sense of freshness. The pictures, a rarity in many books, are professionally photographed and inhibit too intense a read by breaking up the text. Although they could do with captioning, virtually every page greets you with a colour image of a famous face or location. Every chapter opens with a stunning shot of a casino, both internal and external. With such visual treats, I often found myself spending more time staring at these images than reading the text. In part 1, I was even able to spot a little known Blondite called Actionjack watching from the rail.
The book itself is pretty large. Although it's not the longest read, it won't fit in your back pocket. There is a clear aim to make this book organised and clearly presented. The font is big, chapters are spread out, and everything is given its own title or heading. Greenstein mentions in the introduction that he wanted readers to be able to start at any section and not be forced to read from the start. This is certainly true as each chapter is segregated from the others and rarely follows directly on from the one before.
The chapter headings themselves are very intriguing. Originality is blatantly the key aim here and with titles such as 'Poker and the Family' and 'Brain Chemistry' it is obvious that this target has been reached. The 'Poker and your Sexuality' chapter is sure to raise the odd eyebrow.
It was these chapter headings that really started to draw me in. I have lost count of the number of times books have forced me to retread ground that has been covered in other offerings. Here however, you are offered something unique to read, thoughts and views on poker that haven't necessarily been regurgitated. Chapters such as 'The Best Poker Player in The World' and 'Superstition' in particular drew my interest. They may not be sprawled in poker strategy, but at least they offer something different in terms of poker literature.
One trait that 'Ace on the River' does share with numerous other books is its author's duty to share his personal history. Like those before him, Barry doesn't hesitate to give us his life story, and, although I tend to welcome this, Greenstein's life hardly compares to the likes of Brunson, Cloutier, and Ungar. True, some of his high stake encounters with folk like Larry Flynt provide fun reading, but do we really want to know where some of these guys grew up, went to school, etc. Also, Greenstein was not a regular on the circuit until later in his career so he doesn't have too many alluring poker tales to tell.
Having said this, what did interest me were his views on some of the criticism regarding his charitable donations. Understandably, he is very keen to defend accusations of self-publicising or tax deduction motives. It is this aspect that makes him unique, which is why I found this particular topic so enticing. My own gripe was that he didn't expand on the subject further.
Admittedly, there are a few page fillers amid the early chapters. It takes a while before we get into the meat of the book and the opening paragraphs really don't give the reader too much to chew on. With this being targeted towards medium to advanced players, I don't think pages on casino roles and how to behave are really required.
I opened this review by mentioning Barry's supposed lack of charisma. However, I have come to the conclusion that his quiet demeanour witnessed at the table is merely a method of self-focusing. From reading this book, I get the feeling that Barry is a lot more vocal away from the table. Although clearly an intelligent human being, a sense of humour is, on occasions, allowed to seep through. The amusing list of idiotic player quotes and the unbelievable gambling tales were welcomed with open arms and prevented the book from becoming a stale read. The Jack Straus quote was a particular favourite of mine.
Although I enjoy reading about this side of poker, I am still keen to learn about actual strategy, and in true Harrington style, Greenstein delivers. In part 3 there is a chapter called 'Play Lessons' which covers certain scenarios formed from various hands that Greenstein has personally been involved in. Although the fact that they all come from high stake confrontations can limit their accessibility to the average player, he is still able to cover crucial aspects of the game. I always enjoy hearing the thought process of any player regarding any hand, and to see Greenstein discussing plays in the same way as Harrington is superb. He is very thorough in his logic and covers every feasible option before moving on. Like Harrington's, these scenarios are clear, concise and easy to follow. There aren't quite enough for my liking, but I still learnt a lot from ploughing through them whilst simultaneously trying to implement my own thought process into each hand.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this book. It offers something completely different to anything else out there on the market. Although I found it slow to get going, it wasn't too long before I was lured in by the unique topics and the top class presentation. Though too few, the play lessons were a welcome sight and reminiscent of Harrington in the way they were covered, which can only be a good thing.
If I were to form any criticisms, it would be in the length of the book. Too short for my liking and some chapters were unnecessary, merely becoming space fillers. The 'Brain Chemistry' chapter being a prime example.
However, still a great read and highly recommended. Just don't go expecting to know the ins and out of poker strategy by the end. It's a lot broader than that and much more aimed at discussing poker rather than teaching it.
I give it 8 blonde stars out of 10.
