good book

great read. it has improved my poker play 100% I've read it 5 times now

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1 person found this helpful

Amazing!

I've listened to this book twice now and will continue to listen again and again. I've cashed in online MTT's in the past but since listening to this book I've actually made 2 final tables online with 1500+ runners which is something I've never done before (all within a month of purchase) And I've no way near managed to engrain all the concepts John talks about in this book. He narrates the book extremely well and I will definitely follow him more closely. A word of warning, the style of poker John teaches in this book isn't the old school Dan Harrington type TAG style. This book makes you a loose aggressive more dominant player. 10/10 all day!!

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One of the best books on the subject

This is (one volume of) one of the best works yet written on the subject, by an author with an unquestionable subject knowledge and a superbly calm, well-balanced attitude. Importantly, whilst many poker books attempt to convey the author's understanding and technique, writing text books requires a particular skillset - it is not a simple task and it is often beyond even the most talented players to impart their knowledge to the reader in a well organised manner. That's not to say these books are perfect as one may never write a textbook to suit every student.
The author reads this volume well with good diction and I did not struggle at all with his accent (I'm British), whilst the speed setting is very useful to bring his somewhat quick delivery down to a speed where you can absorb it properly (I used x0.85).
Reviewers of the paper version note that you will need a reasonable understanding of the basic mechanics of NLHE before embarking on this learning journey and this is particularly true of the audio book. You will also require a strong memory and mental agility (which are requisites of succeeding in poker as it happens) as Jonathan cites multiple hand examples which could be difficult to hold in your head - this is certainly not a great driving companion for most us!
From an entirely personal perspective, I had to work with a notepad and pause button to make the most of listening to the book but have still now opted to order a hard copy of this volume (along with the second to move on to) as I feel I will gain a thorough grasp more quickly. However, I'm glad to have the audio book to refer back to as a refresher once I get towards mastering these concepts.
You should note that this is a three-volume series and whilst working through the set is required for a rounded understanding, just working on the first few chapters has improved my game. Yes, you're probably not going to win any major titles without taking your training several more levels, but if you can learn and apply this knowledge you will have a much better understanding of the game than the majority of amateurs at your next table and appreciate how and when to exploit that.
These titles are now dating a little and while poker books can go out of date quickly, "Secrets" works on principles that form a solid basis on which you can develop your game later rather than advocating a particular approach which can be learnt and countered by your opponents making it obsolete.
Good luck at the tables!

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