Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein

Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein is a book that is touted as a complete guide to poker. In reality it is really part autobiography, part documentary on the world of professional poker. He starts out giving a lot of background on his life and his beginnings in professional poker. Some of you may think that this will wind up being snooze material, but he actually gives a lot of insightful stories about starting out in poker and some sound advice for those getting started in today’s game.

As the book progresses, the book becomes more of a guide about how to conduct oneself while playing poker and a guide on living the poker lifestyle. He gives a lot of lessons that are not only applicable to poker, but to everyday life as well. He covers everything from building a bankroll to sex. Yes, Barry gives advice on sex.

The last part of the book is purely strategy as it relates to NL Holdem. He gives examples of various tournament scenarios he was in and the reasons he played the way he did. This section alone could make a nice strategy booklet and I think complements the rest of the book.

This book is also available in audio format, narrated by Barry. Barry does come off as very monotone when he is narrating the book but in some ways, he is able to bring home some points in a way that maybe a reader misses by just reading the book. I personally own both the book and the audio book and enjoyed both. If you get a chance, pick up a copy online or in your favorite bookstore.