Grochowski Reviews

Many years ago, when I was young, writing sports in Colorado and working on a very tight budget, the only gambling I did was in occasional nickel-ante poker games. I won some and lost some--I was neither the best player at the table, nor the worst.

As in many low stakes, amateur games, there was a lot of bluffing. I was modestly successful at it, but there was one player--the guy who won all the time--who I could never bluff out of a pot. One hand seemed a perfect set-up. I had a killer hand on board, but nothing in the hole, while my opponent had so-so cards. By all rights, he should have folded, but didn't, and he won. I asked why, and fortunately, he was honest with me.

"You really want to know? It's because you can't trust you."

Even for that game, I was bluffing too much, and playing too many hands. It didn't matter with most of the guys, but the best player in the game had picked up on it.

That may be an extreme case, but playing too many hands is a prime mistake players make in games at any level, as Fred Renzey deftly points out in his latest book, 77 Ways to Get the Edge at Casino Poker ($14.95, Bonus Books). Renzey is a top-notch poker player, and he passes along some timely tips in the latest of Bonus' Frank Scoblete Get-the-Edge guides.

Renzey opens with a section of poker concepts applicable to any game, including the point that playing too many hands is hazardous to your bankroll. He focuses on poker as a game of skill--far more than at any other casino game, the best results will go to the best players. It's more than knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, it's knowing when to raise and when to call, when to be the aggressor, when pot odds might change your play.

With the those basics underscored, Renzey then moves on to strategies for specific games--seven-card stud, Texas Hold 'em, seven-card stud high-low 8s or better and Omaha high-low 8s or better. Then he wraps it all up with a chapter called "Things You Can't Read in a Book"--except this one, of course--with little hints about recognizing special situations and knowing what your opponents are up to.

For recreational players who want to improve their games, 77 Ways to Get the Edge at Casino Poker is a good, solid grounding in the game.