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1. Lasater says

   Like the previous reviewer, the video was actually the online poker secrets. Thought (being a library copy) that the wrong disc was put into the jacket. Nope, the disc label said it was “Tournament Strategies” Ok, fine – I’m learning to play online poker anyway.

   Production values are poor. Sure, each new topic is introduced with fancy computer generated graphics, but they’re pointless and distracting rather than providing any actual benefit. The meat of the video consists of Phil staring directly into one camera in front of him, while a second camera cuts in often as he’s still staring into the first.

   Most important the information was weak at best and terrible advice at worst. Phil stresses repeatedly to play his “Top Ten Hands”. As someone who’s yet to post a blind, (online or off) I’ve learned enough to know that a pair of 7′s is generally a lousy starting hand and should probably be folded unless you’re calling from the blinds. But no, that’s a top ten hand according to Phil. Never mind it’s ranked mathematically as 30 of 169. Missing from these hands are several stronger hands. (KQs for instance) And absolutely no discussion about your starting position.

   Perhaps he has a legitimate reason for including relatively low pairs, and of course, he’d like to sell you his “Million Dollar Secrets” which is supposed to go into more depth. Given that I have little confidence that the contents will match the label, be particularly informative, or that it would be an honest strategy guide; I think I’ll pass.

   As a total newbie with a few math skills, this book seems to be teaching bad habits. So sure, one might *want* to recommend the book to increase the number of “fish” at the tables. But it’s egregiously dishonest of Mr. Hellmuth to line his pockets selling bad advice in a how-to guide. If someone asks for advice at the poker table, they deserve what they get. That is where I thought he made his money in the first place. I suspect few fish frequent the high stakes tables he’d haunt, so I guess this is his way of continuing to reel in suckerfish. Don’t bite!

   March 21, 2010, 1:00 pm
2. Nufer says

   There is no information on this DVD whatsoever. Save your Money. I cannot believe it is called Tournament Strategies?
   The only mention of tournaments is that “in tournaments you get to play 9 handed, 8 handed, 7handed, 6 handed etc…..”
   That is it.

   March 21, 2010, 6:55 pm
3. Neville says

   Excellent 2 DVD Set. First DVD is on Texas Holdem. Second DVD is on Tells and Bluffs. In addition, each DVD has bonus tracts which Phil Hellmuth was nice enough to cover different side poker topic.
   Excellent DVD’s.

   March 22, 2010, 12:52 am
4. Ingersoll says

   PREFLOP:
   It’s Full-screen, in 2.0 channel stereo. Total running time= approx. 90 minutes. Filmed in early 2004.

   The main feature is 52 minutes long (not including titles, promos and end credits), plus, there’s 37.5 minutes of special features (same ones that are on all his Dvd’s though)–see ‘The Turn’ section, of this review, for the details.

   Like most people, I got hooked on poker during 2003, when Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP championship. I then started watching poker on tv, like a man possessed. Since one of the most entertaining players I watched was Phil Hellmuth, I chose his book, “Play Poker Like the Pros”, as my first poker book. I learned that I should usually just jam the pot when I had the best hand, rather than slowplay. I learned about Phil’s animal types (mouse=very tight player, etc.) and also about other poker games like Omaha, etc.

   So, when I previously watched both his “Million Dollar Poker System” and “Secrets to Bluffing and Tells” Dvd’s, I was bored and disappointed. They briefly touched on various topics, but they were just too basic.

   Recently, however, I got a chance to rent this “Tournament Strategies” Dvd, and found it to be my favorite. Not because I learned any new poker strategy, but rather because it was the most entertaining and relaxing one to watch. Phil basically runs through the basics of how to enter the WSOP tournament and offers some tips on how to play in big tournaments.

   What makes this Dvd at least mildly entertaining, is that Phil recounts actual situations from some of the many tournaments he’s played in, which helps to better emphasize his various strategies. Such as, when he raised more than 20 consecutive times (to steal the blinds and antes), and rarely got called, because the other players were worried about being eliminated from the tournament (on the bubble).

   FLOP:
   This Dvd, like his entire “Master of Poker” series of Dvd’s, has Phil once again sitting down behind a poker table, with some poker chips in front of him, talking to the camera. It looks silly when they film him from the side as he faces towards the other camera, but somehow he manages to keep it light and informative enough. He also seemed very happy. One annoying thing that occurred near the beginning though, was when Phil raised his hand to show his 1989 WSOP bracelet, and the cameraman didn’t zoom in fast enough to let us see it up-close. I guess the budget was too low for a reshoot.

   Phil talks about the way he likes to play just his top 10 hands, during the first 3-4 hours of tournaments (like the WSOP) with fast rising blinds. Then, when the blind structure slows down and the antes are introduced, he likes to open up and play less appealing hands. He mentions the all-in strategy beginners often use, and how they win a lot of pots this way, except for the last one. He also admits it works well against pros, but suggests that often enough, a raise of just half your stack is good enough to push players out of the pot. “Never bluff ALL your chips”, he says. If the pot, is for example, $20,000 , Phil suggests a bet of $6,000 or so, would usually accomplish the same thing, without taking such a big risk.

   THE TURN (Bonus Features):
   Each of Phil’s “Master of Poker” Dvd’s, includes the same bonus features. You get the ‘poker dictionary’ (which accidentally leaves out A-K, from Phil’s Top 10 hand list), and 37.5 minutes of extras. They include the following brief topics: Bad Beats, The Rake, Crazy Home Games, Tournaments Vs. Side Games, Knowing When to Quit, Love of the Game, Will Phil’s Secrets Work for You? (13.5 minutes in length); Rank of Poker Hands, Phil’s Top 10 Hands, and his Majority Play Hands (A-x suited, etc.)(12.5 minutes in length). As well, he explains the rules of Texas Hold’ em, Seven Card Stud and Omaha (in only 11.5 minutes).

   THE RIVER:
   Is it worth buying? Not really, but Hellmuth fans should give it a rent. I found it relaxing to watch and it got me in the mood to play some poker, even before I finished watching it. Thanks Phil.

   March 22, 2010, 6:50 am
5. Dixon says

   I bought the Phil Hellmuth Super Course with all 4 of his videos. I thought the videos were very disappointing and misleading. There were two major problems:

   1. The top ten hands are very misleading and only the smallest limit games can be beat by using that strategy.

   2. The tournament Strategies DVD spent most of the time discussing how to enter the WSOP main event instead of teaching how to play the game.

   I thought the DVD’s were very misleading because they gave a strategy that will only work in the smallest limit games and then gives the impression that by following his top ten hand system you will be able to enter the World Series. And to go a step farther, Phil did a poor job of showing how to use these ten hands. He makes little attempt to show the difference between pocket sevens and pocket queens. He also failed to show how position can affect the hands preflop. If you were under the gun in No-limit, then only half of the top ten hands could be played, and if you were on the button, then all of the ten plus Ace-X suited and connectors should also be played because they rate to win. Phil should have mentioned this in his DVD’s.

   The bottom line is this…Beginners who buy these DVD’s will be WORSE OFF than they would be if they just never purchased them.
   Thats a big problem.
   My advice is to get Doyle Brunsons SuperSystem or any book by Dan Harrington.

   March 22, 2010, 1:24 pm
6. Aledort says

   I don’t think we yet appreciate what has happened in poker over the past 10 years. We see the glamour, the TV ratings, the rising piles of cash, and the newly minted celebrities, who would have been considered deviants and undesirables just a decade ago. But something else is happening as well. A history is being created.

   Yes, there has always been poker history. But it’s been mostly an oral tradition. Related the way that stories used to be passed down, over campfires (except in this case, usually across a felt table). But this history was an insider’s history. If you knew it, it meant that you were part of an insider group, a part of the game, rather than an outside viewer. This is the nature of insular communities, rather than national games, sports, cultures.

   But recently, we’re starting to see the emergence of a poker history that is written and available to people outside the game. These books will be central to defining some of the greats in the game, and, whether correct or not, these definitions are likely to stick. Poker is getting a substantial historical record and it’s important that the books that make up this record recognize the torch they carry.

   Fortunately, books like Aces and Kings sets a good standard for these books. Kaplan and Reagan clearly put in the work, and they write about the players with an understanding of the game as well as a recognition that you have to write for everyone, not just insiders. I believe our appreciation of this book, and the work that went into it will grow as the greats like Reese pass on and out of living memory.

   My only, criticism of the book is that the book lacks a certain amount of total overall cohesion, and as a history text, might have worked better if the pieces were drawn together a little more fluidly in the final editing process, rather than feeling, as they currently do, as distinct articles.

   March 22, 2010, 7:15 pm

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