Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein - Poker Book Review

Barry Greenstein is the author of Ace on the River and is a well known poker player throughout the industry. Barry Greenstein has accomplished quite a bit in his career. He has made it to the final table of huge events multiple times, won at the WPT and has also earned himself a WSOP bracelet.
When Greenstein first starting writing Ace on the River it was meant to be a section of Doyle Brunson’s book Super System 2. When he turned in the work to Brunson it was a bit more than Brunson had asked for so he told him to shorten it or publish it as a book in his own. Barry decided to publish his own book and we now have the gem Ace on the River.

At the beginning of the book Barry talks about what is entailed in being a professional poker player. He tries to show the reader everything as a whole that comes with the territory. This part of the book really helps the reader to understand playing poker as your main means of income and the life changes that are involved.

Greenstein later goes on about some of the different personality traits that would generally make a good poker player. He talks about some of the different natural skills that one can possess previous to playing that will help them out along their journey. Barry Greenstein talks about some of the different aspects in your life that could deter you from being an optimal player. This is great for the reader whether they are new to the game or already in it because they can then see some of the things that a professional thinks are a distraction and try to remove them from their own routine.

In a talk about mathematics Barry later explains how a lot of players aren’t using the basic mathematics of the game to gain an edge on their opponents. He talks about some of the ways that players misuse mathematics as well to convince them to do something that is incorrect. He stresses how this lack of application to the game is a huge downfall for any player.

Towards the end of the book Barry Greenstein lays out a few hand examples that he has been in and a few that he has set up as well for the reader. He goes over all of these situations and not only explains what the correct play is, but he goes over the wrong plays as well. He then further explains why the correct play is correct and the wrong play is wrong.

Overall the book is a great read and goes smoothly. There is plenty of information without the book being jammed pack full of mathematics that are hard to understand. Barry Greenstein’s Ace on the River is a must have for everyone.