The Big Book of Poker, by Ken Warren, is truly a humbling experience for any average poker player. Perhaps the only thing more generic than its title is the author’s sincerity in trying to offer the reader a decent return on their money. Poker is a game that requires extreme mental and physical discipline. It is important for a poker player to always be on their feet, and certain failure is inevitable without the foresight to estimate future action. Unfortunately, it seems Warren believes poker can be played cut and dry without much thought.
Suffice to say, this book is exactly what one would expect from its title. It’s not quite clear if Warren knows too much about poker strategy, and his advice is both vague and boring. As much as you’ll regret buying this book, you can’t help but to admire a guy who has the gall to end a chapter with a sales pitch. As if the pitifully weak chapter on Texas Hold’em wasn’t punishment enough, Warren goes as far as to suggest you should buy his next book to learn all of the information that was thought to be promised in this one. In short, the author brings nothing unique to the table. Everything in this book has already been said a million times before, but Warren somehow manages to say it the worst. A lot of things have been said about poker, but never will you ever hear anyone say, “I read it first in The Big Book of Poker.”
Ultimately it is the consumers that define a reasonable value of a certain product, and the market has a funny way of correcting itself. If someone is searching for an unbiased review of this poker book, the best source for this information would be your local bookstore. On Amazon.com, this book can be purchased brand-new for around five dollars, and used but in like-new condition for a dollar and change. It’s pretty hard not to recommend a book for less than two bucks, but you’d be better off saving for another title.