The Poker Tournament Formula [Anglais] [Broché]

This book has been discussed at length at the 2+2 forums. Sklansky and Malmuth have pointed out a couple of flaws in the book (about which Snyder debates), but S&M generally concede that the methods advocated in the book work well.

This book examines the "speed" of various tournament structures, and advocates a method for playing for "fast" tournaments.

I found the analysis of tournament structures to be insightful. While I knew that slower blind levels and more starting chips favored skill (while less time/chips favored luck), I had never seen an attempt to quantify the differences between structures. Snyder does a good job with it.

For fast tournament structures, Snyder proposes a method of play based on the interrelationship between your card strength (or lack thereof), your positional strength (or lack thereof), and your chip strength (or lack thereof). His rock-paper-scissors metaphor is quite original.

Recently, I decided to play an online tournament using Snyder's principles. To my delight, I finished 3rd out of 1000 players. To me, poker books either cost you money or make you money. This is one of the few that will make you money.

I happened to bring the book on a cruise recently.

While relaxing by the pool I would read a few pages every day.

Later in the week I decided to join---for the first time ever---a small [$60 buy-in], fast [blinds went up every fifteen minutes] tourney.

The night before the tournament I heard from a friend [who had also joined the tournament] about the 're-buy' and 'add-on'.

Without this book I would have had no idea how those would factor into the tournament and my play.

I found out there would be three tables.

Thanks to this book I was able to review how the number of players would influence my play.

Thanks to this book I was able to use the above information to determine the 'patience factor' and tried to play accordingly.

Thanks to this book I was able to profile some players. There were at least two 'cagey-codgers', two 'canasta ladies', a few 'ball-cap players', and even two 'wimps who were gone within a half-hour after blowing their initial $60 and another $60 on the re-buy.

Thanks to the position play described in this book I used some strong bets at the right time to win some hands. I was also able to pull off a few bluffs that I would not otherwise have tried. A cagey codger even complimented me on my ability to steal the blinds.

Don't pay attention to the reviewers who whine how this book has Math in it. If I can do some division, you certainly can. I'm not a Math genius.

Unlike a previous reviewer who won his tourney, I only came in 7th, but I was happy---this was my first tournament!

In short, this book is worth purchasing. The author has an easy to understand writing style, explains his ideas clearly, and above all---has a plan.

Remember, it's as simple as rock, paper, scissors.

For the life of me, I don't know why this poker book hasn't gotten much more attention than it has. In my opinion, the inaptly-named "Poker Tournament Formula" is as original and insightful as anything ever written by Sklansky, Harrington, or Brunson, and superior to 90% of what's on the market today. I know that it's not authored by one of the world-famous names in poker. I doubt we'll be seeing this fellow at a WPT final table any time soon. But pound for pound, this book packs a full heavyweight punch; there are at least a half-dozen brilliant original ideas here, and even when Snyder says what's already been said elsewhere, he says it better.

Honestly, for less than $15, I can't imagine what else you could want from a book. This is much more than some robotic "Poker Tournament Formula" (along the lines of the horrible "Kill Phil" system). The detailed discussion of tournament structure alone (complete with a reference website) is more than worth the price of admission. Snyder outlines in detail how to play intelligent, aggressive poker in the world of small buy-in events; quite frankly, if you don't play along the lines he recommends in these tournaments, then you simply are *not* going to win consistently.

Some have ridiculed the book for its comparison of poker to the game of "rock, paper, scissors", where chips are the rock, cards are the paper, and position is akin to the scissors. But in my opinion, this is the single greatest idea you could get out of this book: you don't necessarily need the cards to win a poker hand; you can win based on sheer chip arsenal or by outmaneuvering your opponents after the flop. It's true that these moves won't hardly work at all in a ring game against decent players (since there you *should* be playing cards and not chips or position nearly as much), but in fast tournaments this strategy is essential. This book will literally change the way you think about poker tournaments. In fact, I suspect it will actually change the way most of us view the game of poker itself.

I'd also recommend Poker Tips that Pay: Expert Strategy Guide for Winning No Limit Texas Hold em as a good compliment for "Poker Tournament Formula", with a lot more specific hand examples to study.