My 50 Most Memorable Hands, by Doyle Brunson

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Overview
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”Engrossing, Captivating, Riveting . . .” That’s how Brunson’s anthology of big hands is positioned. With red spot color to make the cards stand out and even more colorful nicknames of opponents, it’s like you’re sweating one of the greatest poker players.

Book Structure
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Doyle’s book is 160 pages or so with 50 chapters (one for each hand) and an introduction. The set up is like this – Doyle sets the scene, introduces his opponent and what they hold, plays the hand, summarizes and adds a bit to wrap up the story. There’s no conclusion, just the 50th hand.

Unique Advantages
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Strange to say but I love the red spot color. This book also serves as a history of poker, a small glimpse in to how the legend of Texas Dolly was built. It’s also very easy to pick up, read a bit and then put down.

Disadvantages
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Like most Brunson books, there’s not a lot of theory or depth but that’s OK. This book doesn’t pretend to be an end all. It’s simply a book of memories. Doyle does include some hands from games the reader may be unfamiliar with.

Conclusion
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Great book. Not for someone wanting to learn the game but it’s actually entertaining and very digestible.

Focus: 10/10
The book is his 50 memorable hands, pure and simple.

Quality of advice: X/10
There’s really not much direct advice here. You could infer a few things but this book is entertainment not educational.

Examples: 10/10
Every hand has a story, a big pot or a crazy twist.

Readability: 10/10
My common critique: “Doyle does write like he’s talking with you.” The red ink for some reason makes the book pop. When you look at the illustration of the cards, it feels a bit more real.

Appropriateness: 10/10
In all honesty, Doyle’s on his way out. I think this book will sell more after his death.

Overall (not an average): 8/10
It’s great reading for a trip or the bathroom and that’s not a knock on it. Each hand can be read in 3 minutes or less.

VERDICT: Great light reading for a trip and will make a great stocking stuffer for the poker player in your life. My guess is that most players haven’t read this and wouldn’t buy it but would really enjoy the stories.

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