Many poker publications advocate a set style of play, which is all well and good for the beginning player. However it seems, especially online, that LAG is the new TAG and as such intermediate-to-advanced players should prepare themselves for these supposed maniacs.

It may be premature to say, but this book looks to be the best book on tournament poker since the Harrington on Hold ‘em series. Whilst it certainly won’t redefine poker in the way the former books did, this is the first book to track a real-life tournament from beginning to end. Quite literally, every hand is revealed. Hansen talks you through his insane style, and you see that Shakespeare had a point when he said that “though it be madness, there is method in’t.”

Hansen approaches every hand with a cool logic based on pot odds, opponent awareness and, of course, sheer relentless aggression. If you’re happy with your tight-aggressive style and don’t want to learn new ways to play, fine. You’re an idiot, but fine. However, this book will also teach you to play against the Hansens and Iveys of the world.

Buy it, simple as that.

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We all know the game of poker, where you exchange your money for chips; sit down at a table; size up your opponents; put in your blind and get dealt your four hole cards. Yes, four.

Omaha is the new Hold ‘em, baby. The action game where the nuts and second nuts square off on a regular basis, and this book is perfect for those players wishing to learn the game that most of the pros favour.

Covering limit and pot-limit Omaha, high and 8B, cash or tournament, this book has it all. It completely removes any view of Hold ‘em as at all similar to Omaha - read this book and you’re starting from scratch, and you’ll make a few bucks along the way.

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The very first hand of our new full table was an incredible orgy of all-ins. Here’s how it went down:

I was the big blind and no sooner had my chip touched the felt than the player next to me announced he was all-in in the dark. I could see why, as he moved only t2,750 into the centre of the table. The cards were dealt and the player to his left called, and after two folds another player moved in over the top for an additional t5,000. It folded to the small blind who called, and then the first player moved in for t6,000 more. The small blind called for most of his chips, and after about four years sorting out the main and side pots, the hands were shown down:

UTG shortstack – 7s-Kd

UTG+1 – Ah-Qh

MP – Jc-Jd

SB – As-Kc

Stack sizes meant that only the SB could scoop the lot, and he did it in style when the flop fell Js-Qs-Ts, with the nuts and a nut flush draw. There were splits and redraws possible though, and I heard him breathe an audible sigh of relief when the turn and river both blanked. He took the pot of around t18,000, giving him a stack of t25,000 and reducing the field to 16.

Sadly for me his chip increase turned out to be my demise.

Six-handed and with 12 players left it folded to him in the small blind. With blinds of 800/1,600 he made it t4,000 to go. I looked down at 5d-4d and decided to repop him and steal the pot. I made it t12,000 and was playing about t25,000 behind. Unfortunately he called.

Fortunately the flop was 5h-4d-8s.

I bet t10,000 into the t24,000 pot, intending to call a shove or shove any turn. He simply called, and the turn revealed the 9h. Unless he was playing 9-8 or something that was a good card for me and I went all in for t15,000 more. I think the exact amount was closer to t16,500 but that will suffice.

He was getting slightly less than 3-1 on his money and it was blind vs. blind so I think his call with Ah-8h was fairly reasonable. He had top pair and the nut flush draw, and in addition any 9 counterfeited my flopped two pair. All I had to do was dodge a heart and I would be the chip leader of the table.

The river fell… Kh.

I tried not to feel too dejected as I had only lost a relatively small sum of money and gone deep. Replaying over the final hand it seems I should have let him pick up the blinds, but I (correctly) put him on a marginal hand. If I were him I would have folded that to my re-raise pre-flop, especially out of position and when my stack rivalled his own. On the flop he had top-top and wasn’t going to put me on 44, 55, 88, 76 or some other combination that beat him so I think his call was justified, if a little passive. If he thought he was beat I prefer a shove there, but hey, what do I know? I came 12/52!

Overall it was a very fun night out for me and I’ll be back again. This time hopefully my opponent won’t hit their 2-1 shot and I can go on to take it down.

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