'Tournament Poker' by Tom McEvoy

  Anybody with a television and basic cable knows that tournament poker play is a hot commodity. Everyone is doing it from established veterans to celebrities fresh off their latest stint at Betty Ford. With this fact in mind, it is odd how few books are dedicated to the specific topic of tournament play. Will this effort by Tom McEvoy fill that void?  McEvoy is no stranger to tournament play. His vast resume includes a victory at the World Series of Poker main event. Even though he has the pedigree of a poker guru, he begins the book with strategies that are comprehensible to even the most novice of players. Some of what he says may be old hat to experienced players, but being brought back to the basics can occasionally improve ones game. The admitted theory behind this book is that a player should play well enough to give themselves a chance to be lucky.   The next eleven chapters strategies for specific games played during poker tournaments. For example, the reader is advised not to play smaller suited connectors in the early stages of a Limit Hold'em tournament unless the pot is multi-way. As another example, in late stages of a tournament McEvoy suggests playing very good draws on 5th street in Razz aggressively against a mediocre but possibly made hand, like a 9 or rough 8. These are both excellent suggestions, but still speak to the level of the inexperienced player. A competitor with some time into the sport will already know this.   As the book moves forward he lays out advice on how to play in early, middle, late, and final table rounds of the tournament. The advice seems to change very little whether you are playing the first hand of the tourney or the last hand of the final table. This makes the book seem repetitive.   If you are an experienced player chances are you will have already worked out much of what he has written for yourself. This books advice is so basic I truly believe that he has written it for the player is just starting and still as wobbly as a new born colt. For the newbie, this book should be considered required reading.