Ace on the River: an Advanced Poker Guide

by Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson (Foreword)

Ace on the River is designed to improve the play of everyone from beginners to seasoned professionals. The unique play-by-play section will challenge readers to think beyond simple starting hands and make better decisions on other streets.
Ace on the River addresses elements of the game that are unfamiliar to many players. Included are chapters on the poker society, money management, family matters and even sex. This complilation of philosophies and real-table scenarios provides a rare chance to see the poker world through the eyes of someone who lives it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Games, Self Help

328 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2005

About the author

An American professional poker player, Greenstein has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, earning him the nickname "the Robin Hood of poker".He was elected into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011.

Reviews

[TheBookWarren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️— Barry Greenstein is an intellectually powerful & poignant poker player and professional gambler. He writes here with both sporting zeal, as well as with some truly poetic commentary. More of a ‘day in the life’ of a poker pro than a strategic guide, this one is for those whom wonder about the world of the poker-pro, or whom consider themselves potentially dabbling in entering that world perhaps. Or it’s for poker Poker die-hard like I used to be.

Whatever your reasoning for picking this one up, consider yourself in good hands with Barry. For me, it’s more of a chapter a day type book than one to devour in a sitting or three. But again, however consumed — it’s a strong addition to the poker-literature-arsenal — it’ll be worthwhile, offer some great insight and also the odd surprisingly philosophical life advice for your trouble.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2004 I began going to Vegas during the World Series of Poker and play in cash games at the Mirage. There were a lot of online players that won entry to the big game and my old college buddy was one of them. He had a free room and several off days in between the legs and I would tag along for buffets and those cash games. I was lucky to have began my playing in college before there was any online game and therefore playing in person was natural. These online guys were new to casinos and their reckless aggression was easy to read and money wasn’t hard to make. We did this from about 2004 to 2008 during that online heyday before legislation and the justice department made online playing hard enough most of the big online rooms closed down.

What I learned about myself over 5 years is that poker was fun, but I wasn’t cut out to be a poker pro. Barry Greenstein’s book is, like other reviewers noted, a lifestyle book rather than a strategy book making it unlike any of the other famous poker books you are likely to read. It’s glossy and a bit oversized for a paperback if you are lucky enough to find it used. He would autograph a copy for the guy that knocked him out of a tournament. I saw this happen several times on TV. I always thought that was a classy move.

If you wanted to become a poker pro this is the kind of book you should read before quitting your job and moving to Nevada.

[Cody Steele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't come here if you're looking to improve your poker game. This book is more of a look into the lifestyle that involves poker and gambling as a profession. As you'd imagine, this consists of many highs and lows and some in-betweens.

If you're looking for this type of content, you'd be better served listening to a podcast or watching YouTube videos as that type of media is more entertaining than a book, in my opinion. For that reason, I consider this book to be all but obsolete.

Gotta toss it in here; Barry got the nickname "Robinhood of Poker" for good reason and he seems like a great guy who truly does give back to those in need, so for that reason, I'll give it 2 stars instead of one.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not at all an "advanced poker guide", especially in the modern day; the suggested pot-sized cbets nearly 100% of the time in cash games are downright funny now. However, it is a smooth, easy, entertaining read that sheds some light on the casino/gambling culture in general and has some anecdotes of what poker was like in the bad old days ('70s and '80s). I'd recommend it to any fans of gambling, poker or otherwise, as long as you go into it expecting entertainment and not enlightening strategy that will improve your play. 3.5 / 5

[Scott Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read many books on poker(about 50) and this is one of the worst without question. I understand a poker players hesitancy to share their secrets with the readers but then I would suggest you don't write a book. The book is so lacking in information that it should be embarrassing to Greenstein.

If your looking to learn from the pros how to play better poker I recommend Super System 2, Dan Harringtons books or the three books by Pearljammer/Apestyles/Rizen.

[Jeff Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read -- not entirely what I expected when I first picked it up. There is a lot of philosophy, a bit of economics, some hard realism, and some good old story-telling as it relates to the professional poker scene and those to take part in it. I especially like the "puzzles" at the end where he analyzes actual poker hands that he played and allows the reader to try to assess what to do and why. When he provides the "answers", they often illustrate errors that he believes he made in the actual real-time play of the hand. I had a great deal of fun with this.

[Zack Teibloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been a fan of Barry and enjoyed this. It’s a mix of his story in poker and some hand analysis and strategy and life lessons. It’s a little dated, but overall it holds up. He’s a good egg and your game might not improve that much from reading it, but you should take away some lessons in the mindset you should have if you want to play poker at all seriously.

[Pavel Linshits · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good anecdotes and advice but the style is a bit off-putting, it seems to lack tightness and focus, just a bunch of poker-related thoughts from a pro put on paper without a great unifying strand to go with it.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing to offer. I wanted to finish it, just to finish it, but I couldn't ever get myself to go back to it. 👎

[Jeremy Bagai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some war stories and some basic life-lessons for gamblers. Not memorable.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read more for the anthropology than anything else I think.

[God TF2 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very unsatisfied. I followed the exact instructed then luigi the fucking bitch just kicked my ass and I lost 100 coins. I am very upset of this book.
-god tf2

[Ben Sestig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great insights about poker mindset that nowadays could be read in any blogpost about it. Still giving it 3 stars because of the age of the book and because it was a trip down memory lane.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primarily a book about the mindset you should have when playing and thinking about poker, rather than a book about specific poker strategy. I've read several poker strategy books already, so I think I was ready for one like this. Good for getting your mind back in the game and helping you figure out how to think about your opponents and their possible hands. It also deals with quite a bit of away-from-the-table stuff, like making sure you have enough rest before you play. Many sections of the book are targeted at poker professionals, although anyone who plays poker would benefit from those sections as well, if only to know how other players are seeing you.

There was a chapter that contained some specific hands to illustrate some different styles of play and help you analyze the benefits and pitfalls of different actions is specific situations. I plan to re-read that chapter more carefully, because it doesn't work as well in audiobook form...at least I had a hard time keeping up that way.

[Brentman99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I'm left thinking that Barry Greenstein is a well-rounded poker player who recognises that he lost touch with his family early on and now knows that there needs to be more balance in the life. Learning that is nice, but I would haved liked to have seen a lot more on the practical side of Texas Hold'em. There is a good section on hands towards the last third of the book, but I think that it needed to be a bit longer to mske the book be of more value. As well, I would like to have seen a much. larger glossary as there a lot of terms not covered.

Not a bad read, but a lot more philisophical than I expected or really wanted when I picked up a poker book to read.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as poker books go, this one is a reasonable introduction and survey into the poker lifestyle. It's also a look at the life of poker pro Barry Greenstein and tells the story of how he became a professional. Some attention is paid to both cash game and tournament strategies and some useful (but not unique) charts are provided for reference. It's a quick read, and not bad for review if you've read other poker books, but overall this one doesn't break any new ground or cover material that can't be found elsewhere.

[Scott Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the book, largely due to the fact that it goes into excessive detail about how a poker professional lives, and what, moreover, they should consider and contemplate before pursuing poker as a full-time commitment. Perhaps two stars is slightly unfair, since my sole motive for reading the book, was to acquire advanced strategy about a game I enjoy playing. Notwithstanding my denigration, it was a well-written and, towards the end, there was quite a bit about strategy, which I enjoyed.

[Tim Merriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book and Barry is a great poker player. I read it about three years into my poker playing hobby and still did not understand much of what is said. The pros use jargon and experience-based references so much that you will have to read this sort of book over again from time to time if you want to understand much of it. Still it's well-written and a good read if poker is your game.

[Kinch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, different to a lot of other poker books in that it focuses a lot on Greenstein's own history and on broader life-management skills necessary to poker success. The best sections in terms of improving your game are definitely the exhaustive drawing odds charts and discussion, and the sections where Greenstein invites the reader to analyse real tournament hands he has played and establish best play, then compare it to what actually happened.

[Kingsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of color photos, not a how-to on playing cards but how-to be a professional player by being disciplined outside of poker. Takes a different slant in that Greenstein talks about how to be a pro vs. playing like a pro. Chronicles a little about his own journey and why he's called the Robin Hood of poker. Great read, doesn't really expand your knowledge of the game itself.

[Mike Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many people swore by this book. It was PRETTY, it was nice, but it wasn't TERRIFIC. Barry's writing comes across like his personality. Deadpan, short and incredibly bland. The things he DOES are much more interesting than the man he is. He needs someone to write things FOR him about him, because THAT would be great!

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A interesting coffee table book about more than just how to play poker. It's an interesting background on one of the games most notable players. High level discussions regarding gambling, psychology, sociology, and of course poker, are reviewed in a very easy to read fashion. Full color pictures make this a great coffee table book.

[Jordan Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn't find a lot of instruction or insight into Poker in this book (Things like "Don't drink to excess while playing" are kinda obvious) but what does make this book a gem is the insight into Barry's story and the beautiful color photographs. It's more of a coffee table book than instruction manual.a

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the biographical part just fine. The second part was mostly about the social nuances of being a live player. Also had a lot about not doing drugs or wasting your money on sports gambling. The third part was hand examples for tournament NLH which I didn't bother reading because I'm not interested in tournaments right now.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's entirely possible that many serious poker players need to read a book that tells them to be a decent human being. I'd like to think that I'm not one of them.

The actual discussions of hands are quite informative, though, as Greenstein is as good of a player as you'll find.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not as much an instructional book about how to play the game well, but more of an instructional game on how to be a good poker-playing person and what sort of life The Bear has gone through to get to where he's at. After reading it, Barry's definitely my favorite!

[Tmone75 Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an introductory book into real life experiences of being a professional player. (through the eyes of Greenstein)
If you are thinking about going pro, or want to live through the eyes of this guy You will love this book

[Sam Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty interesting read - not actually that much about specific poker strategies, but more an idea of what it's like to be a poker pro (and what you would be concerned about if you were one). Well-written, with good pacing.

[Elliott Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great mix of auto-biography and poker but calling it 'an advanced poker guide' isn't really accurate, more of an autobiography with some hand examples and tips on dealing with the emotions of playing poker for a living.

[Cyberpope]

Bary's now my favourite poker player -- good expert advice for all sorts of areas of value to a budding pokerpro, like money management, choosing games to suit your skills &/or luck, & more. . .

Plus you learn a lot about Barry's personality & motivations.