The Game Plan book review by Matt Matros
This month we’ll be discussing Matt Matros‘s new book titled “The Game Plan” subtitled “How Recreational Players Became a Threat in No-Limit Hold’em Tournaments”. We voted it one of the best books of the last year.
Matros has three World Series of Poker bracelets, 36 of them, three of which came when he finished 78th in the 2008 Main Event. During his career, he has earned $2,560,651, with his best finish coming in 2004 when he finished third at a World Poker Tour event in Las Vegas for $706,903.
The purpose of this book is not to help the reader gain cashing positions into live tournaments more frequently, but to help the reader build up his stack gradually, increasing his chances of reaching the final table and winning big.
The “game plan” is based on three key ideas:
- Be aggressive and take the initiative.
- Discard bad cards.
- Think more about your own cards than your opponent’s.
In order to stick to the plan, the author proposes 35 simple rules that players should follow in the tournament. They seem like a lot, but some are related and easy to remember. For some rules, there is a list of hands that you can play based on the action, stack size and position of the hand.
The book is divided into three main parts:
Each section has a large number of example hands to help you Better understand concepts and apply rules. Additionally, Matros analyzed 13 hands he played in the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas during his career, examining the results of applying or not applying his rules.
For the final chapter and as additional material, three famous hands are analyzed: Tonking and Newhouse in the 2014 WSOP Main Event, Cooler between Negreanu and Hansen in High Stakes Poker in 2006, and The first poker hand between Mike and Teddy KGB in the movie “Rounders”.
Who will use this book? It is aimed at those participating in live tournaments, but the rules also apply to cash games and online tournaments. I think this book will be useful for those who have trouble getting cash, those who can get cash with a small pile of cash, and those who make a small amount of cash but struggle to make it to the final table. I think this book will help them improve on that.
This is also an ideal book for those taking their first steps on the live tournament circuit and planning to play their first WSOP Main Event or a WSOP Main Event to play in the near future . The strategies suggested by the authors provide a good foundation that players can adapt to their own playing style and the opponents at the table.
Description:
- Title: “The Schedule: How Recreational Players Can Become a Threat in No-Limit Hold’em Tournaments.”
- By Matt Matros
- Language: English
- Year Publication: 2019
- Pages: 152
- Price: $10 e-book, paper book $30
- Amazon Rating: 4.4 out of 5
- Goodreads Rating: 4.4 out of 5
- Pokerlogia Rating: 8 out of 5 10 points
This book is available on Amazon.
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This text provides a positive review of Matt Matros’ book, “The Game Plan: How Recreational Players Became a Threat in No-Limit Holdem Tournaments.” It highlights the author’s experience, key strategies, and the target audience of the book, recommending it for those looking to improve their tournament performance.