Search - Annie Duke's Advanced Texas Hold 'Em Secrets - How to Beat the Big Boys (Masters of Poker) on DVD

It will blow you away...

J. Rubino | Simi Valley,Ca USA | 11/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With the huge number of new products hitting the market and a couple of marginal offerings from other name players I was not sure what to expect... Wow! This DVD is very good and has more advanced material than "any" other DVD currently on the market. I was blown away by the amount and specific kind of material here. Her section on reading and profiling players is phenomenal, beyond anything I have read or seen elsewhere. The amount of information and the detail of this section is by itself worth much more than the cost of the DVD. I would venture to say there will be a huge buzz in the poker world when word gets out of what is in this DVD. The pros are sure to be upset that she has given away trade secrets.

If there are any minuses they are very small. Several times she jumps back and forth between limit and no limit holdem causing mild confusion but once you've watched it the second or third time you don't even notice. The only thing that really bothered me at all was her statement that poker is not gambling but investing. That may be true for professionals but the average player does not yet play or think at that level so a statement like that is a little misguided in my opinion. If a player can lose their money, it is still gambling.

She reveals so much more advanced material than any of the other DVDs that I have bought that purely from a value standpoint it is worth much more than any of the other DVDs. Despite my pet peeves I still give it 5 stars; it is so far beyond my expectations of both material and price. This is by far the "single" best poker product(book or video) I've bought this year. I think the producers don't realize the value here and could easily have asked for twice as much money. Get it as soon as possible. I promise you will love it."

One of the better poker DVDs, just a little boring

Movie Madman | Nashville, TN | 02/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is pretty good, but the reviews I had read led me to believe I was really going to get an amazing batch of pro secrets. The DVD is good and she does tell some things that you probably haven't heard anywhere else. I am speaking specifically about her ideas she got from her conversations with the FBI and her tips on how to deal with a maniac at the table. I really thought those two areas were exceptional. It always seems like common sense after you hear it, but she really does clear a lot of things up and does a good job of providing a lot of information.

A few downsides to mention: She discusses a lot about tells and sizing up an opponent. I only play online, so this stuff didn't help me. Also, when she discusses a tell, she performs it herself as she talks about it. When Lederer discussed tells in his DVD, he had actors play them out in a scenario, which I thought was both entertaining and more helpful to remember. The DVD never leaves a poker table with her just talking--which decreases the desire to watch it a lot of times. Had she ventured into the casino a few times to show a hand or something to change things up a little, I think it would have been better. Basically, the DVD gets a little boring after watching it a time or two.

Wrapping up this review, you have Annie Duke sharing her thoughts on how to take care of business at the poker table. It might not be the most entertaining DVD you ever buy, but there is some good information on the DVD. Definitely worth the price to have a pro player give up 90 minutes of their time. If you only play poker online, you can skip this one and wait for her online poker DVD. It should be a better choice. If you play some live poker, I think you'll definitely want to know the information on this DVD. It could really make you more dangerous at the tables."

Light years beyond the rest

M. Jeffreys | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The other reviewers are exactly right.

Like most of you, I have just about all the other poker DVD's out there: Hellmuth's,(crappy) Lederer's (decent), Gordon's (my favorite until now),etc. However, Annie Duke so blows all the others out of the water it's not even funny. For the serious player this DVD is worth a lot more then $19.95(in fact, she could have charged $49.00 and it still would have been worth it).

And yes, the other pros are not going to be happy with her, as she really does share many of their best secrets. What's more, the fact that she pours so much strong content into her DVD, really highlights how fluff filled the other's are. Yes, if you are just starting out then Lederer's is a good place to start, but after you've been playing for a while, and are ready to go past "starting hand selection," then this DVD is your huckleberry.

I was surprised how good and entertaining her book was, as it did a nice job of combining poker tips with her life story, but with this DVD, Annie has put herself at the top of the poker instructional DVD list. Since it has only been out for a little while, I don't think alot of players know about it just yet. But that won't last long. Once the magazines, blogs, and poker web sites start reviewing it, the cat will be out of the bag.

The funny thing to me is first she beats her brother at the table (winning the TOC), and now she puts out a better DVD than his. Pretty soon it's going to be, "Hey, aren't you Howard lederer, ANNIE DUKE'S brother!?" lol :)"

A Very Good DVD for Intermediate Players Looking to Improve

M. Lum | San Jose, CA, USA | 02/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let me first start by saying that I have been playing hold'em poker for 3 1/2 years, the last 1/2 year of which has been for a living. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who, like me, is a visual learner. I personally get a lot more out of watching a lesson than by reading about one. But, that's just me. Anyhow, Annie (who happens to be one of my favorite players), does a fine job of covering all the major topics that an intermediate player needs to learn in order to move up the limits or simply to improve their profits at their current table limits.

No, this DVD won't make you the next World Champion, but it will teach you some very solid higher-level poker fundamentals if you are in the intermediate stage of your poker career, and it will be a great refresher course for experienced players who want to quickly brush up their skill set.

I especially like the way that this DVD is arranged into cogent chapters which you can easily jump to through the main menu. If you want a quick lesson on how to play position, for example, you go right to that chapter on the DVD. If you want tips on reading people's tells, based on FBI interrogator research, you can quickly get a nice lesson on that...and so on. It is not a video that has its information strewn about randomly throughout. In short, this DVD is very well laid out, and that is one of the things I really enjoy about it. I still go back and review sections every now and then to reinforce certain skills.

In closing, this is a good DVD and Annie Duke does a good job. Though it's only shot with her sitting at the table in a studio, she is charismatic and fun to watch. Will you learn the deepest, darkest secrets of world-class Texas Hold'em -- of course not. Would KFC ever publish their secret blend of 11 herbs and spices for anyone to buy? Same logic here, but I bet you will gain from this DVD.

That's my small blind (2 cents). Thanks for reading my review."