Super/System A Course in Power Poker

by Doyle Brunson

Originally "How I Made Over $1,000,000 Playing Poker

Genres: Nonfiction, Games, Sports, Reference, Self Help, Science, Business

608 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Doyle Brunson, nicknamed "Texas Dolly" is an American poker player, who won the World Series of Poker in 1976 and 1977.

Reviews

[Bradford · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is considered necessary reading if you plan on playing poker professionally. But you will never play poker professionally. Yes, you, reading this review, you won't ever be a professional. You've got about as much chance earning a living playing poker as you do becoming a professional spy. Actually less of a chance, as there are more professional spies in the world. But the book will give you the illusion you might be able to. Let me crush that illusion one more time: You won't.

[MadMaxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is basically like the bible to poker right here.

[Jordan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can tell why this is the book on poker. It explains, in a conversational tone, why there is much more to the game than probability and luck. Doyle likes to establish a 'table image', usually of an aggressive player. If you play cards seemingly at random, it will be hard to distinguish between a bluff and a solid hand. Conversely, if you only play the best cards, you may be playing optimally in a vacuum, but good players will recognize this, rarely join you, and if they do, easily predict your cards based on your next actions.

Doyle understands that if everyone plays by the odds, they will usually fold and lot of money will be left on the table. If an aggressive player comes in more often, they're in the position to pick up all that scared money.

I expect to be more willing to mix up by game, and my overall play to improve. I also expect when I read Barry Greenstein's book next, it'll have the opposite advice.

[Tim S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although severely outdated in many sections, to the point of being basically useless (the Limit Hold 'Em section for example described a single blind variation of the game no longer spread) this still contains one of the better introductions to NLHE strategy written by Brunson as well as a decent Seven Card Stud primer by Chip Reese. It's also, to my knowledge, the only book containing strategy on Draw, a game very rarely played in casinos but now available on several internet poker sites at low buy-ins.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a poker player, I always find myself coming back to this book for one reason to another. Although it is very dated now in terms of strategy and current trends, the basics still hold true. It is dubbed the 'Poker Bible' for a reason and a very good reason at that.

Anyone who is just learning poker, or is a casual player wanting to dive more into poker strategy, I always recommend this book. It is a wealth of knowledge, and even though out of date like I said before, there is still things in this book that still hold up in todays poker world.

Let this book be your starting point.

[Preston Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to learn Poker from a world class player. Brunson says in his final words that the reader should now know just as much as he does about poker. I guess the difference is that the reader hasn't necessarily executed it yet. It also does not help that this book might be a tad outdated.

[Monty Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doyle gives good insight into playing strategy for poker and the why he chose to play a certain way

Also some added statistics add end of book

[Kuba Łagowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miałem chyba większe oczekiwania

[Danm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is known as the bible of poker, and I can understand why. There is a lot of in-depth information. Everything Doyle writes seems to be on the money, but there's one catch.

This system worked well back in the 1970s, and probably the 1980s and 1990s, but once Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker and so many people flooded the poker market, it led to a great deal of passion for the game, and those who were most passionate educated themselves as much as possible -- including Super System.

This altered the game, and the aggressive style Doyle used to implement won't be as effective because there are now many counter-strategies. If you have watched Doyle play over the past decade, you can see that even he doesn't apply the Super System he created, simply because the game has changed.

All that said, it's a highly recommended read for any poker player because it will create a strong fundamental base of knowledge. The first section about Doyle and his road to poker can also be inspirational. Just be sure you're ready to fully commit to the game. Otherwise, it will be an expensive hobby.

[Okmanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doyle Brunson, Godfather of Poker, the Legend.

Klasyk wśród literatury pokerowej. Swoją pozycję zawdzięcza w dużej mierze dacie wydania. Wtedy wiedza zawarta w niej pewnie wystarczała by osiągnąć wysoki poziom. W międzyczasie poker wyewoluował.

Doyle bardzo dużo czasu poświęca zagadnieniom typu: ile możliwych stritów (w tym nutsowych) można mieć z takiej ręki? Jest smutny gdy ma 89 przy flopie TJQ (bo przecież AK to taka overplayed ręka). Pisze o graniu 5 rodzajów rąk: AA, KK, AK, QQ, JJ-22 - nazywa pary od JJ w dół małymi parami. Mało czasu poświęca matematyce, dużo temu co zrobi z konkretnymi rękami na konkretnej pozycji.

Fajnie poznać, ale chyba nie ma co się na tym wzorować.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original poker bible is still relevant and entertaining today. Some of the tactics are outdated such as limp raising with aces but the positional and aggressive strategies are as relevant today as back in the day.

Doyle’s autobiography is fascinating. I never knew he was a collegiate scholarship basketball player, who might never have been a poker pro if he hadn’t broken his legs or that he lost his bankroll on first trip to Vegas.

[Jeff Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The classic book on poker by Doyle Brunson. Doyle is to poker what Jeff Cooper is to guns: a larger than life figure who inserts colorful storytelling into his books.
This book will not suffice to teach a person to play poker well, but any serious poker player will read this at some point to learn mindsets of the champions, strategy, and poker history.
A must read for poker enthusiasts.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

While certainly a five star guide to playing Poker when it first came out, now it is more of a history lesson than helpful guide to modern Poker. Styles have changed so much since the creation of this book, that if you're looking for your first guide, you might want to examine a more recent book.

[Jak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the NL TH section when I first got into the game. It's alright but not half as good as some other poker books I've read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strictly a view into the past. Don't read it for the quality of the strategy. In fact, I've heard people seriously question whether the no-limit advice might've been propaganda in it's own day.

[Arpit Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the poker 101. A must read.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive "Bible" on poker, it covers all poker games you would ever find yourself playing, and every aspect you could possible learn from a book.

[Joseph Anderson-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wealth of hype surrounds this book and for historical reasons surrounding the revolutionary nature that the early poker pros in Dolly's era clearly brought but now as expected this book reads as very outdated. Whist the theoretical building blocks for a very very sound poker strategy holds here against the overwhelming majority of unskilled players are present in the book, its clear that the concepts outlined were very much in their infancy at the time of writing. The fundamentals such as pot odds, outs to equity etc I'm sure were a breath of fresh air at the time and are indeed timeless but literally no mention of ranges, implied odds, blockers, bluffcatching etc but this work definitely revolionised the world of poker at the time! I really took a lot from the chapter about how to play AK pre and post, how Dolly likes to play suited connecters (very very smart poker thoery behind this), hands with high reverse implied odds and I really like the poker foundations which are laid out about why aggression in the game is the winning strategy. Overall a very useful book for the average poker player but in honesty pales in comparions to the literature which has since been written in the modern era of poker. In a vacuum however if one book existed that a beginner should read and no other you'd do far worse than this.

[Joseph Whitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

When looking for a book of poker basics, I was told this was biblical in the poker community. I honestly am not sure whether to believe that or not but Doyle Brunson provided a textbook of sorts for the basics of playing poker and it was exactly what I was looking for. I am not an accomplished player and even when I read this, I knew the odds of such a thing were against me. But still, the game of poker is incredibly intriguing to me. Brunson's commentary on situations share both the required mathematic and statistical skills required to play as well as anecdotes for "playing the man". Super System also introduced me to a variety of poker games instead of just focusing on the ubiquitous game of Texas Hold'Em.

I would venture to say that some of the strategies presented may be outdated to today's poker culture, but the Texas Dolly still shines even if only for his famed bravado. If you are a poker player, this is likely required reading.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging to read Doyle's life story as he overcame several life-altering and near death experiences while staying positive and grateful. Reading this book now in a world where gambling and poker is readily available online and big money games and tournaments are legal and easily accessible make Doyle seem anachronistic as he recounts his days being held-up on Exchange St. in Fort Worth and his strategies to ensure the poker economy stays afloat by not embarassing or breaking a fish too badly. Reading current books and theories on Hold 'em really show how the general understanding and language of the game has evolved from Doyle's era, but there is a still a lot in here that can help elevate your game even if Super System has become more a compliment to your poker education or even an interesting historical artifact from a bygone era than the bible it used to be considered before Hold 'em was as popular as it is now.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still the best how-to book on poker ever written

When this was first published in the seventies it caused a sensation. Immediately recognized as the most ambitious poker book ever written, it nonetheless was received with irritation by some professionals because it was believed that Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and his collaborators gave away too much, thereby allowing the amateurs to catch up, thereby cutting into the professional player's take.

There is more than a little truth to this accusation. Poker is an ever-evolving superset of games with the individual games changing over time as the players learn how one game and then another should be played. Write a revealing book and the old games disappear more quickly and the "rocks" have to learn the new game in order to continue to make a living. Today's most important games are hold'em and seven card stud. Both are covered in this book, hold'em quite extensively.

What sets Brunson's Super/System apart from other poker books is first the prestige and celebrity of the writers, especially Doyle himself, but also Bobby Baldwin (also a World Champion); David "Chip" Reese, Doyle's expert on seven-card stud; Joey Hawthorne on Low-Ball; David Sklanski on Hi-Low; and Mike Caro (MJC) on draw poker. I used to play with Sklanski and MJC back in the sixties in Gardena when the only legal game in the California clubs was draw poker, both lowball and jacks or better. Sklanski has gone on to be one of the game's great theoreticians and the author of several excellent books on poker. Caro, known as "the Mad Genius of Poker," has formed his own "Poker University" and is partly responsible for this book's republication, and has become quite a poker entrepreneur.

Second, there is the comprehensive coverage of the games from five card draw to no limit hold'em. Not everything is explained and some of the tricks are held back. Reese in particular, in his chapter on seven-card stud is somewhat reticent. He presents a tight strategy that is sound but withholds more aggressive strategies that, in the proper hands, would make more money.

By the way, "no limit" really means table stakes since you are NOT, as is sometimes seen in the movies, allowed to go to the bank and get some money when you hold a killer hand! In fact, no limit is really no different than pot limit expect that instead of being restricted to the amount of the pot when betting, one can, if one so chooses, push in one's entire stack. THAT does make for some interesting psychological situations! One of Doyle Brunson's main points in this book is the huge difference between set limit poker as played in the clubs and indeed as played for the so-called world championship, and no limit poker as played by the rich and the top professionals. The latter game is much more of a psychological game in that you can lose pot after small pot and yet come out ahead by winning one great big monster, and also because it takes a lot of nerve to either call a huge bet or to make a huge bet. Furthermore as you're playing along you have to be aware that at any moment the pot can suddenly mushroom to gigantic proportions. Because of these psychological factors, some of the top players at limit have never been able to make a satisfactory jump to the no limit game. In Brunson's case, he actually was adept at no limit long before he became a top limit player.

Third, there are the brilliant caricatures of the players by Stan Hunt. Just to see those again in print is worth the price of the book.

Fourth are the poker odds and statistics by Mike Caro. Believe me they are completely accurate. I and a number of others players checked and rechecked them, hoping to catch MJC in an error. No such luck! I was a little disappointed that Mike chose to recall an odds story that showed him in the right, because I, among a very small number of people, actually did beat him out of a twenty dollar bet in the sixties on some odds we were discussing. Of course Mike would "give away" money just to support his carefully cultivated image as a "madman." One of his most notorious "plays" at draw was to pretend to have a pat hand, raise the opener, and then not bet after the draw and just show down his nothing hand, thereby giving away the pot. I mean eyebrows raised and heads shook incomprehensibly at this totally "irrational" play. Yet it worked because people then would call him when he really had something.

Caro was also an expert on poker tells. He wrote a book on the subject. He would, when playing, do parodies of the other players by betting and acting as they would in an exaggerated way. Sometimes he actually did unconscious parodies of himself.

Doyle Brunson on the other hand loved the psychological struggle and just being in action. In his prime he was arguably the world's best player at both limit and no limit hold'em. He had nerves of steel and an intensely competitive nature and a deep obsessive love of the game. He overpowered his opponents with a constant energy that was always, always pushing. He had a few tricks and his knowledge of the game was among the best, but perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to bet when he knew the other guy would toss in.

What you can learn from this book about poker is really almost priceless. Even though this book is definitely dated (and today's stars are a different breed) nonetheless there is wealth of information here for the casual as well as the professional player. This is, in my opinion, still the best how-to book on poker ever written.

--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”

[Ritesh Chhajer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man’s true feelings come out in the a Poker game.

“Tight” just means conservative. But a “solid” player is only tight when entering the pot but after he enters, he plays aggressively. Timid players don’t win the high-stakes Poker.

Play mostly tight in a loose game, and mostly loose in a tight game.

No top player drinks while playing. Maintain the discipline. Never play when you’re upset.

In No-Limit Hold’em, position is everything.

Money management and self-discipline are almost the most important factors n Limit.

[Daniel Monteagudo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly an entertaining book, but full of somewhat outdated jargon and with an overall strategy that likely would not fare well with the more mathematically-oriented decision making of modern poker players.

Basic strategies like pot odds are hardly touched on in favor of some fairly basic overarching advice and some highly dubious gameplay tips that seem likely to lose players a lot of money.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this historic book! Doyle has a wonderful, engaging tone. This book suffered from some organizational issues. The advice was often disjointed, and the information often presented without actionable applications. However, I'm glad I read it and look forward to reading the sequel that is on my shelf.

[j____ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The majority of these classic poker texts are unfortunately outdated, besides sections that deal with game theory concepts and the basic mathematical structure of the game.

They still contain some important insights, but the recommendations will not be precise against modern players. A more surgical approach is necessary.

[Vasu Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. A Bible for "aggressive-Doyle style" approach for poker. Being a recreational player myself I enjoyed this book because of its more behavioral/situational understanding of the game than the mathematical side.

[Neil Cake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, this is boring. It's been sitting in my lounge for ages and I just don't want to read it. There's too much specific stuff about what to do in specific situations against specific types of players and it's too hard to visualise. I'd rather just play the game. So that's that.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you follow the advice in this book you'll go broke, which makes it pretty much useless as far as poker books go. Interesting read for poker enthusiasts only because of who wrote it and when it was written, as a historical artifact of its time.

[Caleb Philbrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta know how to read people. This helps.

[Thomas Culkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!