Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, has stepped back out of the shadows to try and sell his new tournament poker book. You could almost hear a loud roar of laughter from the poker community as the Fossilman - who pretty much is a fossil at this stage of his career - appeared out of nowhere to solicit advice on how to win poker tournaments in today’s hyper tough environment.
A Relic
As if there wasn’t already a large enough choice of books detailing basic strategy for poker tournaments, Raymer has decided to go over old ground, as well as making a rather grandiose claim.
“There is also a lot of advice that is more advanced, and not known or at least not well understood, even by some of the very successful and high-level tournament players out there right now.”
He’s got to be joking, right?
Raymer binked the 2004 Main Event riding on the coattails of the Moneymaker 2003, which set of the poker boom. However, since then, he has barely touched any success at all. In fact, his last six-figure tournament cash was back in 2012. Hardly a player who is viewed as being at the top of his profession.
He also seems to be getting ideas above his station.
“I’ve also told my agent to go for the longshot, and try to get me onto one of the late-night talk shows. Never hurts to try!”
Bad Timing or Just Late
It’s completely ridiculous to attempt this project 14 years after becoming the de-facto world champion of the game. A book published back then would have made a small fortune, nowadays people are getting their information from different mediums.
Raymer should know this as he himself is busy on the poker seminar circuit. It appears not though, as after waiting for so long to write this book he intends to publish a full series in quick succession.
Maybe he knows something we don’t!
What Else Is Out There?
If you’re not looking to buy Raymer’s title, there is still a large choice of tournament poker books worth reading today.
Harrington on Hold’em is the classic series which educated the masses post 2003 boom. Completely out of date now for serious tournament play, but for a fledgling player the information is as pure as can be and easy to understand. For somebody learning the game against unskilled players in a pub competition, these three books are enough to make you the best player in such company.
Moorman’s Book of Poker - Published in 2014, this title from the all-time best online tournament player is worth its weight in gold. Moorman analyses 80 tournament hand histories in depth to show low-mid stakes players just how a legend of the game thinks through their decisions.