"I have always believed important to bring novelty to the literature of poker, rather than simply repeat what has already been written by others." So begins Rolf Slotboom's new book: Secrets of Professional Poker 1, the first of a series of two volumes published by D & B, which publishes the best works of the player and author of Dutch poker.

"I have always believed important to bring novelty to the literature of poker, rather than simply repeat what has already been written by others." So begins Rolf Slotboom's new book: Secrets of Professional Poker 1, the first of a series of two volumes published by D & B, which publishes the best works of the player and author of Dutch poker. The book consists of a collection of insightful and well-written articles. As a preface, Slotboom promises not to reaffirm the so-called "wisdom", but rather wondering about the different concepts and strategies, in order to deepen the understanding of decision-making at the poker table.

The first volume includes 60 articles that have been written for various publications over the past 10 years. It stops especially on cash game play, items are divided into three sections: Limit Hold'em, Hold'em em: No-Limit vs. Limit and Pot-Limit Omaha.

A particularly interesting aspect of this collection is how Slotboom reviewed all the articles, based on changes in the way the three games (LHE, NLHE and PLO) are now played. Most of the items were reviewed and several notes have been added, reflecting changes in the thought of Slotboom due to the advent of online poker, the increase in the popularity of the short-handed game and especially the loose-aggressive style which is much more common when Slotboom went Pro in 1998.

Slotboom motivation to review his thoughts and writings is not only refreshing, it also highlights one of the basic principles of the author, which is always keep you mind open to different answers, and, even though the answers seem obvious. For example, in the first pages of the book, Slotboom has his limit Hold'em quiz'em that has been both talk, including the famous analysis of a particular situation where it is recommended sunset AK pre-flop. Follow a few articles where controversial ideas are discussed. There are also discussions from Slotboom Forum with different interlocutors. One of them is Mason Malmuth. Slotboom also added a few notes to these articles, which explain its ideas about this situation.

As the discussion on the AK demonstrates if well, Slotboom did not hesitate to explore new avenues and the less implausible. You have to read the book long before you realize that the sentence "upset that some authors will tell you" is a thing whose Slotboom cannot help but make. It is important to note that non-conformist approach of Slotboom is not intended interest of iconoclasm. Even the author is always a duty to demonstrate the process by which he arrived with an unorthodox idea and explains how it can be better than the conventional idea. As his writings demonstrate so well, Slotboom is a connoisseur of poker literature and he is very aware of the ideas of others, allowing it to so to compare them in Secrets of Professional Poker 1.

The section on the limit hold'em covers a wide range of topics, including 2 items of discussion on starting hands, a treatment on how to play the blinds, a list of the most common defects in LHE and a list of the major losses and how to fix it. There are a few articles that explain the best approaches to confront players particularly loose aggressive (maniacs), including one that explains why the seat to the left of a player of this type is not, in fact, the best on which take place. Slotboom style frame quite well in the tight aggressive category, if according to the anecdotes he tells, it is probably tighter than most. However, have shown us more than once to play with a tight player image can be profitable.

With his book before, Secrets of Pot-Limit Omaha (2006), Slotboom had made a great contribution to the discussion on the strategy of the OLP. This book is best known for the presentation of a short stack strategy, yet an example Slotboom swimming against the current, but it also addresses other strategies. The third and last section of his new book is somehow a useful addendum of this prior work, he offers some of his PLO topics that were not included in addition to several new articles wrote specially for Secrets of Professional Poker 1.

The articles in this section cover several topics, much discussed different starting hands representative to the PLO, a list similar to that of section LHE on errors, but here applied to the PLO, another comeback on the article dealing with what seat choose when you play against a "manic" (again once the seat on his left is not the best)as discussions in regard of the image that is projected to the other players and how to "play the player". In most of the articles in this section, Slotboom described us aspects of the game with hands that he played (more), this pleasant to read narrative form, astute, familiar to those who read its topics.

After reading this book, clear and consistent approach that Slotboom adopted about 3 variants of poker painings addressed, an approach that involves a (tight) measured departure strategy, then taking into account of the different circumstances, find opportunities to take advantage of his apparently tight image. It is essential, of course, to develop skills to read his opponent and know how to adapt as best as possible, a task for which Slotboom gives us very good tools.

As its author wanted, his book Secrets of Professional Poker 1, is a "great addition to the literature of poker", and even more through how it covers so well and so deeply three games separately. Slotboom concludes by demonstrating how skills are crucial for its flop games, which should perhaps encourage players who specialize in one of these types of games to try something new. In fact, this book can bring a lot to any poker player, but surely more to players who have experienced one of these types of Poker: limit hold 'em, no-limit hold' em or pot-limit omaha, and are interested in trying one of the other 2 types.