Poker Book Review: Power Holdem Strategy by Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu is one of the most respected and well liked players in the game of poker today. Not only has the Canadian pro accumulated four WSOP bracelets and two WPT titles since winning his first minor tournament in 1997, but he is also placed second on the all time tournament money list with over $12,427,047 in career earnings.
With contributions for the 500 plus page book coming from a number of well seasoned pros, no wonder Daniel’s ‘Power Hold’em Strategy’ is seen as a minor masterpiece, along the same lines as Doyle Brunson’s Super System. Unlike Doyle’s book, however, Negreanu concentrates his advice exclusively on a strategy for the game of no-limit hold’em .
Evelyn Ng starts the book off by discussing tournament “big-bet” strategy and starting hand guidelines as a way for novice players “to neutralize the edge enjoyed by more experienced opponents.”
The next few co-authors focus mainly on cash games with Todd Brunson explaining the nuances of high stakes games, Erick Lindgren covering the online arena, Paul Wasicka dealing with short-handed  online games, and David Williams chapter on “Mixing it Up” showing readers how to unsettle opponents by employing an unpredictable style of play incorporating traps, bluffs, changing gears and assuming the role of “alpha male.”
Daniel’s contribution to the book is a 200 page section covering small ball poker as applied to deep-stacked, no-limit hold’em tournaments. This approach, popularised by Negreanu, involves increasing your stack through minimal risk by “focusing more on what your opponent doesn’t have than the strength of the cards you do have.”
In short, Power Holdem Strategy is a must have book for players of all levels seeking to improve their no limit game, although intermediate players and above will probably derive more useful insights from the chapters written by Daniel and David Williams. It is no exaggeration to say that Power Holdem Strategy will be viewed as a classic poker strategy book for years to come.