The $1000 Book Review - 'The Blue Book' by Reid Young

I opened the perfectly wrapped packaging and was greeted by a gleaming solid gold cover. Each page is beautifully handwritten using a feather quill that was once used to sign the Magna Carta. The pages are made from trees felled in the Amazon rain forest and each copy takes exactly six months to produce. Ok, this is not actually true.

'The Blue Book' was delivered by Fed Ex and upon opening it I was greeted by a book that looked like it could be bought for $30 from Amazon. However, you will not find this book on Amazon. And even if you did, expect to pay $1000.

Reid Young is a 26 year old poker pro from North Carolina. He has made countless sums of money playing cash games, and this book is his baby.

Is it overpriced?

As I start to read each chapter, I quickly begin to realise that this is not a book for novices. Don't expect to whizz through it and go 'Oh yeah, I see now'. Don't expect to read it and then fire up a few tables and crush. What it does do is make you think deeper about the game. It will make you think about certain situations and want to go and put some hands in pokerstove. It will make you realise that the top poker pros don't have a magic betting formula for each hand that works every-time. It will make you realise that to be the best poker player you can be, you need to put the study hours in. Reid doesn't just say 'Practice this and practice that. Go look at this and go look at that'. It just quickly becomes apparent that that is what is needed. Reading his analysis of hands and situations makes it abundantly clear how hard he has worked on his game. His passion for poker is evident, and if you share his passion, (which I do) 'The Blue Book' will inspire you to work harder on your game than ever before. Having read the book from cover to cover does not mean I have finished with it. Quite the opposite. I shall be reading it again, over and over, spending more time on each chapter. Better players than me will get more out of the book the first time they read it and to be honest a lot of the calculations sent me a little dizzy. But that doesn't mean this book isn't for me. It just means I need to work a lot harder on my game.

I had initially intended this review to be somewhat lighthearted. I thought up the opening paragraph before I had actually read the book. Though once reading it it's impossible to make light of the contents. If you want to be a consistent winner at poker then you're going to have to put in some effort. Getting dealt aces and kings more often than your opponents simply won't cut it.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes. Definitely.

Is it worth $1000?
I honestly don't know the answer to that. I wouldn't be able to say yes or no with any real conviction, but it certainly wouldn't turn a micro stakes player into a high stakes player overnight. (Reid does not claim it would) I would be very interested to hear the views of someone who plays at a much higher level than me.

Who would benefit from reading this book?
Rather than generalise and say it would suit a medium stakes player better than a micro stakes player, it's probably best to say it would benefit anyone who has the dedication and passion to be a very successful player.

Will it improve my game?
Yes

Would I let a fellow poker player borrow it?
Absolutely not

Reid Young can be found on twitter here https://twitter.com/Shootaaa