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The Best Poker DVD's

There are a lot of opinions in regards to the best books in the poker world. I've written about many of them myself. But there are certain mediums that can better capture aspects of our wonderful game. In this case, I would like to suggest three of the best poker DVD's on the market. I'll be weighing both education and entertainment in my picks, but leaning heavily towards education. Yes, the production quality of things like the World Poker Tour make it very entertaining. But because of the editing, you won't learn a heck of a lot. Instead, I've focused on things that will help your game in ways that books don't quite cover.

#1) Final Table Poker with Phil Gordon: I consider this DVD the very best on the market. Not because Phil has been kind enough to grant me interviews and consult with me on one of my pieces, but because of its merits. That infinitely giving quality that Phil has shines through in his teaching method. He holds nothing back.

Phil is teaching from the very realistic single hand perspective. In other words, you only know one player's hole cards, and you're put into that player's shoes. You get to look for the tells, calculate the bets, and follow the play by play from over Phil's shoulder. Then you can hear Gordon's expert analysis , and understand his mindset when presented with these situations.

I would like to have seen a smattering of early tournament play tips, but you have to have a scope when you're taking on projects like this, and other DVD's do a good job of covering that aspect of tournament poker (see #3 for example!).

#2) Caro's Pro Poker Tells: Cheesy production that looks like it's from the 70's? Check. Infomercial flashbacks? Check. But don't let the budget minded presentation fool you. Mike Caro's masterwork, Book of Tells, has needed a better medium ever since it was penned. Tells are a visual thing, so presenting them on DVD makes perfect sense.

What do you get from this video? Everything. You'll improve your offence, you'll learn to mask your own tells, and best of all, it will help you to make money. Seriously. After watching this DVD, if you don't get direct, cash benefits from your face to face poker game, you might want to consider a new game. Every subtle tip that Mike and his team act out should either save or make you money in the long run. You get to see faces, and hands, eyes, and the way they fiddle with their chips. All the while, Mike talks you through the psychological situation. Look past bad production value, and take advantage of this awesome DVD.

#3) More Secrets of No Limit Hold 'Em: This is for people who either don't like Phil Gordon's style, or have a thing for Howard Lederer. I consider it a half notch down from Gordon's DVD, but that having been said, it IS a different teaching style, and some will certainly benefit from it. Howard focuses on getting you into the money in tournaments, with less focus on final table play... so perhaps getting both DVD's isn't such a bad idea!

In this case, I want you to ignore one of Howard's warnings. He says that if you haven't seen his first DVD, you should see that one first. I say, if you're reading this, and you're seriously considering investing in good poker DVD's, you already know the basics. Instead, skip right to this volume and start learning what you need to know in a very efficient, very visual manner. He covers the right way to bluff and slowplay, loosening up and mixing up your tight game, and preflop play.

Again, please ignore the production value. These are poker pros, not Martin Scorsese. Howard gets the point across, and uses the visual medium to great effect. You really can't ask for more than that.

Bill Ricardi ? Internet Gaming Guru