The book contributes a decent amount to the written word of dealing with the mental part of playing poker online. He continues a slanted perspective to online poker as not being fully researched by others yet. Initially his advice is to scrap your “live” game strategy, and follows up with tips on how to develop Internet gaming skills for the online world. He covers common pitfalls & bankroll cripplers, along with online tells, margins of error, and the highly accelerated pace of online gaming. Later in chapters he covers the “Dark Side” of online poker discussing: cheating, collusion (What to do about it & How to detect it), & problems with random number generators. Even though he covers those topics the main goal of the book is clearly how to beat online poker.

This book really did not change the way I play online poker in an extreme way. John’s writing style is unlike the tedious hand by hand advice prominent in most poker strategy books and he does focuses on the smaller things a player can do to prepare themselves for online poker play whether it be for career or hobby. Hobbyists and amateur online players will enjoy some of the details & ideas he gives on hand play, online tells, and hot spots for winning money. The final chapter is basically an attempt to play online poker for 24 hours straight.


About the Author

Vorhaus is an experienced author of 6 poker books & 3 million published words on the poker, he spends 200 pages explaining why & how you should play poker online and in his last chapter he devotes to doing exactly the opposite.

“The biggest flaws in any online player's game are the decisions made before even logging online.”

"There are so many people playing poorly online and most of it has nothing to do with their poker skills," Vorhaus says. "The fact of the matter is most people play under conditions that are far from optimal."


Vorhaus Advice

Vorhaus covers the many areas of online gaming, starting with advice on Sit-n-gos, Tournaments, and even Cash Games.

With Sit-n-gos his advice is only to play these for amusement, the prize structure as it compare to the blind structure will make you an overall losing player at the table. Winning these tournaments tend to require a bit of more luck than skill of a normal poker game, trying to build a bankroll based on these games can be somewhat hazardous. However it is suggested that these are the best bang for your buck as entertainment value goes.

Vorhas teaches a selective-aggressive strategy, while in the early rounds of a Tournament, to profile your opponents, and then pounce on them when you figure out what type of style they play. My favorite piece of advice is while playing heads up, short-handed, or a regular sit-n-go is to familiarize yourself with players table play.

The author advises cautionary measures while playing a Cash Game, Vorhaus again expounds on the dangers of playing cash games while distracted, and advising against getting involved in too many hands because of boredom. Again his advice is to take player notes to keep yourself acclimated with the game allowing you to get a strong read on your opponent. He is also an advocate of short-handed play, especially for players who like action and don't like waiting for big hands.

Some other tips for staying sharp include: turning off the television and the cell phone, taking regular bathroom breaks, and informing those you live with that it's poker time. This helps simulate a casino environment in your own home (avoiding distractions, & focusing only playing poker), a player can have a decent session and still being able to wear their pajamas.

Some excellent advice he writes of refers to taking player notes. Recommending that players become highly involved in note taking, as it serves the obvious purpose of tracking a players style for later use Vorhaus claims it has the added advantage of keeping you playing correctly & focused.

"Make it a point to open every text box and enter at least something in all of them," Vorhaus writes. "Notice how this activity keeps your head in the game."


My Thoughts

Personally my experience with books is limited to hobbies, research, and interest. If I find a book Very Helpful in its content and advice I feel it deserves a good rating. Referring to the advice section the author did a good job of explaining some tips, tricks, and ideas behind protecting yourself in the online environment. However Vorhaus simply reiterates his advice in different chapters several times over, which leads to somewhat of a boring read. I also feel the chapter on “Tells” can be difficult to apply in real situations for amateurs, as he cautions that it could be a “Fake Tell,” which leads to somewhat confusing decisions based solely on his previous advice. I felt the book was worth the read, but his attitude towards online play is so pessimistic thus making it difficult figure out what his true goals are.

Other Poker & Gambling Books

Doyle Brunsons's Super System A Course in Power Poker

Winning Craps for the Serious Player

Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold 'Em

Sunnywood Games Poker Chips


Recommended: Yes