Very aggressive style of Hold Em, some may argue reckless. Everybody is playing this way so one needs to do the opposite and play tight. Doyle says sometimes even if I just have a bit of the flop I raise, if I lose then that's Poker....you have to gamble...ect... Too wreckless for my taste. This book cost me to get called with the 2nd best hand much too often! If you don't like it..well that's poker folks!

perfect book, got it two days before expected, in perfect condition. saved me $15. I love playing poker and I love saving money.

I ordered this book hoping i could become a better poker player but super system is way too outdated and most of the material is about games that arent played anymore. The NLHE section is general poker strategy by todays standards, i understand that super system was a great poker book when it first came out but now there r so many better poker books out there. Unless your a beginner poker player or would just want to read basically a poker history book, i wouldt suggest this book.

Condition of book was perfect. Purchased this book for my son's birthday. He loved it.

The sections on no limit holdem are great. Since not many cardrooms play the other games, a large part of the book isn't really that applicable today unless you are in Vegas and have access to the other games.

Well, I've only read about 90 or so books on poker, most of them written pre-boom (2002 or earlier; the newer ones have a lot less character, 'twould seem), so I don't know if it's fair to say this is the best all-around poker book of them all, but it's easily top five. It's the Cadillac of poker books, to paraphrase Doyle.
This would be the nuts even if it was ony comprised of the introduction to poker "basics" (actually very advanced in some respects). Brunson lays out much of the stuff that takes some players years to figure out, and in only a few pages. Having played many thousands of hours of poker since first reading this in 2000, I can say that he hits the nail on the head as well as anyone ever has. Read that section alone and truly digest it and you're already half way home.
This book changed the poker landscape in many ways. Few were playing small suited connectors until Doyle made their value clear...no one but the top pros and "crazy gamblers", at least. Yes, he overrates J-10, but we weren't in his games back then, and I'm guessing he made a LOT of cash with it...and a man as crafty as Doyle knew that he had to write SOME misleading stuff here. You can't give away ALL your secrets!
Add to that excellent thoughts on many different games (if you can't play at least a half dozen games well you're hardly a real player), and what is still the best no-limit guide around, and you've got a book that truly lives up to its long-time nickname, the Bible Of Poker.
Haven't read the new edition, but going back to this one after some years made me realize that some of my more advanced poker thoughts and moves had their genesis right here.
This is a great read as well, not perfectly written but done with much feel and loads of understanding of what makes poker players tick. For those who play hold'em only, this is an excellent introduction to games like lowball and seven stud, the precursors of HE. It never hurts to have a larger skillset (and if you can play a good tripledraw game, you'll be sitting pretty when it breaks out in that Vegas hotel room game you stumbled into with your old buddy's wife's brother). Baldwin's limit HE section is solid as are all of the others. Add in the various anecdotes, told by men who are still some of the best to ever play their respective games even 30 years after publication, and you've got what is probably the most important poker book of them all.
If Yardley's Education is the granddaddy of poker books, then this is without doubt the Big Daddy.

[PS I'm no Doyle, but I have a column at pokerpagesdotcom where I share my thoughts on hold'em, PLO, strategies and gambling in general. My old articles are archived; if you've seen some poker on tv you might especially enjoy "Poker Needs More Sponsors", one of the few things I've written that makes me laugh every time I read it. Feel free to stop by and share your thoughts.]

If you are into poker and you're serious about money, this is the book for you. Learn the basics from the pro that started it all. Great buy!!

Super System is a little dated as I suspect Super System II is as well. I say it's dated because poker is a bit different now than it was back in the day, and Doyle's day was a looong time ago! The part about learning to play aggressive still helps me get fired up though. Another good feature of this book is it covers games other than Hold'em.

It might have been great back when it was first published, but now it is a good starter book i believe.

Even though many refer to this as the Poker Bible, I would strongly disagree. Maybe it was when there were few other books on poker, but now, this book lags far behind the new generation of poker books, notably Harrington and Gordon.

I would have given this book two stars if I just ranked the hold'em section. It is rather broad, and basically says put your opponent to the test and push all in. This is not a good tournament book, but there are several little tidbits of information and tips everywhere. I would buy several books before this one for no limit hold'em. The Stud and limit sections are very good, and the book as a whole is a must read, it's just not the best.

GREAT BOOK!!!!!!

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I found this book very helpful in understanding poker at a higher level. I wouldn't suggest this book for a beginner, but for someone that have played a few hands at poker and know the basic knowledge of poker. Doyle Brunson and his team cover about every form of poker out there in this book and I would recommend this book to anybody that plans on playing some serious poker and making money at it.

If you are an absolute newbie or an experienced pro, this book is a good read. Doyle reveals his style of solid play to the world and reserves his spot in poker history.

If you are absolutely clueless about how to play Texas Hold'em and get licked every night at your friend's house, this book will help you become a solid player. Once you get down the basics, it's a lot easier to make reads.

Everyone raves about this book in the poker community and with good reason. This is your shortcut to playing good poker. No joke. If you understand the logic behind Doyle's play, you will be a better player.

"Don't quit the day job", as Doyle Brunson said recently in an interview.

I bought this book some time ago and enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a must read for poker buffs who are looking for ways to upgrade their game. It is important to realize that even Doyle changes up his game from time to time, and cannot be relied upon to predictably do what he recommends here.
In my opinion, much of what Doyle recommends has value. Pay attention to his comments about what strategy works for which stakes.

Have fun out there but remember how nice it is to keep eating and living indoors.


Robert Hardy

very good book. very interesting. only problem. doyle brunson plays top notch poker players and makes bets of multiple thousands of dollars. some of his strategies won't work in your average 10 dollar buy in hold em tournament that you hold in your garage once a week. doyle brunson is a risky player who gambles alot. people might fold at your bluff if they are looking at a 3,000 dollar bet but at your house, where people only have to pay 4 black chips and 2 blues to see the flop, they are more likely to call. i guess basically what i'm saying is that no poker strategey works on every type of player you will encounter. But the book mentions this fact many times. good reading? yes. have i won more pots because of it? maybe a few.

NOT for beginners. This was, and still is, a must have for any serious poker player. Things you learn from pros and the like and well worth the read.

Doyle Brunson's Super System uses up about a fourth of this book, but it is enough. I don't feel cheated about the three quarters that weren't about what the title says. Just a couple of hours reading "the rules" and I have completely different thoughts while I'm watching poker on TV. That's called a new perspective. It's more fun for me when I'm not struggling to figure out what the players are thinking and doing, or trying to do. It's more interesting when you know when somebody is "breaking the rules".

I don't intend to ever play poker and I don't intend to learn the book. I just wanted to spend less time being baffled. This book was enough to accomplish that.

Doyle Brunson, Super/System: A Course in Power Poker (Cardoza, 1978)

First off: whoever did the typography for this book, and then let it sit as-is for thirty years, really should be put up against a wall and shot. It's terrible. There's way too much bold, way too much italic, and way too many seemingly arbitrary switches between the two. Many times, a phrase starts off in bold and ends in italic, or vice-versa. Before the next edition of this book, someone needs to get in there with a copy-editor's pen and give these six hundred five pages a thorough going-over. As it stands, the book is well nigh unreadable, and that has nothing whatever to do with its content.

As for its content, well, that's a different story. A lot of this will seem like basic strategy to the self-taught player who's been around for a few years, but it's a gold mine for the beginner. Confused by when and how to play suited connectors in a no-limit hold'em game? Brunson will tell you. Wondering what all the fuss is over deuce-seven lowball? You'll find out here. What are the differences between a limit hold'em ring game and a no-limit tournament? (If you think there aren't many, I suggest not wandering into one if you specialize in the other if you expect to keep your money.) It's all laid out for you.

The one thing that may bug some readers (aside from the awful typography) is that a decent portion of the book is devoted to the now-almost-dead game of five-card draw. But hey, if you're not reading it with the intention of reviewing it later, and you never play five-card draw, you can just skip it, right? Also, remember that this book is thirty years old, and some games that weren't popular in Vegas, California, and Texas are not represented. To me, the biggest hole is the lack of a section on pot-limit variants, but they didn't become popular until Omaha did; that sort of thing is what Super/System 2 is for. ***, having had one star knocked off for the awful editing/proofreading.

Doyle Brunson and a group of fellow high limit pros wrote "Super/System" in the late 70's after Doyle won his second world series of poker main event title. The book contains general poker advice from Doyle followed by specific strategies for all the games commonly played a the time. This book was a complete revelation when it came out - far and away the best poker book ever published up to that point on each of those games.

Today, the book reads a little differently. The generic advice is still good, although Doyle's musings on scientific ESP will strike modern readers as a bit odd. But mostly it's solid stuff. The game specific advice is more hit or miss. Many of the games, namely 5 card draw, limit lowball draw, no limit lowball draw, lowball stud (now called razz) and stud hi/lo split (no qualifier) are no longer commonly spread anywhere I know of. The limit holdem chapter is decent for beginners, but there is now better information out there. Chip Reese's 7 card stud chapter is excellent, and still in my opinion the best material written on the subject because his advice is simple, and works at pretty much every limit.

The "meat" of the book is Doyle's no limit holdem chapter. The advice contained within is very solid in the context of a deep stack (ie. lots of money on the table relative to the size of the blinds) no limit game. Now that these games are again commonly spread in casinos, that chapter is very valuable. Despite his tournament wins, Doyle's advice is no longer appropriate for tournament play because the formats have changed, as has the opposition. If you looking for no limit tournament advice, get the excellent Harrington on Holdem series.

In addition to the material on dead games, there are some other minor problems with the book. The grammar is bad, and it appears no professional editing job was ever done. This is more quaint than distracting, but you should be aware of it. In addition, poker terminology is in a constant state of flux, and the meaning of some words has changed since the book was written. On recent printings, footnotes are included to help you sort out the confusion.

All and all this is still an important book for any serious poker player both from a strategic and historical point of view. I wouldn't recommend it as a first book unless you intend to play seven card stud, but much of the information is top notch.

It was already mentioned below, but I wanted to reiterate that this book covers many different poker games. The most popular is right now is Texas Holdem and covers approx. 100 pages on the topic. Just wanted to throw that out there in case you didn't know.

There is really not much to say other that this is by far the best book on Poker written. Even though it was written in the seventees it hasn't lost any of its value. A must-read for any poker play who wants to make money in the game.

Doyle Brunson is a divinity among poker players who look up to him for his knowledge of the game and his ability to beat just about anyone since he first started playing.

The "Super System" is a great book and a must read for poker players of all skill levels. If you intend to get any good at this game you have to learn from the best. Brunson is among the best of all time.

Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution! and Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution!

Great book. Goes in depth into the analysis of all forms of poker. Goes over betting schemes, tells, and great poker plays. Definitely worth all the praise and will help imrpove your game.

Great book. Goes in depth into the analysis of all forms of poker. Goes over betting schemes, tells, and great poker plays. Definitely worth all the praise and will help imrpove your game.

First of all, it comes from players, as well as theoreticians, some of whom may considered to be the best. Secondly it is a very practical book with all the maths as well as hints. Highly recommended material to anyone who loves the game.

Enjoyable and informative book. Good look into one of the legends of the poker world and of the old days of the gambler. Lots of tips and plans on how to better your game. Will surly check out his other books....

I am aware of the methods for correctly handling books; yet, the back on this one broke the first time I opened it. The binding is substandard; the book is great!

Great book to read from the legend Doyle Brunson. Even though a lot of experience gained from years ago, it still is relevant today for people wanting to get into the poker money games. Goes into a lot of detail and takes a bit of practice to use properly on the tables. A very good book, highly recommended. I can now understand why Doyle was and still is a very successful poker legend.

The standard by which all others are judged and none have yet to reach.

A great book by a poker great. The first book that I read that spoke to the game being more about people and position rather than cards. Interesting anecdotes, colorful history and a guide to aggressive playing make this a vital part of any serious players arsenal.

That being said, realize that it was written in the late 70's and does not take into account the internet phenomenon and the super aggressive players it has spawned. However, if you can keep the material in historical perspective, it is an invaluable resource. 4.5/5

Fantastic information a must for all poker players. Only downfall is that a lot of the information is getting dated.

The foundation of poker is in this book and is explained by the best there is there was and ever will be. Class dismissed.

If you're a poker player and you haven't read this book then just remember, all the other players around you have. It's a great book particularly Chip Reese's section on stud. The classic chapter, Doyle's No Limit musings is also a must read for serious players. However, a few things should be noted by any reader not wanting to lose half their bankroll in the first hour after digesting the material. 1. Doyle is famous for his uncanny reading ability. When he talks about being willing to "take the worst hand sometimes" he doesn't mean that you should just start pushing all in any time you flop a gut shot draw. 2. For his whole adult life he's played in the highest stakes games on Earth. Many of the concepts about aggression only apply if your opponenets are willing to fold certain hands. In uber Low Limit poker with unskilled fish abound it's extremely difficult to apply Doyle's concepts. 3. The game has changed alot since
Doyle's day when most pro's considered pocket queens to be "a small pair". In other words relating to #2 on my list, semi bluffing as he teaches it is a much trickier art than it used to be. Although this is a great book, ultimately it will only help you if learn how to read players and not just words.

Material that is mixed between introductory and advanced.
Definitely want to try your hand at the main popular variants
of poker before reading. Chapters have quick tips and more advanced ideas regarding texas hold'em, omaha, seven card
and others. Definitely a book to check out when trying to penetrate the mystery of winning poker. Perspectives come from various players. Brunson's chapter is on texas hold'em and a another chapter on poker in general, etc.

While I have watched Doyle on TV and have a huge amount of respect for his game, I was disappointed with this new (old) book.
I was hoping for increase my return with my online game and the weekly game with the boys. No such luck! I wish Doyle & co would get to their point instead of using 5 pages to waffle on. Very long winded.

There are defintely better books for the beginner/intermediate player which talk about pot odds and cover the same strategies.

This book is simply history to poker players. Super system was dead on the money back in the 70s and its still on the money today.

Do not dismiss this book just because it has been around for a while. Doyle Brunson's Super System is still the main entry point into the world of serious poker. Almost everyone who plays poker for money - either at home games, card parlors or casinos - is familiar with this book. Since television coverage has focused on Hold'em Poker, its popularity has exploded and a herd of new players have rushed to the tables. Now everyone knows who Doyle Brunson is, and nearly everyone has read his books; this one and Super System II.

With the aid of books like Super System some of the newer players have been successful and have become serious threats to the old guard. However, most people don't realize just how complex a game poker really is. Some poker pros have spent months or even years setting up their marks, letting them win a little at first just to set them up for a big loss. There is a lot more to poker than at first meets the eye.

As to the content of Super System: it is filled with good information. It is more a series of essays than a textbook or primer. Its sheer popularity makes it an essential read. However, Super System (and Super System II) need to be supplemented with solid background materials. Not just books like Sklansky's "Theory of Poker" or "Caro's Book of Poker Tells" but also some serious math material like Epstein's "The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic" and Thorp's "The Mathematics of Gambling" and even some material like Ford's "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken".

This book is a must buy. It is the original, the first, the best. It is something to be read and read again.

For No Limit fans/players in particular, Doyle's chapter alone is worth many, many times the cost of the entire book - it was his total style, and one that made him a monster player. The style is a little dated now, but it's heart is still in the right place... aggressive poker is still winning poker.

I love Chip Reese's 7-Stud chapter, which may be an even better work for that game. Mike Caro has a good 5-Card chapter as well, even if the game is about dead these days. If you're one of the TV generation players looking to expand out from Hold'em, pick up this and Super System 2.

Don't even bother to think you can play "serious" poker without studying this book inside and out. For No Limit fans/players in particular, Doyle's chapter alone is worth many, many times the cost of the entire book - it was his total style, and one that made him a monster player.

Sure, MANY other folks have this, but that's all the more reason for YOU to have it too.

Okay, so it's not a flawless book (not by a long shot), and there's a lot more that you could learn about the games here than space allows, but I couldn't imagine not owning it.

Folks, if you're not serious enough about poker to spend $20 on what may be the best poker book ever written... what's the point? It's a great investment.

And it's decent reading too... listening to Doyle explain how he's going to break somebody if he makes his boat draw and all that. It's good stuff.

Doyle Brunson has become a legend largely because of his first book. It is a classic and well worth buying and reading. His second book is largely a re-hash of the first by a publisher trying to get more mileage out of the current popularity of Hold'em poker.

In its day, "Doyle Brunson's Super System" blew away a lot of the mythology surrounding gambling in general and poker in particular. Its basic lessons are still true today, but a far more sophisticated crowd inhabits the world of gambling than Brunson had to deal with back when he first put pen to paper. Back then, most occasional gamblers considered poker to be largely a game of luck and bluff, rather than a game of skill and real cunning.

Successful gamblers today have read, and understand, the basic background books in poker, like:
Sklansky's "Theory of Poker",
"Caro's Book of Poker Tells", and
"Harrington on Hold'em"
and more serious works on math and probability like:
Packel's "The Mathematics of Games and Gambling" and
Epstein's "The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic"
as well as the landmark books from other areas of gambling like:
Thorp's "Beat the Dealer",
Wong's "Professional Blackjack", and even
Ford's "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken"

What gambling books - good gambling books, anyway - can do for you is to provide you with inexpensive experience. It is far cheaper to read about gambling mistakes than to commit them. It is far easier to learn how to play well from some one who already knows how than to have to re-invent the successful techniques. Of course there is no substitute for experience, but then, there is a world of difference between twenty years of experience and one year of experience twenty times.

In my opinion its more for the advanced player. A must read though for anyone interested in improving their game.

In my opinion its more for the advanced player. A must read though for anyone interested in improving their game.Have to agree with a previous review about using it in low/middle limit online trn/mnts where people call all ins with garbage!

Bought Super I & II because I was told there were major updates in II. That is simply not the case, at least for the No-Limit Hold-Em chapter, which, let's face it, is why most people (myself included) buy these books in the first place. I'm not knocking the books themselves, far from it, there's very good knowledge in both, but it is largely duplicative. So, my free advice is buy I or II, but not both. (If pressed, I'd pick II.)

I'm a freqent poker player and for all those who would like to play this book is an absolute must have. and for those who already play this book is also an absolute must have and desk reference.

I play online for what Doyle what consider low limits (1/2 2/4 3/6 NL as well as sit and gos. Heres the problem with this is book: The strategys Doyle gives you are solid but hardly ever work because the online population is so... STUPID! People play garbage and because so many do you have to "get lucky" or develop a good way to play. Doyle lists hands Like AQ offsuit as "trouble hands" personally i agree 100%, but with the half wits online who go all in with A10, A9 and Pocket 9s or anything lower. This book WILL help you in some way. But all the information does not apply (it was written nearly 30 years ago) Its defintley worth a read and worth the price.

Brunson's book came out in the 70's, long before Omaha became so popular, so it omits guidelines for this great poker game. Otherwise, the book is superb. It's amazing how much your game will improve, even if you adopt only a few of the suggestions offered. If you play Hold 'Em and have yet to read Brunson, you're welcome in my games anytime.

"Doyle Brunson's Super System" is as good as gambling books get. Although it is now quite old by comparison to the popular best-sellers, it is still at the top of the list of classic gambling references. Time does not alter the mathematics or psychology of gambling. That is why it belongs in every gambling library, along with:

"Harrington on Hold'em" (both 1 and 2)
"Beat the Dealer",
"Professional Blackjack" and
"How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken"

Super system came on the sceen in 1978 under the original title: "How I made over $1,000,000 Playing Poker and has been known as the Poker Bible ever since. There is good reason for this, while other poker books taught the rules of poker, and general starting requirements, Super System introduced many to the art of outplaying, odds, and flat out stealing and back alley mugging anyone who had the nerve to sit down at "your" table. Nothing like Super System was even close prior to its publishing and there have been very few poker books since that have been so influential to poker players.

Super System 2 was released in mid-2005. While much of the information is the same, Super System 2 updates with some of today's popular games. Some key updates are the Online Poker section, tournament sections, and Omaha sections. The biggest disappointment to me was that the No Limit Holdem section is virtually identical to the 1978 version. I would have like to see this updated. Some people have complained that the Online Poker section is just one big advertisement for Doylesroom.com. I look at it this way, they had to use a site for illustrations so why not? I enjoyed this section as it will help online poker in the long run. Plus there are some very solid advice that apply to online gaming!

Super System and Super System 2 are broken up into game sections. Doyle hand selected the authors of each section. My favorite section in both 1 and 2 are the Limit Holdem sections. Bobby Baldwin wrote the Limit Holdem section in 1978 and it was THE most important peice of poker literature I have ever read. Jennifer Harman wrote the Super System 2 Limit Holdem section and it is clearly the best section in the new version in my opinion.

Super System is not a beginner's book and the lessons taught should not be used against bad players because they simply do not apply. These are semi-advanced concepts and require a good knowledge of the games and should be used with caution.

The Original Super System contains game sections by the following:
Draw Poker - Mike Caro
7 stud - Chip Reese
Lowball (A-5, 2-7, Razz) - Joey Hawthorne
High-Low Split - David Sklansky
Limit Holdem - Bobby Baldwin
No Limit Holdem - Doyle Brunson

Super System 2 contains the game sections by the following:
Online Poker - Doyle Brunson
Limit Holdem - Jennifer Harman
Omaha 8 or better - Bobby Baldwin
7 stud High Low 8 or better - Todd Brunson
Pot Limit Omaha - Lyle Berman
Triple Draw - Daniel Negreanu
No Limit Holdem - Doyle Brunson
Tournament Overview - Doyle Brunson

Finally, both Super System 1 and 2 are fanatasic books and should be in your poker library. If you only had the choice of buying the original or Super System 2 then I would suggest Super System 2 as it addresses today's more popular games, besides how many times do you plan to play 5 card draw online?

This book was written quite some time back by the who's who of Poker. When it first came out it was definitely THE book of Poker, since there were hardly any around.

Since then, however, there are many many more books on Poker that are much better for the beginning-intermediate player to read, and which are much more reader friendly and which help an amateur improve his game. For instance, Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller et al and Harrington on Hold'em take crucial concepts in Poker and explain them in depth and with multiple examples. This makes the concepts much easier to absorb for the person who is reading them for the first time.

S/S however tries to cram tonnes of material into its pages, and there's only so much a poker genius can do to teach his reader while only having 50-100 pages to expound on his material. Also, much of the material is too complex for the amateur player to absorb, let alone integrate into his game.

If you are still learning the ins and outs of poker (which is the vast majority of you reading this review), you are better off spending your hard earned money on other poker books aimed towards proper pedagogy of the subject.

S/S is for those who are very experienced in the game who are looking to push their game into the higher echalons.