Doyle Brunson’s original book Super System was the first of its kind, as far as a poker book by a top player that revealed strategy as to how to play poker. That doesn’t sound that unique or exciting to poker players today, with hundreds of titles promising to do just that flooding the market by seemingly every poker pro under the sun, but Doyle was the first world-class player to offer up his personal strategy for winning at No Limit Hold’em cash games.

Doyle Brunson updated his classic poker book with Super System 2, which was published in 2005. Like the original Super System, Super System 2 retains the same format, with Doyle discussing No Limit Hold’em cash game strategy and authors such as Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Mike Caro, and Todd Brunson tackling other poker games such as Omaha, Stud/8, and Triple Draw in their own sections. Doyle also provides some introductory background information about the poker world itself, including some of the changes and evolution it has experienced over the years.

The format works well to give players a decent grounding in most of the major forms of poker played today, but it can also be frustrating at times, as each author is only given 50-60 pages to cover their topic. Each poker variant covered could have been a book in and of itself, so a few of the sections seem rushed, as a lot of material and poker strategy has to be covered in a relatively small number of pages. Some of the authors of the different sections are also more engaging than others, so it can be hit-or-miss from section to section.

With No Limit Hold’em currently dominating the poker world, Brunson’s coverage of the game in Super System 2 is good, but far from a complete strategy guide. Perhaps the most important lessons and tips to be gleaned are more in Brunson’s general approach, as far as aggressively mixing up his game and playing a wide variety of starting hands. Doyle is widely acknowledged as one of the first players to really understand how to consistently win at No Limit Hold’em, and his recipe for success is largely based on always being the aggressor and mixing up his play.

That’s what he largely conveys in Super System 2, so advanced readers looking for advanced tips on balancing their ranges or advice on when to try a re-steal shove against an aggressive button player will likely be disappointed. Beginners or intermediate players, though, will likely find the lessons in Super System 2 to be very valuable, as it does provide you with a solid, basic strategy for attacking No Limit Hold’em and other poker games that has proven successful over decades of play.