Super System 2

by Doyle Brunson

Click Here to find out how to get this book for Free

Reviewer:  Wixx

Doyle Brunson updates his 1979 classic, the original Super System, by plugging his online poker skin, Doyle's Room, and adding the expertise of several new poker stars. The core of the book is still Doyle giving out the secrets that made him a great poker player, and teaching everyone to play power poker like he does. Each of the sections on specific games are covered by a separate author and this list of authors reads like a who's who of the card playing world. Some of the games covered in the original Super System have fallen by the wayside, and therefore are not covered in this newer version. These have been replaced by other games, so there is still plenty of information; in fact this book is huge at 624 pages.

Super System II covers limit and no limit hold'em, Stud/8 or better, Omaha, and Triple Draw. The book of course is geared towards no limit holdem players as that is Doyle's specialty and, as in the orginal Super System, he is the author of that section. While there are a few updates, this section on no limit hold’em is almost identical to what he wrote over twenty years earlier. That being said, he teaches you to play power poker, which is by no means for beginners with a small bankroll. The key points to his system are playing very aggressive, and forcing your opponents to make decisions, by value betting a little over the top. The important thing to remember when reading this section is not to misread it as Doyle saying to play loose, because that is not power poker. You bet into your opponents in the system and should most often be raising or folding instead of calling.

Limit players will find the section on that version of Texas Hold'em, written by Jen Harman to be crammed full of great information and tips. The chapters on Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha/8 or better, by Lyle Berman and Bobby Baldwin respectively are decent. Doyle's son Todd covers Stud/8 or better, which I was intrigued by as I had not seen much else written about this game, and picked up a few points to think about. Daniel Negreanu's Triple Draw section also deals with a new game that does not get much coverage. Triple Draw is gaining in popularity, possibly thanks to the endorsement of Daniel the Great written here. Like the original Super System, there are some great tips from Mike Caro as well.

Some people that I have talked to that read the original Super System a long time ago, felt that this new book was a bit of a waste. They agreed that replacing the sections of older games like lowball with Omaha and Triple Draw was needed, but most found the lack of new insight from Doyle regarding Hold'em disappointing. Having seen both books at near the same time, I personally have the opposite feelings. I believe that of the two, Super System 2 is more useful at this time and I would recommend it over its predecessor if you do not currently have either of them.

Reviewer:  KegTAP14

When the first Super System came out, Doyle Brunson was hailed for creating the best poker book ever written. Now, almost 30 years later, He has written a follow up to the original. Super System II is set up in exactly the same format as the original book but with a modern cast of poker professionals writing the chapter on the games that are currently popular in cardrooms.

Super System 2 is basically an updated version of Brunson’s first book. Many of the forms of poker covered in his first book are no longer played in card rooms or have significantly lost popularity. In this book his group of expert collaborators cover Pot Limit Omaha High, Omaha Eight-or-better, and Triple Draw, games that have all become extremely popular. They also revisited Limit Hold’em and Seven Card Stud High-Low. Among the many he has write sections for this book are top pro’s Jennifer Harmen, his son Todd Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, and Bobby Baldwin. Mike Caro also has a section in the book dedicated to 43 tips from the ‘Mike Caro University,’ I really appreciated these tips as they are mostly things that a lot of poker players overlook. Several of the tips are very simple and are very rarely if at all used to their full potential by all but the pros. The book is rounded out by a look at online poker vs. live poker, a tournament overview, and a section dealing with the dilemma on weather or not to specialize or learn all of the games. One of the best things about this book is that it doesn’t replace the first Super System, it expands on it. The two combined together make an extremely powerful and complete overview of most of the games played and winning strategies for each.

The only part of this book that I felt I was disappointed by was surprisingly the section by Doyle Brunson on No Limit Hold’em. The section was extremely similar to the one in the first book and I didn’t even finish reading it. I was truly hoping that Doyle would update this section to include some new strategies against the growing number of ultra aggressive players.

The only reason I could see to not picking up this book would be if you were solely a No Limit Hold’em player and had the original Super System. Even then some of the tips from Mike Caro and the section on tournaments may still be worth the cost of Super System 2. Anyone with an interest in becoming a complete player and learning multiple games needs to buy this book. After reading this you will have a solid base to play the most popular games much better than most starting out a new game.

Reviewer:  dfphish13

Super System 2 by Doyle Brunson, Poker’s most influential player ever, was the most anticipated poker book of all time before its arrival. The first book of the Super System series was known as the poker player’s bible. Doyle Brunson wrote a sequel with brand new strategies and even new games. Most great poker players choose the book they want to read on how well the author plays. Well, you can’t go wrong with “The Godfather of Poker” on your side!

If you asked anyone in the world to name a famous poker player most would say, “that old man with the cowboy hat!” And that’s exactly who Doyle Brunson is. Playing for poker for over 5 decades, Doyle has won THOUSANDS of tournaments including 10 World Series of Poker Tournaments. But if you think Doyle has lost any of his skill over those 50 years then you are completely mistaken. Some say that Super System 2 is even BETTER than the original released 30 years before.

This book is divided into many chapters, divided by type of game or author. Speaking of authors did I mention it has over 10? Some of the most respected poker players of all time have contributed to this book including- Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman, and Daniel Negreanu. With all of these authors giving you 1 on 1 courses on their best subject, your sure to get the best poker education any book has ever offered!

Doyle’s simple yet extremely effective strategy of staying aggressive and always putting your opponents to the test is great. The tactic of picking up the small pots with aggression makes the big pots free to play, and count mainly as your profit. Doyle gives his personal information on how to get under your opponents skin and understand their basic play, what makes them “tick.”

The thing that separates this book from many is that it does not only teach one type of poker, but many. I would proudly suggest this book to someone who has never played a hand of poker before in their life! All the information you need from learning the game in a minute to mastering it in a lifetime is included. With lessons on games such as no limit and limit hold ‘em, Omaha, Omaha/8 or better, Stud, Stud/8 or better, and triple draw all taught by masters of the game, this book is like no other. And that’s what makes this book so great. If you finish up the No Limit Hold ‘em section and feel like you’ve learned all you can from it, why not move on to a different game and try to master that too. I know I enjoy mixing up what games I play not only online but in my home games as well. Also, the original Super System had a great autobiographical first chapter introduction. Well Doyle has returned and extended this introduction over twice as long. Now all you need to know about this legend of poker is right there when you open the book.

The following are the types of poker included and the author of that chapter:

No Limit Hold ‘em- Doyle Brunson

Stud/8 or better- Todd Brunson

Limit Hold ‘em- Jennifer Harman

Pot Limit Omaha- Lyle Berman

Triple Draw- Daniel Negreanu

Foreward- Johnny Chan

Philosophy- Steve Zolotow

Reviewer:  Wobby666

When I see the number 2 proudly affixed to the end of a familiar title, I automatically think sequel. Super Systems 2 can fairly be called the first poker book sequel (I can't recall having seen The Theory of Poker 2 on the shelves) - and coming into it with the same expectations you'd have for a Hollywood sequel is probably the best way to approach the book. Not as innovative as the ground-breaking original, but with some updated special effects, Super System 2 is just like any second installment of a movie series - you walk away somewhat satisfied but unable to avoid the feeling that the original was better.

There's one thing you'll notice the first time you pick up a copy of Super System 2: it's a big book!!!! With all the introductions, discussion of poker strategy, and history of Clan Brunson, the final page count on this monster is over 670 pages. Easily half of the book could have been trimmed away without losing anything of real value. Part of the reason for that is that several sections of the book are rehashes of what Brunson already covered in the original Super System: namely, Brunson's life story and his winning cash game strategies for no-limit hold’em. For anyone else it might have been considered too arrogant to simply have a no-limit hold'em section referring the reader back to another book, but Brunson could have gotten away with it. After all, the advice on the game from his original book is still some of the best out there. But as it stands, the unnecessary half of Super System 2 is there and you'll just have to skip around it to get to the good parts of the book.

There are definitely good parts of Super System 2. Cover your eyes for just a moment, 2+2 fans, while I share something with the rest of the audience: Jennifer Harman’s section on limit hold'em might be the best one ever written. (Okay, you can open your eyes again :-) ) It's not so much that Harman presents any ground-breaking concepts, but she is concise and easy to read in a way that Sklansky falls short of on his best days. It's the difference between having a coach who screams at you and a coach who treats like an intelligent, if less experienced, fellow traveler. Harman's advice is well-organized and well-written and should benefit anyone thinking of taking up limit hold'em.

If you're planning on learning more than one game to round out your poker knowledge, you could do a lot worse than Super System 2 Some of the sections on popular games are outstanding, helping to offset the sections of the book that are of little value. The book's list price of $35 is a bit too steep, but if you can get it for a moderate discount you'll probably be happy with your purchase. And you will!

I totally love that book ;)

Discuss this book in the VPP Poker Forum.