Improve Your Poker Now: Poker Book Review and Author Interview

2024 is almost over and during the year some very good poker books were published. One of them was “Improve Your Poker Now!” by D&B Poker publishing house and whose authors were Alex Fitzgerald and Topher Goggin. In this article you can read an interview with Topher to learn more details about the book and a brief review with our opinion of the book.

Alex Fitzgerald

Interview with Topher Goggin

How did the idea of writing the book come about?

The book started when a friend of mine, a smart guy with a real job who plays poker for fun, asked me what poker book I would recommend he read. Where could he get the most bang for his buck against the players he actually faced? There are lots of great books out there, but he wasn’t quite ready for them yet. As I struggled to help him, I realized there was a void in modern poker literature when it comes to helping “everyday” players take the next step forward.

Most of today’s materials are aimed at highly-experienced folks who are already sophisticated—folks dedicated to studying advanced concepts like GTO play and solvers. But those people are only a tiny percentage of the poker-loving world. Everyone else has been left behind.

Early poker books like Harrington on Hold’em were brilliant because they explained core hold’em strategies so players could immediately implement them successfully. As a long-time student and friend of Alex’s, I realized that his teachings could be the modern equivalent. His strategies are effective against real opponents, having been developed and refined through the experiences and results of his students. Not only can players quickly master them, people can quickly understand why they are effective. That’s the missing piece. With that in mind, I reached out to Alex to suggest taking his materials to a broader audience of recreational players and poker enthusiasts. He loved the idea and quickly had suggestions of his own to add. He pitched our plan to the amazing folks at D+B Poker and Improve Your Poker—Now was born.

How did you meet Alex? What was the experience of working together like?

I “discovered” Alex years ago when I read his chapter in Jonathan Little‘s amazing compilation book, Excelling at No Limit Hold’em. It was unlike anything I’d ever encountered. This guy analyzed poker, specifically what made plays profitable, in a way I had never seen before—and he explained it in a way that instantly made sense. It totally changed my perspective on the game. And the book said he gave private lessons!

I sought him out and got a couple of those lessons, then started studying his other materials. Over time we became friends, even joining forces for an early version of the WSOP Tag Team event. We’ve regularly stayed in touch ever since. Working together on this project was a unique and fun challenge. We first developed a framework of fundamental concepts we thought were the most critical for success. Alex then sent me links to his previous materials that broke down his philosophies on those topics, which we dissected and rebuilt to make them even more accessible to recreational players. From there, we drafted an outline, which I used to creat the first draft. Alex and I then revised that together, and he added an exclusive “Alex’s Keys” summary to each chapter and wrote a final “grand finale” chapter himself.

What type of players is the book aimed at?

Improve Your Poker—Now is designed for recreational tournament players and other amateur poker fans. It’s ideal for folks who love to play and want to improve, but who can’t devote hours upon hours to studying because they have a “real life” outside of poker. It’s not for true beginners—readers need to understand the basic rules and mechanics of the game. Beyond that, though, we’re here for the huge swath of amateurs who want to learn how to beat the opponents they are actually facing.

Too many poker strategy writers today expect their readers to come to where the author is—on the author’s terms—teaching what theoretically “should” work. Our goal is to flip that concept, meeting the players where THEY are right now, and teaching them what DOES work in the real world. These strategies are not “GTO-optimized” for battling poker’s elite. (If Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are frequently showing up at your tables, this is not the book for you.) But if you play tournaments at your local casino or online, want to take a shot in a few tourneys at the WSOP, or just want to beat up on your friends in a home game, this is for you.

Besides reading books, what other forms of study do you recommend?

I learn well from books, because they help me stay focused on the material I’m learning in ways the other options don’t. Others may benefit from something else. Alex has created scores of video training series. People love his interactive quiz format, which forces viewers to think through answers as if you they playing. (Don’t be afraid to use the pause button!! Take some time to really think. You’ll learn far more that way than just speeding ahead to the “answer.”) Other folks like YouTube videos or just watching live streams, preferring to absorb things by osmosis.

People need to pick what works best for them. Our biggest recommendation is “One thing at a time.” If you’re reading a book, focus on that book for now. Absorb it, then practice (ideally at low stakes) until you feel like you have incorporated what you’ve learned. Then move on to whatever comes next.

Think of poker lessons like building blocks. If you add them one at a time, you’ll eventually build a tall tower. Dump them all on at once and the tower falls down. If you are simultaneously watching videos from three instructors and get a hot tip from your Uber driver on the way to the casino, ideas are going to so jumbled in your head that you will struggle to execute. It’s loads better to play a simple strategy well than a sophisticated one poorly.

What reasons would you give our readers to read your book?

Cardplayer Lifestyle’s readers are our people! Our book is aimed at taking them to the next level. We’ve put extensive effort into providing clear, easy-to-understand explanations of the concepts players MUST know to succeed, without the extra stuff they DON’T need yet. We think of the book as the launchpad to poker success. Not only will it quickly spur players’ games forward, but it will give readers that want to go further the foundation they need to move on to more sophisticated materials.

As elite players have surged with modern advancements, everyday players have been left behind. It’s time someone helped them catch up. Here’s how I think about it. Imagine a high school math department that only offered calculus. While a few smart kids might be ready, throwing most ninth-graders into a calculus class will leave them frustrated and lost. They’re not ready yet — they have to master the fundamentals of algebra first. Not only that, but the truth is that MOST people don’t need calculus at all. Simply improving their algebra skills a little bit will make them better at math than nearly every person they meet.

Most poker books and training materials today are the equivalent of calculus classes — great for a few high-rolling geniuses, confusing overkill for everyone else. “Everyone else” needs algebra first. Our book is that algebra class—the RIGHT lessons, taught at the RIGHT level. Once you’ve mastered algebra, THEN you can go on to calculus … if you want to keep studying. But you will already be ahead of almost everyone you’ll meet.

Would you like to write another book with Alex in the future?

If we had the right idea for something new, I would absolutely be down for it. Alex’s ideas uniquely translate to such a broad audience of today’s poker world—what he teaches is exactly what MOST people need. If I can help translate those ideas for an audience of regs—people just like me—I would certainly give it another go.

Poker Book Review: Improve Your Poker Now!

Before talking about the book I would like to tell you who the authors are. Alex Fitzgerald is a renowned coach who has more than 1,000 students in 60 countries. He has earned $680K live and $3,3M online. This is the fifth poker book he has published. Christopher Goggin is a lawyer and the radio voice of Alma College and Alma High School sports, winning numerous awards from the Mich. Assoc. of Broadcasters. He has $28K in live tournament earnings with 4 WSOP cashes. This is their first book together and I think they make a great team. Most of the writing is done by Topher, but supervised by Alex, who does a summary at the end of each chapter and adds what he thinks are the key points of each topic. The penultimate chapter of the book was written by Alex.

The book starts with an introduction by Jeff Platt and then has 10 chapters. The first ones are about basic concepts of Hold’em and tournaments that are necessary to master for tournament success. Chapters 6 (pre-flop play) and 7 (post-flop play) are the longest and most comprehensive in the book. In both the authors add hands that they actually played in live and online tournaments that help a lot to understand the concepts. Towards the end there is a chapter where Alex analyzes in depth 5 hands where all the topics discussed above apply and it is a great way to close the book.

One of the advantages of the book is that it doesn’t bore you with graphs, charts and solver analysis. The authors explain the topics using words and analyzing hands to reinforce the concept. They also add a good dose of humor. Phrases like “If my grandma ever three-bet, that meant one thing: Aces” and “getting short at some point is as inevitable as death and taxes” make the reading much more enjoyable and entertaining.

The authors enjoyed reading Dan Harrington’s great saga and it shows in this book. Like Dan, Topher and Alex manage to put into simple words some fairly complex and broad tournament strategy topics. The pre-flop and post-flop chapters are excellent and an entire book could be written on both topics. But the authors were able to pick out the most important aspects so that the reader can walk away with a very good foundation and be prepared for the most common situations.

What type of players will benefit most from this book? Those who play low- to mid-level live and online tournaments and want to improve but don’t have the time to study the game at home. It’s also an ideal book for those who are just starting out in live and online tournaments and are looking for tips for their first experiences. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in 2024 and I’d love to read a new book from the authors in the future.

Book Information: By The Numbers

  • Title: “Improve Your Poker Now!: A Guide for Serious Amateurs”
  • Author: Alex Fitzgerald & Topher Goggin
  • Year of Publication: 2024
  • Pages: 256
  • Prices: $24,95 Paperback / $19,95 Kindle
  • Where to buy it? Amazon and D&B Poker
  • You can read an excerpt of the book here

Those who read the book, don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon, as it is a great help to the authors.

More Reviews of “Improve Your Poker–Now!”

Lexy Gavin-Mather: “Improve Your Poker – Now! by Alex Fitzgerald and Topher Goggin is a refreshing take on modern poker strategy. As a fellow poker pro, I’m always looking for new ways to refine my game, and this book really helped me think outside the box in a lot of ways. Alex’s approach is cutting-edge, yet totally accessible, and Topher’s knack for making complex ideas click is spot on. This isn’t just another poker book—it’s a toolkit for anyone serious about stepping up their game. Even with years of experience, I’ve picked up new strategies that have already made a difference in my play. Whether you’re grinding daily or just love the game, this book is worth your time”.

Tommy Angelo: “Alex and Topher promise to “give you the tools to beat up on weak and mediocre players.” And they deliver. Page after page. I’ll be sending this book to clients”.

Jennifer Shahade: “In this entertaining and well written guide to winning poker, Alex and Topher distill core poker lessons down to memorable examples and key concepts. They don’t overwhelm the reader with complex strategies that are hard to execute, nor do they underestimate readers’ intelligence or potential: this is a really tough balance and I appreciate the work that the authors put in to strike it. Bravo”.

Jeff Platt: “I wrote the foreword for this book. I feel like this hits the perfect target of us who love the game but aren’t full-time pros and can’t study all the time. Would definitely recommend. Great Hanukkah/XMas present for those “serious amateurs” out there!”

Mike Lehner: “Is an essential guide for anyone looking to elevate their game and dominate recreational poker tournaments. With a strong focus on fundamentals with a nice mix of exploitative strategies, this book provides all the tools you need to start winning more consistently. Gret job Alex and Topher!”

Steve Blay: “This book is a great introduction to modern poker and will help get you winning fast!”

Bryan Paris: “If you loved the Golden Age of poker and want one book to catch you up to today’s game, this is it”

Full Article

About The Author