Where the first Howard Lederer DVD focused on the fundamentals, the second in the series begins to get into some of the more sophisticated aspects of the game.
The first section of the video deals with straying from the rigidity of the ultra-tight pre-flop strategy Lederer taught on the first disc, and for the most part expands on what hands you should open a pot with depending on the situation. In this section Lederer touches on suited connectors, avoiding traps and limping in. Not necessarily the most complicated stuff, but there are some good ideas here in regards to making yourself less predictable.
Most of the rest of the video is a bit more sophisticated in talking about strategies for playing the flop, turn and river each respectively. Some of the topics in this section of the video include: when to slow play, flop textures, learning to check, bluffing into scare cards, value betting and staying with your read. Now, some of these strategies end up being more specific and intricate than others, but I felt like Lederer did a good job of engaging the audience and giving us things to think about through out. It's fairly obvious the man is genuinely fascinated with all aspects of poker strategy.
At the end there is a shorter section about tournament strategy which has some good ideas, and sprinkled throughout the DVD there are short segments portraying different tells. One of the more entertaining methods the video uses to teach various concepts along the way is having Lederer set up and explain real hands from various points in his career as a pro.
Like the first DVD, the presentation aspect of the video primarily features Lederer sitting at a poker table talking to the camera. It's not of excellent quality, to be sure, but again, while that may bother some, it didn't matter to me. In fact, the music in this video (a kind of generic, reverby rock riff) is a huge improvement over the `80's drum oriented stuff in the first one.
Lederer seems even more comfortable in front of the camera on this one. Like the first, he is not reading cue cards or working off of a script. It's just Howard Lederer talking poker. He definitely knows his stuff.
Ultimately, the name of the game this time around is becoming unpredictable. This one expands greatly on the info provided in the first volume. Combined the two DVDs give you all the ideas and concepts you need to develop a dangerous poker style and continue to develop your game.
