5 comments about Winning Texas Hold'em: Cash Game Poker Strategies for Players of All Skill Levels.

1. An aweful book from an arrogant, obnoxious 'professional' poker player. Expect to see it at the buck a book store soon. Personally, mine works well to balance my coffee table.



2. While alot of this book is about the basics it still have alot of good information. The Short-Handed section is worth the $10 all by itself.



3. I have only gotten to page 26 and like the other reviews have noticed many errors in the hand rankings. The hands are in order but the cards shown as an example are completely off and do not even match the text. A quick visit to mattmaroon.com will clear up the problem as the first thing you will see on the website is a link to "Book Errata" where he adresses all the errors mentioned by myself and the other posters. He cites publisher's errors as the reason and it is understandable as the pictures (put in by the publisher) do not correspond to what Matt actually wrote. He corrects the errors including the lack of formatting in the odds chart on page 245. You would expect thigns like this to be noticed prior to printing, but mistakes do happen. Other than that, everything has been excellent. His introdcutions have been clear and his examples completely illustrate what he is talking about.
   One thing I have particularly liked thus far is the table of contents. He is appropriately divided up the book into Poker Conepts, Limit Hold'Em Concepts and Advanced Concepts. He also touches on aspects which I have found underrepresented in other books such as psychology, deception, slowplaying and even things such as guidlines to play poker for a living. Furthermore, it is not dry reading. Some books of this genre tend to be really hard to get into/not count cracks in the wall while you are reading it, this book is holding my impatient attention well. (Aesthetically, the book looks great. It's sleek, modern and just nice to look at.)
   I will post final review when I finish the book, I just wanted to comment on some of the errors.



4. This author is an arrogant, cocky, jackass who runs one of the best, most informative poker websites out there - yes, he is a dick, but his site is good! He is an above-average player and fairly knowledgable about the game. However his book is really nothing more than regurgitated material that can be found in every other poker book out on the market. Don't waste your money (unless you feel that it is a reasonable donation for the material that you get from his site). Some, including the author, have boasted about the section on shorthanded play being the "most advanced section ever written on the subject". This is ludicrous. It is indeed "short" (in length, that is), but not of good qualilty. It does NOT provide examples. It is general and watered-down.
   
   There you have it: The "good" (the website), the "bad" (the book), and the "ugly" (the author).



5. This is an extremely underrated book. I concede there may have been some errors in the hand ranking chart, odds charts and some pretty bad typos throughout the earlier printings of this book but in the edition I purchased these errors have been corrected. Anyway, if you can get past those (I know I don't need to be re-taught the hand rankings etc) then you will discover that this really is a gem of a book.
   
   Maroon is a very articulate thinker and covers a lot of ground in this book. He explains some complex and subtle ideas in very clear, simple language. The section on short handed play is EXCELLENT and is worth the price of the book alone- especially for someone like me who only plays 6 max tables on the internet. His sections on expectation, pot odds, standard deviation, bankroll requirements, playing after the flop, moving up in limits, playing for a living, plugging leaks etc are all excellent as well and all this information is communicated in a very conversational, easily understandable way. The book is also presented in a unique way with colored diagrams and an aesthetically pleasant layout.
   
   There are very few hand examples in this book but I think that's a good thing. I find sample hands really boring to read and would much rather get to work on understanding the conceptual ideas and considerations behind a given play than read hand examples. Maroon seems to me to be a great poker strategist and his recommendations seem well thought out and I imagine they would be very effective. I'm not surprised he has enjoyed the level of success that he has given that he obviously possesses such a deep understanding of the game of limit hold 'em.
   
   This is probably not the ideal choice for a beginning poker player (although they would be far better off reading something like this than say, Phil Hellmuth's lunacy), I would say intermediate and advanced players will benefit more from this book. I highly recommend it and consider it a shame that the publishers were so careless in the printing of this book because in doing so they have really tarnished a great piece of work.
   
   If this book didn't contain the mistakes it does I suspect it would be on the "must read" list of most players.

5 comments about Poker 6-7-8 Hold'Em Strategy Cards.

1. At first I thought of giving this product one star and trashing it using elegant prose. Why? Because from a selfish point of view I don't want anyone else to use these strategy cards, at least not when they're competing against me. Although I'll concede that with about 80 million poker players, it may be a while before I'll be playing against many players using these reference cards.
   
   Before buying these strategy cards I read a number of books on Texas Hold'em to try to formulate a strategy for playing. The problem was that many combinations of hands would be discussed, and all too often the "experts" disagreed as to what is the best strategy. Maybe this means that there is no best strategy and that one should vary one's play in general, as well as further varying your play depending on whether you're playing against tight or loose opponents. But it did seem to me that it was very important to get off to a good start, that is, to know which hands to see a flop with, in which position, and do I call or raise? Poker books cover this, but they often discuss hands in terms of ranges and then tell you to fold everything not mentioned. I much prefer seeing a table that lists all of the 169 possible, 2-card starting hands. The Poker 6-7-8 strategy cards do this in table form - it's quick and easy to find your starting hand and know whether to fold, bet or raise. The four tables used for the "pre-flop" on card one, combined with the pithy paragraphs the strategy cards use to guide you through the flop, the turn and the river on card two, provide for variation in play to reflect how loose the players at your table are and also to change your play to help you fool your opponents.
   
   I like the definitions and the explanation of pot odds, and I especially like how the strategy tables on card one distinguish between early, middle and late position. Some books are confusing in this regard. There is also a table called Late Position - Aggressive. As part of my play variation when I'm in late position, I vary between using this late - aggressive table with the "regular" late position table.
   
   The second card of this 2-card set covers the flop, turn and river by discussing different scenarios, such as flopping a set or trips. No book can cover all the possible combinations, but it's amazing how much IS covered in just 4 easy-to-read panels. I used to have a lot trouble on the flop with pairs and draws. Strategy card number two clarifies these situations by telling you under what circumstances you should continue on to the turn.
   
   The panels on the cards are designed to fold in both directions, allowing you to keep any panel laying flat in front of you. The strategy cards also easily slip in and out of virtually any pocket. Before playing I like to review the strategies for the flop, the turn and the river, and then I keep the pre-flop card right in front of me to refer to as I play on the internet. And no one can even rag me about it because, of course, nobody knows!



2. Understang the importance av startinghands in poker is of huge importance and this cards give you a very good insight in the matter.
   Together with Skalanskys ratingspoint for startingshands are these cards a big step against good pokerplaying.
   You are going to get your invested money back just after a short time using them.



3. This is a great idea to discipline yourself in the beginning stages of hold-em poker. The card that I did receive was very helpful when it came to some of the "middle of the road" hands that may seem good but in reality are not likely to pay off. As you play you can broaden your strategy and play some of the lower ranked hands but for playing by the book this is a good reference.
   
   I rated the item a 2 because I only received 1 of the 2 cards that were promoted at Amazon. Amazon did send another shipment but it only had 1 card as well so I assume there was a problem with the "shipping and handling".



4. my husband loves poker so I thought based on reviews he might like these...well he never looks at them and I believe they are lost now and were sorta a dud.



5. The concept is good but the feasibility of being able to use the card is useless since it doesn't take into account the card combinations with multiple opponents in different positions. I found the the POKER WHIZ WHEEL is a much more powerful tool to use at any level, against multiple opponents in different positions.

5 comments about More Hold'em Excellence: A Winner for Life.

1. This book is not for the beginner. Any beginning hold'em book will do for beginning players.

   This book contains nothing but good advice in the card room. I've only played in card rooms a few times, but I've won consistently. Kreiger's books contains essays on how to deal with maniacs, table image, table selection -- the sorts of things a non-beginner will find valuable.

   If you already know the game and know how to play tight and aggressive, this book is for you. It contains lots of anecdotal advice on how to deal with the situations that inevitably come up in card rooms.




2. This is one of the 1st books I read when i started playing poker.It's a must read for any one how wants to become a good player.Some of the consepts were a little hard to undrestand for the biginner but it will put you in a right path of beiing a winner for life.You have to read it go play.and read it and play again till you undrestand every thing he was trying to help you learn. I also have to add that it was very easy to read and even when you are an advance player you enjoy reading it......enjoy.....



3. Excellent Book. Must be read a few times to be fully appreciated. Loaded with great information. Mr. Krieger has a real gift making the concepts understandable. Players of any level will gain something from this book



4. Yes, the word "wise" might be the best way in which to describe Lou Krieger. He's not only a poker player and a journalist. He's a renaissance man who's spent time studying life in general. His is an extremely unique perspective for a poker writer, and I'm surprised it took me this long to discover him. Before I bought the book, all I knew about him was that he was the face of Royal Vegas poker which is not a compliment as it has to be my least favorite online website ever. Yet here Krieger gives readers a plethora of priceless insight over the course of 36 chapters. They flow together nicely and there's nothing disjointed about the work. I loved his chapter, "American Dreamer," where he makes a compelling case that poker is, in many ways, the essence of America, and he also takes the time to praise free speech and lambaste political correctness-which is extremely needed and one more reason why you should take the time to acquaint yourself with this edition. Another rare element to be found in these pages is the professional poker player quiz in the back. There are 60 some "Yes/No" questions that really put turning pro into perspective. I took it myself and learned quite a few things about my game by scoring it. The only criticism I have is of the hand chart in the back of the book. It's way too LAG (loose-aggressive player) for me. He's got you playing KJ offsuit in any position and that gives me the heebie-jeebies. Maybe if one has Lou's level of skill you can play 8/7 offsuit in late position, but stuff like that would break me. For hand analysis, I would check out Ed Miller's recommendations in Small Stakes Hold `Em if I were you. Although, Krieger has put together one heckuva book and I thank the guy for it.



5. Just hours after finishing "More Hold'em Excellence," I went to a No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament and won $550! I definitely feel that this book helped me to win that tournament... and many more since then. I would seriously recommend this book to anyone who wants a well-written book on Texas Hold'em!!!
   
   Sincerely,
   Brian "the Sea" Shell

3 comments about Texas Hold'em Poker Series: Begin To Win!.

1. For someone who has never played casino poker before, this CD is an excellent prepatory guide. Playing in a casino card room can be very intimidating for the first time, and by listening to this CD, a begining player can learn what to expect in less than an hour. As an experienced player, there wasn't very much in terms of new information and strategy for me, but I loaned the CD to a friend of mine who wanted to give casino poker a try, and he was able to walk in knowing what to expect and feeling far more comfortable than he would have otherwise.

   While the strategy on the CD isn't as intensive and detailed as a good book on the subject, there's enough to help you get by for your first outing. What is extremely helpful for the novice is all the tips and pointers on the simple logistics of playing in a casino -- from buying chips to making your bets to handling your cards. I sincerely wish I had this CD before stepping into a casino for the first time. I would have definately been a lot more at ease.




2. This book just skimmed the topic. There was very little info for anyone that knows the basic rules.



3. I tend to like listening to material better than reading it. I was thrilled when I saw this audio cd released on the beginning play and strategies for Texas Hold'em. This cd was very helpful and comprehensive for getting started playing poker in a casino, and I also think it's great to be able to put the cd in your computer to view and study flashcards of starting hands, etc. This was very, very helpful, and now I'm ready to start studying more in depth material on Hold'em!

5 comments about Mastering No-Limit Hold'em.

1. Well I think this is a quite good book, but especially for beginners. People can understand the differences between limit and no-limit hold'em, but that's all. You won't master your no-limit skill with this book. Of course there are chapters that are good, for example the Odds and Betting Strategies and the Position. If you are new you should read it, but be ready to buy other better books that can give you the essence of no-limit hold'em. For example the magnificient Little Green Book by Phil Gordon or if you want to play absolutely an expert level and want to take part in tournaments the Harrington's books are waiting for you. All in all this is a good book for beginners, before more serious ones.
   Buy it but be ready to buy another ones!



2. This is a fairly straightforward book for no limit; however it is a niche book. This book discusses the small buy-in no limit cash games found mostly in the LA clubs and Las Vegas casinos. While I think it provides an adequate overview for these specific games it is short on the underelying theory of no limit holdem and almost completely void of the psychology which is the main thrust of no limit holdem. The book is for the casual to intermediate player who wants to play at these smaller games. My main complaints are that there is much basic material that is more common sense than anything and the authors never take you to a place of elevating your game. If you are still learning the basics and don't understand things like position and how to read holdem flops it may be okay but personally I didn't feel I got much value out of it. Do an honest assessment of your own game-if you would consider yourself a beginner or struggling intermediate player you will learn enough to make the read worthwhile otherwise it is very middle of the road and you might find better value in "Super System" or "Harrington on Holdem". While "Harrington on Holdem" is written to be a tournament no limit book most players will find tremendous value learning from a truly great player like Harrington and you will learn underlying theory of no limit holdem that can be applied to cash or tournament games.



3. This book really fits into a void within the poker literature because there are a million books about limit and no limit tournaments but a scare few address no limit cash games. The irony is that NL ring games are the types in which most of us play. What Fox and Harker do in these pages is discuss various elements and strategies necessary for play in the 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 dollar NL games. However, it obviously won't help you deal with Juanda and Matusow at NL 10,000 because the authors' views are fairly conservative. The tactics showcased here are not ones that are going to appeal to loose-aggressive players. Theirs is a tighter game which becomes classically aggressive in moments of strength. Appendix A contains a play-by-play analysis of an 8 hour NL session at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. By offering this, readers get an opportunity to "sweat out" a game with the authors which is an absolutely wonderful idea. It really allows you an opportunity to plug up some of the leaks in your own game by seeing the right and wrong way to do things. Personally, I'd give anything for Dan Harrington to provide us with a 400 pages sweat-now that would be worth about $500. Anyway, the real live play example was helpful and I'd like to see more authors make use of this technique. Overall, this shouldn't be the first book you buy on No Limit, especially since Ed Miller will be coming out with one in a month or so, but Fox and Harker have given us something valuable, so, if you're having any trouble in the small to mid-range NL games, this one's a must read.



4. I play poker for a living and online no-limit cash games between 2/4 and 5/10 are currently my games of choice. I have read probably 15 poker books and this one (MNLHE) is far and away the worst. I think the only reason it ever got decent ratings is that for a long time there were very few books on no-limit on the market. This has changed. No Limit Holdem: Theory And Practice (NLHE:TAP) by Sklansky and Miller is now the Bible on cash no-limit, and Phil Gordon's Little Green Book and Little Blue Book are also very good.
   
   As other reviewers have noted, this book endorses the bizarre idea that a short stack is an inherent disadvantage (as opposed to simply a less profitable choice than a deep stack) in a cash game. This commonly believed idea was debunked once and for all in NLHE:TAP.
   
   MNLHE's problems get much worse than that, though. You only have to reach page 18 before this stunning advice appears. You're sitting in a $2/$3 NL game with $60, having just lost a pot, and:
   
   "You look down at 9d7h in the cut-off position. An early position player raises to $7 and 4 players call. Normally you would fold this hand but in this situation you might elect to call. It is likely your cards are live. If you hit the flop you can win a large pot."
   
   If you haven't played much no-limit you'll have to take my word for it that this is unbelievably bad advice. I feel silly even explaining why, but: with a deep stack of say $300, a call could be justified, but with a stack as small as 20 big blinds, your payoff when you hit the flop in a big way is far too small. You have good position, but that is worth a lot less when you're short stacked. The pot is going to be something like $40 on the flop and you only have $53, so your choices are going to be limited to allin or fold. It's also worth noting that in a loose game there's absolutely no reason to believe that "your cards are probably live".
   
   Wander over to page 21 and we see the authors endorse the idea that having a stack of $400 facing two players with stacks of $70 and $125 is any different than having a stack of $125 in the same situation. See NLHE:TAP if you don't understand why this is wrong.
   
   Turning to the quiz on page 161, the authors ask:
   
   "You hold QQ in the cutoff seat. There are two limpers to you, you raise to $20, and only one of the limpers calls you. The flop doesn't appear threatening: 7h7c3s. However, to your surprise, the preflop limper bets $30 (he has you outchipped). It's your turn to act; what is your action?" (You began the hand with $150 in a $2/$3 game)
   
   This is an utterly trivial hand, but the authors start their answer:
   
   "What does your opponent hold? Is he bluffing? Hands like this are why some of us get grey hair!"
   
   Um, really? You guys must be easily stressed.
   
   "If your opponent is tight and solid, a fold is probably correct; he likely has one of the hands that beats you."
   
   Are you serious? What is a "tight and solid" player doing splashing around preflop for over 1/8th of the effective stacks, out of position, with 33 or a hand that includes a 7? And if he does have one of those hands (or is slowplaying aces or kings) why is he betting straight out at me instead of checking and giving me a chance to put more money in the pot if I have something like AQ? Folding here is just ridiculous. The pot is $48 and your stack is $130 - there's no way you're doing anything on a flop like this except getting the money in. You should either raise or call here depending on the tendencies of the opponent, but in either case your focus is squarely on getting all the money in the middle.
   
   Those are some of the more egregious examples; I could go on, but my point should be made.
   
   The writing is terrible, both in terms of correct use of English and in terms of clarity and readability. There are grade-school grammatical mistakes like "not that great of a situation" (rather than "not that great a situation"). The narrative is tangled and often wanders off on little tangents of questionable relevance. It is frequently anecdotal rather than dealing with underlying theoretical context. This adds up to a very confused presentation of ideas which the authors (given some of the jaw-dropping advice) probably don't have much of a grasp on in the first place.
   
   I felt compelled to write this lengthy review after ordering MNLHE from Amazon on the strength of the reviews. I learnt nothing from this book and its presence on my bookshelf is nothing but an irritation. I'm not one of those people who trawl Amazon looking for things they can give one star to, but I really do think that is what the book deserves. Buy NLHE:TAP instead, or if you already have that, save your money and reread it.



5. Great Book that centers on the Low Blind No Limit Cash Game. I have learned alot. Thanks

5 comments about The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em, 2nd Edition (The Pocket Idiot's Guide).

1. The Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold 'Em, while thoughtfully written and chock full of very useful information is certainly NOT for the novice player. While I've been a fan of the "Idiot" series and their chief competitor, this particular pocket guide is, unfortunately, written well over the Idiot's head. Although it covers a weath of topics, it is unfortunately brief on far too many of them and tried to cover too much territory in too short a span. As a result the passages are often overly complicated, tangential and confusing. If this was the first book I had read on Texas Hold 'Em, I'd be more confused than before I started it!
   
   I would recommend this short work for anyone who is a fairly experienced amature player with a few hundred online hands under their belt and another book or two prior to this one. In that event, Randy Burgess' thoughts and strategies - although as with any single author's opinion are to be taken with a grain of salt and not gospal - are useful and insightful.



2. Before I read this I just tried to wait for good cards and hope for the best. The strategies in this book have finally made me a winning player -- and helped me understand exactly what it takes to make money in this game and move up from the low limits I currently play. As long as you aren't at my table, I recommend it!



3. After watching hold'em on TV and holding my own in games with friends, I decided to give playing online a try. I found the games alot harder and was frustrated that I not only couldn't win, but I was actually losing. I picked up this book, thinking I wouldn't learn much and found out that I knew almost nothing about how to win -- and some of what I did know was wrong.
   
   From starting hands to odds, counting pots to understanding other players this book got me to break even within a week of finishing it. Since then (in about 4 months), I've won over $750 playing .50 - $1 and have just moved up to playing $1-2 online.
   
   Strongly recommended.



4. scrivo in italiano cosi' mi capite ITALIANI.
   Onestamente posso dire che e' un OTTIMO libro,tutte le tattiche del gioco PRE FLOP,FLOP,TURN,RIVER e molto altro.
   Molto facile da capire(linguaggio semplice).
   CONSIGLIATO per i principianti e NON



5. This book showed me how to play serious hold'em -- I've still got a long way to go, but at least now I know what I don't know. Like most Idiot's guides, it's great at giving you the nuts and bolts basics on the topic. I'm sure more experienced players have the odds nailed and know what "outs" are, but I didn't before I read this book. It's also useful for learning where to play, whether on the Internet and even for types of players to look out for. I've already reread it twice, and I'm sure I'll refer back lots more times.

1 comments about Calculating Texas Hold'em Poker Odds Made Easy.

1. Steven Roe has done a significant favor for the Texas Hold'em player who wants to learn how to calculate the odds of hitting his hand but is shaky on the math.
   
   While there are other books that cover much of the same material, Roe writes in an easy to read style that I think will appeal to the less knowledgeable player. Roe apparently wrote this volume as a tutorial for his own self-education about Texas Hold'em odds calculations, and it's apparent that he is a good teacher. The book appears to be self-published but is excellent in typography as well as content and appears to be uncommonly free of typos, misspellings, etc.
   
   I can recommend this book without reservations for anyone who wants the least painful approach to this essential subject. There are chapters progressing from "Basic" odds calculations through "Beginner", "Intermediate", and "Advanced" levels. Chapter 5 is devoted to shortcuts in making calculations.
   
   Chapter 6 ("Proper Betting") does a creditable job of explaining how one should size his/her bets in order to make an opponent's call a mistake. This important topic is seldom approached in sufficient detail to make sense to the novice but Roe does a very good job. I wish more Internet players had this information so they could replace many all-in bets with bets appropriately sized to accomplish the objective.
   
   I do have one small quibble. On page 14 and again on page 61, his explanation of calculations when there are two cards to come is unnecessarily complex. I'll not try to explain Roe's method which gives precise results but is tedious in application; instead I will give a simplified method that is good to about 1% probability. Simply multiply the outs by 4 then if the number of outs is greater than 8 subtract the excess over 8. Thus with two cards to come and 13 outs the probability of making your hand is 4x13-5 = 47%.
   
   Comparison with some other books that cover much of the same material is perhaps in order. King Yao ("Weighing the Odds in Hold'em Poker") covers very much the same material, but is both more sophisticated and more difficult to read. Readers who learn to enjoy the math after reading Roe would do well to follow up with a dose of sophistication from Yao. Catalin Barboianu ("Texas Hold'em Odds") is a formulaic approach that might appeal to computer programmers but probably not to most readers. Matthew Hilger ("Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities") has more tables of probabilities than any of the others, but leaves the reader uncertain of how to proceed in doing his/her own calculations. Mike Petriv ("Hold'em Odds Book") covers the same ground as does Roe though Petriv focuses a bit more heavily on the math whereas Roe provides the "spoonful of sugar" that makes the medicine go down more easily.
   
   For the novice or mathematically uneasy reader I recommend Roe's book over any of those mentioned above or any other that I have seen.

No comments about The No B.S. Guide To Winning Online No Limit Texas Hold'em (The No B.S. Guide).

4 comments about Beat Texas Hold'em.

1. This is a great book for beginner Texas Hold'em players. It is an easy, fast read, which is very entertaining and informative.
   
   The early chapters talk about the basics and mechanics of the game: how the cards are dealt, posting the blinds and the proper hands to play. Here they also discuss betting and the various positions at the table (everything from being "under-the-gun" to being on the "button.")
   
   Later chapters cover "Limit Texas Hold'em," which is the basic game you might play at home or in a poker room. Also, many of us watch poker on TV, and an entire chapter is devoted to that, talking about what really goes on. A chapter on online poker is very interesting, as thousands play online every day. In fact, I just won a mini-tournament using some of the inforation I learned from this book (1st prize - $25!!!!!).
   
   The book concludes with a chapter on winning in tournaments, which explains how playing in those differs from just the regular game.
   
   Each chapter contains practice hands and "Tom's Top Ten Winning Tips."
   
   Again, a good book for the beginner. More advanced and/or experienced players will probably want something more in-depth.
   
   Good luck...and may the flop go your way!



2. This book is what it is. "Beat Texas Hold Em" is designed to give beginners a feel for the game and ideas for strategy and tactics. It succeeds wonderfully. Its price is very cheap which is something that cannot be said of many gambling books. The narration style is very clear and concise. There's nothing confusing in the least in its structure. McEvoy provides advice on how to play common hands and also addresses internet poker in a separate chapter. No, it won't say a great deal to the pros but for those of us initially grappling with the game it's well worth the price.



3. I would recommend this book only if you've been playing hold 'em poker for a month max, or if you've been playing for a while and you keep loosing yet don't know why. The information here is basic, solid strategy that will prevent the novice from loosing all his money. It covers limit, no-limit, tournament and online play, therefore giving the reader a good basic foundation on all the most popular types of Hold 'em. It's also very inexpensive, a plus that's even more enticing for the beginning player considering the prices of most other poker books. But for intermediate players, this is pretty much information you already know intuitively.
   
   To sum it up: A good, cheap, introductory strategy book meant for those who have just started playing the game.



4. Mr. McEvoy's view on how to approach both internet or real-life games of either limit or no-limit Texas Hold'em would best benefit someone who has just started playing the game. McEvoy informs his reader on the basics: what kind of hands are good/bad, how to bet in many different situations, relative chances of making certain hands, reading bluffs, and how to act depending on your position at the table, whether it be your chip stack or seat location.
   
   McEvoy suggests a very tightly played overall strategy of the game. He tells of no style of bluffing--a quintessential part of poker, especially Hold'em. If you sit around and play a tight game, which normally means playing almost no hands, you will eventually be blinded until you are short-stacked or sitting at the rail.
   
   Enough with my displeasures--I believe this book, despite its few drawbacks, is an excellent guide to those just beginning in Texas Hold'em. Mr. McEvoy gives a good synopsis on starting hand strengths and weaknesses. He also gives great insight on the impact of position, or order of bet, at the table. He argues that position is everything--I agree.
   
   The best part of this book is the section devoted to possible hands one may come across at the table. While one hand may be wise to raise with in late position may simply be a call- or fold-only hand in the early or mid positions.
   
   The part of the book that helped me the most was the section devoted to learning your opponents. McEvoy wisely stresses that you must know or very quickly learn the tendencies of your opponent in order to come out on top. He teaches to always fall in with the speed of the game, but at the same time, play your game no matter what. His best advice--to me--is to stick with your game and style and do not stray from it whether you are the chip-leader at the table or the short-stack heads-up against anyone from novice to poker great.
   
   This book seems to be most beneficial to novice players, yet there are a few key things that could be learned by a seasoned-veteran who gave this book a shot. Mr. McEvoy's book was both very informative as well as entertaining and even humorous at times.

5 comments about Championship Hold'em Tournament Hands: A Hand By Hand Strategy Guide to Winning Hold'em Tournaments.

1. I really enjoyed Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em and was looking forward to reading this book. The book is about 1/2 limit hold'em hands and 1/2 no-limit hold'em hands. The no-limit hold'em hands are the same as the material presented in Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em. So if you are looking for different material on no-limit, this book is not it. It also contains actual hands played from many different WSOP championships, which are interesting. It's a good book, just not much different from Championship No Limit & Pot Limit Hold 'Em.



2. Good format. It is in an easy readable format to follow. I beleive its for the medium to advanced player. You need to have a working knowledge of the game. I have read many hold'em books and found this book to be the most sound. His approach and style are basically conservative, although he touches on the aggressive and super aggressive players. His explanations and reasoning on his methods are stellar and highly analytical. Throughout the entire book you will find buried treasures. You will not be able to put this book down.



3. Firstly, I have to say that the credentials of the authors are absolutely unquestionable. Each author has had a very illustrious career playing tournament poker. However, the effort to translate their experience and knowledge to the written page has met with limited success. There are several key issues which prevent me from giving this book a higher rating:
   
   (a) They combine limit and no limit hold 'em into a single volume - limit and no limit are completely different games and to cram them both into a single book demonstrates lack of foresight. It is possible much of the audience will only ever read half the book
   (b) Very little of the book is devoted to outlining the different strategic considerations between cash games and tournaments. In tournament poker, it is critical to consider your stack size relative to other stacks as well as your stack size relative to the blinds. Playing Ace-King in a deep stack situation is very different to playing Ace-King in a shallow stack situation.
   (c) Cloutier and McEvoy advocate a very conservative style. Whilst the book is meant to be a guide to how they play poker, I still think it is important to consider alternative styles of playing. For example, they advocate always checking Ace-King when the player has missed the flop. However suppose you play an aggressive brand of poker and you are acting behing a single, conservative opponent who has checked the flop. In this case a bet may be warranted. Subtle nuances like this are not discussed in sufficient detail.
   (d) Some of the hand discussion is outright poor. For example, the treatment of middle pairs is very shallow. The book basically says "if there is any heat, get out". It doesn't discuss important issues such as position, texture of the flop and so forth.
   
   At the end of the book there is a discussion of key hands from the World Series of Poker which I did enjoy. Overall, the book does provide some very solid advice but its primary drawback is that it takes a "cookie cutter" approach and doesn't discuss many of the subtleties of the game.



4. This could be a good beginners book. The layout and presentation is easy to read. The text is big and you can read through this book rather fast. It will teach you hand rankings and how to play certain hands in different situations. Unfortunately it's a big basic if you have been playing for some time and won't find too much new information here.



5. I don't own the "No-Limit/Pot-Limit" book by McEvoy/Cloutier, but supposedly much of the material is reproduced in this book. I was expecting a discussion of famous hands played in major tournaments, and while this is an important section near the end of the book, there is much, much more.
   
   Basically, the book is broken down between a discussion of how to play hands in limit hold em, and then another large section instructing you how to play hands in no limit. I prefer NLHE and went straight to that part of the book. The advice is extremely conservative. In one example, you are advised to fold AK to a pot-sized bet after flopping an ace and you have position on your opponent! I tend to disagree with the advice, but if viewed in the context of the authors' style of play, they give a good explanation. In short, they are trying to keep you out of trouble. This style of play often falls short against aggressive opponents, but also has the benefit of keeping a new player out of trouble.
   
   I thought the limit section was excellent. Although I believe the advice in this book is geared toward tournaments, if you played limit hands the way they advocate you would probably make a decent profit over time. Again, the style is very tight, but this is perhaps more crucial in limit where you can't blow opponents out of a pot with a big bet as you can in no limit.
   
   My favorite aspect of the book is that it discusses how to play each hand for each game. If it's not listed (J8 suited is nowhere to be found) then you aren't supposed to play it. It's a great beginner's book, and it's not too shabby for the experienced player either, as it helps bring you back and realize how important it is to come into pots from a position of strength with good starting hands. Even if you don't want to play this super-tight style, it will give you an good insight into how all those old-timers play in the morning games at the casino!