5 comments about Sit 'n Go Strategy.

1. Overall I thought it was an excellent book (most 2+2 books are). I would have liked to have seen more on turbo, six handed, and playing multiple sngs at one time.



2. The beginning of the book is quite elementary, however his insight into the latter stages of SNG play, especially chip equity and applying pressure when short-handed is very helpful. It's well written so even people who don't have math degrees from MIT can understand it. Overall it's one of the more helpful books I've read.



3. This is one of the best poker books I have ever read . I had been playing poker and SNG's for about a year and was very frustrated with my results and then I came accross SNG Strategy .This book gave me a very concrete idea of how to play every phase of the SNG game low blind , mid blind and most importantly the high blind and bubble play. This instruction was followed up with easy to follow hand examples . The ideas presented in SNG stategy are understandable and could quickly be applied to my game .I credit this book into turning me into a winning player and would consider it a must read for any poker player.



4. I thought this was a great book on how to play in a SNG. So many books on tournament play are about big tournaments. This book just covers one table SNG play. Cash games and big tournaments are not the same game and cannot be played the same way. I like the way this book takes you threw a SNG from 9 players to heads-up. And talks about the raising blinds. This is not a fast reed book. The book is not that big, it's just that you need to take your time when reading this book and put yourself into each hand to understand how to play SNGs. Use like a user manual and go back to it and look up how to play from places like the bubble or when short stacked. Get this book, you need it. On second thought, don't get this book if you're thinking about playing in a SNG against me.



5. This book has become my favorite out of the dozens of poker books that I own. Before reading this book I was a marginal to losing player at on-line poker. Since reading this book, I have become a consistent winner at low and medium stakes SNG's. I honestly can't say that about any other poker book I have read.
   
   Once you have read and understand the material in the low-blind, mid-blind and high blind sections it becomes an invaluable reference for constantly tuning your game. The organizational structure of the book makes it easy to quickly find a situation that you might want to review after an on-line session.
   
   This book paid for itself within 24 hours of reading it. If you are serious about playing SNG's, but haven't been getting the results you desire, then this book is a must read.

5 comments about Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker.

1. Super System is a little dated as I suspect Super System II is as well. I say it's dated because poker is a bit different now than it was back in the day, and Doyle's day was a looong time ago! The part about learning to play aggressive still helps me get fired up though. Another good feature of this book is it covers games other than Hold'em.



2. If you are into poker and you're serious about money, this is the book for you. Learn the basics from the pro that started it all. Great buy!!



3. The sections on no limit holdem are great. Since not many cardrooms play the other games, a large part of the book isn't really that applicable today unless you are in Vegas and have access to the other games.



4. Well, I've only read about 90 or so books on poker, most of them written pre-boom (2002 or earlier; the newer ones have a lot less character, 'twould seem), so I don't know if it's fair to say this is the best all-around poker book of them all, but it's easily top five. It's the Cadillac of poker books, to paraphrase Doyle.
   This would be the nuts even if it was ony comprised of the introduction to poker "basics" (actually very advanced in some respects). Brunson lays out much of the stuff that takes some players years to figure out, and in only a few pages. Having played many thousands of hours of poker since first reading this in 2000, I can say that he hits the nail on the head as well as anyone ever has. Read that section alone and truly digest it and you're already half way home.
   This book changed the poker landscape in many ways. Few were playing small suited connectors until Doyle made their value clear...no one but the top pros and "crazy gamblers", at least. Yes, he overrates J-10, but we weren't in his games back then, and I'm guessing he made a LOT of cash with it...and a man as crafty as Doyle knew that he had to write SOME misleading stuff here. You can't give away ALL your secrets!
   Add to that excellent thoughts on many different games (if you can't play at least a half dozen games well you're hardly a real player), and what is still the best no-limit guide around, and you've got a book that truly lives up to its long-time nickname, the Bible Of Poker.
   Haven't read the new edition, but going back to this one after some years made me realize that some of my more advanced poker thoughts and moves had their genesis right here.
   This is a great read as well, not perfectly written but done with much feel and loads of understanding of what makes poker players tick. For those who play hold'em only, this is an excellent introduction to games like lowball and seven stud, the precursors of HE. It never hurts to have a larger skillset (and if you can play a good tripledraw game, you'll be sitting pretty when it breaks out in that Vegas hotel room game you stumbled into with your old buddy's wife's brother). Baldwin's limit HE section is solid as are all of the others. Add in the various anecdotes, told by men who are still some of the best to ever play their respective games even 30 years after publication, and you've got what is probably the most important poker book of them all.
   If Yardley's Education is the granddaddy of poker books, then this is without doubt the Big Daddy.
   
   [PS I'm no Doyle, but I have a column at pokerpagesdotcom where I share my thoughts on hold'em, PLO, strategies and gambling in general. My old articles are archived; if you've seen some poker on tv you might especially enjoy "Poker Needs More Sponsors", one of the few things I've written that makes me laugh every time I read it. Feel free to stop by and share your thoughts.]



5. Condition of book was perfect. Purchased this book for my son's birthday. He loved it.

5 comments about Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame.

1. This book is outstanding just like his first one. You can't go wrong with Harrington. This book will take your game to a whole new level.



2. After he finished at the Final Table of WSOP two years in a row, I was hoping that Dan Harrington would write a book. He did so much more when he wrote three. I think this one is the best of the bunch. There is so much hand to hand analysis, much more than other books.
   
   There really isn't much more to say, this is probably the best Poker book ever written.



3. This book was recommended to me after I finished in the top third of a tourney. I've read Vols 1, 2, and 3 - and I've learned so much from these books. Easy to read, easy to understand. I'll be going back in a few months to pick up anything I may have missed. Highly recommended.
   
   Finished in top 15% in another tourney after reading this book - easily accounted by the stuff I've learned. Looking for better results I apply the knowledge.



4. This is a great series of books for anyone who is fairly new to the game of No Limit Texas Hold'Em. Volume I provides some basic concepts that every player needs to know. From which hands to start with and pot odds, to raising, to how your seating position affects your play, this series is a great introduction. And the more table experience you gain, the more his discussions can help your game. Highly recommended. Also, the workbook, Volume III is great to test your decision making within his framework.



5. This book does a fantastic job of discussing the pressure of late stage tournament play. Want to know how to react when the blinds are eating your stack and other players are moving all in on you constantly? Get this book!

5 comments about Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve.

1. Simple and entertaining, a quick read. This book explains how Greenspan has been the architect of disaster over the last 20 or so years. The facts presented in this book highlight how badly served this county is by the news media. This book doesn't even discuss how Greenspan defrauded 99% of the nation when he "solved" the social security crisis in the the 1980's. That one didn't work either.



2. Regardless of what you think of Greenspan before you read this book, you'll no doubt feel differently toward him when you put it down. The book is well documented. In fact, it uses Greenspan's own words to prove his failures and lies.
   
   For example, "Moreover, attractive interest rates have bolstered the sales of existing homes and the extraction of capital gains in home equity that those sales engender. Low rates have also encouraged households to take on larger mortgages when refinancing their homes. Drawing on home equity in this manner is a significant source of funding for consumption and modernization."
   
   The above words were spoken by Greenspan himself. How clearer could he be in saying he was the cause of the housing bubble?
   
   But there's more. The man who set the nation's interest rates told congress that homeowners were too timid in taking out fixed rate mortgages. They should take out adjustable rate mortgages, he opined. Mortgage companies and banks should use creative financing, he offered. This from the man who would set the interest rates and break the backs of millions of homeowners!
   
   In addition, the Greenspan years, his policies and missteps, caused the dollar to lose value. Long the reserve currency of the world, it's now worth less than most all major currencies and may not be the reserve currency much longer.
   
   He damaged the country and all of us. Greenspan may go down in history as the person who did more harm to this country than any president or business person or criminal who ever lived.
   
   The author does a great job in writing and documenting everything he says about Greenspan. Fact is, he lets Greenspan use his own words to show what a total failure he was and how he created the current ugly economic situation.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   -Susanna K. Hutcheson



3. Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve
   There seems to be too much blame to spread around for the sub-prime issue.
   It's like "teflon", slides off everyone enough so no one gets ..... And this book does not pin it down, helps for the future... maybe.
   J.J.R



4. This is an easy to read attack on the Fed and it's former chairman. This book provides strong evidence that Greenspan (and the rest of the Open Market committee) of the Fed played a crucial role in creating both the stock market bubble of the late 90s and the housing bubble of recent years. The author also provides several examples of Greenspan's conflicting statements regarding his opinions of these events before, during, and after they occured. Makes you wonder what Greenspan actually believes or even understands.
   
   Investors in the late 90s read the signals the Fed.'s monetary policy that there was no stock market bubble and proceeded to inflate it further. After that bubble blew, the Fed lowered interest rates so far that consumers followed the money and inflated the housing market. Then Greenspan told everyone they should be taking ARM loans just before the Fed started raising rates and stuck it to those borrowers. Simply amazing!
   
   Of course, the Fed isn't the only culprit here. As a society, Americans want to continue their irresponsible practices, then expect government (in these cases, the Fed) to bail us out. Where does it end?



5. From almost the first page of the book, you know William Fleckenstein is NOT a Greenspan fan. Through the course of the book his bias against Greenspan is apparent, as he shifts from characterizing Greenspan as either ignorant, arrogant, naive or lazy in his stewarship of the Fed. That being said, Greenspan has given him much data to back up his assertions, and while a more balanced view might have left this reader more confident that the facts weren't skewed, the details of Greenspan's many misses are laid out over the tech and housing bubbles in stark tones. The fact that Mr. Greenspan has spent much recent time second-guessing the current Fed actions while attempting to burnish his own legacy makes the book welcome counterbalance.

5 comments about The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition.

1. Great compilation for those interested in all forms of poker. Great instruction from some of the greatest names in the sport.



2. This is a true gem in the wacky world of poker books. After Sklanski & Malmuth, Super System I/II, and the Harrington trilogy, there are very few poker books that actually offer original content or any new insights into the game of poker. True, Bill Chen's "The Mathematics of Poker" offers both - to some extent - but in a format that is better suited for someone working on dissertation research more than for someone looking to get an edge at a poker table. The value of this particular book comes from the differing perspectives of the authors. Gavin Smith, Howard Lederer, and Chris Ferguson (just to name a few) have disparate playing styles and it is reflected in the portions of the book they write. Some go as so far as to implore the reader to ignore some of the advice from the earlier authors. While Ferguson doesn't care for flat calling raises, Gavin Smith loves it, and both explain the reasons why. Ted Forest goes as so far as telling the reader to ignore his advice in the aptly titled "Don't Play like Ted Forest" chapter.
   
   If you are considering buying this book, there's a good chance you know about position play, starting hands, and most other basics. What I loved most about this book is the fact that these pros tell the reader how they play, not how a hand should be played. Due deference is given to Sklanski and Malmuth, but the advice doled out is original and unique. It's refreshing to read how differently two pros would play the same hand and their explanations for doing so.
   
   The only weak point in the book is the discussion about online poker is not as in depth as one would expect (or in my case, hope) in a "Full Tilt" title.
   
   I would strongly recommend this book over most any other in the soup of modern poker books.



3. My order came promptly and it is a very good book to get some tips from



4. As an avid poker player (I play at least 5 hours a week) who makes decent money, I was looking forward to this edition. The problem with books these days is that there isn't much new material out there. Doyle wrote his supersystem which laid the groundwork for aggressive play which wasn't the norm back in the day. Then Harrington came out with his three volumes which are the definitive go-to for all no-limit holdem play.
   
   If you want the best no-limit holdem book out there, then this probably isn't your book. The Harrington books trump this book by a long shot. However, if you're looking for a one-stop-shop for the other games then this is the answer. The only section that I felt was subpar was the section on Razz which gave very subpar advice, data, or basic strategy. The stud sections are excellent and lay very good groundwork for both cash and tournament play.
   
   So...if you're only going to stick with NL holdem, then go with the Harrington books...if you're looking for a little bit of everything, then i highly recommend this book.



5. Brilliant all round book, which I've learnt and gained much more poker knowledge from. Im not one for reading books but I couldn't put this one down!

5 comments about Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-limit Hold 'em Poker Tournaments and Sit-n-go's.

1. I was very happy with my purchase it came quicker then it was supposed to, I'll definitly order from here again



2. After reading Kill Phil, I knew this book would be really good. What amazed me was the amount of theory and math loaded in this book. Aside from 2+2 books, I have never seen a poker book with so much indepth analysis. The book has solid advice for all stages of any types of tournamenets. The calculations and decisions that have to be made very quickly will likely become second nature over time. I know it didn't take me long to get very comfortable with the KILL PHIL system and it worked out really well.
   
   There are a number of study groups and Q & A forums on the web to help people understand parts of the book. It will probably not be the easiest poker book you've ever read. A lot of people are taking their time to ensure they understand each chapter before the go on to the next chapter. We can always use more books where the authors take the game and their writing seriously in an effort to help the readers. With effort on your part, you will see improvement in your game using the concepts explained in Kill Everyone.
   
   I'm in agreement with the other reveiwers here, this is a 5 star book and is definitely worth your consideration if tournaments are your thing.



3. If you play freeze-out tournaments (Anything else played today?) you'll find this book to be an essential source-book and reference. An understanding of the concepts and examples presented will give any player a better foundation from which to make decisions - and from which to approach the optimum decision at critical points.
   
   The discussion of play on the bubble is alone worth much more than the price of the book. For example the authors present analysis of how often you should push as a function of your bubble factor (ratio of equity loss from losing to equity gain from winning the confrontation) and your opponent's calling frequency. Most players know intuitively that you should push more frequently when (a) your bubble factor is greater and (b) your opponent is more likely to call. But a chart showing the results of the calculations gives insight that can't be gotten otherwise.
   
   One short section attacks the myth that the big stack should call liberally to knock out small stacks. That discussion alone can make the difference between just finishing in the money and making a big win. If you have ever called or raised a bit loosely to knock out small stacks only to find that you've doubled up one or more and made them into real competition while crippling yourself then this section is must reading.
   
   I could continue with examples, but the book is only 348 pages - probably shorter than my examples would be.
   
   I do have a single criticism. The authors (properly) use the Independent Chip Model without explaining the assumptions on which it relies. Like most other authors they do explain that it assumes equal skill for all players. However, they neglect to mention that it also relies on two other assumptions: (1) that all players will receive equivalent hands over time, and (2) that play is based on only your hand and statistical behavior of your opponents. If you're in the middle of a tournament, assumption (1) probably doesn't apply for the limited number of hands remaining, and in any given hand other things - tells for lack of a better word - frequently become more important than either of these assumptions.
   
   Do yourself a favor and buy this book. But, be prepared to study rather than just read for it contains more, much more, than a list of starting hands and advice to play a tight aggressive game.



4. This is a great tournament book! They discuss so many new concepts that hasn't been mentioned before in book form. These concepts can be found in different poker forums as in 2+2 forum. One of the concepts that is mentioned is bubble effect. They will discuss how to calculate the real value of your chips in different situations in a tournament and how it will effect your decisions. Many of the concepts are very helpful for sit and go as well, especially when you want to squeeze in to the money often. I highly recommend this great book. The authors have done a great job writing this.



5. I think this book will help anyone. From a beginner to someone who has played in tournaments. It's more appropriate for those with some knowledge and strategies of their own, but really anyone can benefit from this book.

5 comments about Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play.

1. This book may seem like heavy reading to someone who is new to hold 'em. After gaining a little bit of book knowledge (through lighter readings) and gaining some table experience, however, this book is exactly the type of resource needed to take one's game to the next level. Poker is complicated because of multiple players with varying styles, changing table position, a near infinitude of card combinations, and rising blinds. Analyzing a hand of poker to determine how to get the most value out of the situation is so much more than evaluating where a hand falls on a poker hand ranking chart. Fully analyzing a single hand of poker is so complex that most poker books focus on just a couple of aspects of a particular hand. Harrington's book gets much more in depth, opening the doorway to a much higher level of poker thinking.



2. Harrington's book is the best on tournament no limit poker i've read yet. Can't wait to get his other two books.



3. What's your bottom line? What were your results? My results after reading Harrington on Hold Em Volume One, I finished 22nd and 13th in the 1st two tournaments I entered. I like his style of play and I see a lot of what I do in poker as the same. I believe this book is worth every dime and finish in the money like I have and it's already paid for itself. Just started Volume II.
   
   Keep writing them Dan, thanks for the insight and go Sox!!!



4. This is the best poker book i've read so far. Very well written, cover all the aspects of the game, specially No Limit Tournaments and SNGs. Everyone who wants to play really well should read this.



5. I think Harrington's book and it's sequels are the best books ever written about no limit hold'em tournaments. The first part of the series covers strategic concepts about tournament poker, the second part tells how to play in the ending of a tournament, and third part is the workbook for reviewing the concepts of first two books.
   
   Before reading this book (and the sequels), I have been mostly playing online cash games and occasionally some sit'n'gos, but I am still a beginner in NL hold'em (mostly concentrated on limit games). Totally I have read some 10+ books in poker. Well, after reading this book series I finished 14th out of 2000 players in my first large NL hold'em tournament simply by following Harrington's advice, and slightly adapting in some points.
   
   What's best here is that Harrington is quite a practical guy, and practical guys win. For example, compared to Sklansky, one of the finest authors in poker, Harrington is actually able to teach how to play poker in practical level. In my opinion, Sklansky provides theoretical foundations for some very advanced strategic concepts, but more responsibility about how/when to utilize them is actually left to reader. I think these approaches complement each other very well, and both are great poker authors.
   
   I would say that the first book is also good reading for NL hold'em cash games, especially if you're a beginning player (I am not sure anymore though, since Harrington's cash game series is now out as well). The second book (excluding first chapter) relates only to tournament concepts.

2 comments about Harrington on Cash Games, Volume II: How to Play No-Limit Hold 'em Cash Games.

1. I just read both volumes on Harrington on Cash Games "How to Win at No-Limit Hold'em Money Games", I also had previously purchased both volumes of Dan Harrington's much heralded tournament series ...
   
   First Harrington again has done a comprehensive job of creating an epic; however I personally found him less of a revelation in the cash game series than in the tournament books. It could be me and my base of knowledge.
   
   Volume I covers Pre-flop play and play on the Flop.
   
   Volume II covers the Turn and the River as well as some sections on dealing with Loose Aggressive style players, Tells, Beating Weak Games and Bankroll Management.
   
   Bottom line, I wish he never wrote it... If a sucker has the brains and discipline to read it, learn it and practice it, he will be a better player. Harrington once again has wised up some suckers.
   
   Lucky for us, 90% of all people who claim they play poker think they already play better than 90% of all poker players. Thank the good lord that these people are too lazy and are not sufficiently motivated to read and learn.
   
   I posted this on my blog as well at [...]



2. This second volume is more useful than volume 1. In fact it speaks about turn and river play which is often underrated...many good problems explained by Harrington help the reader to develop a feeling for the different situations...it's far from perfect but more useful than volume 1...if you have to buy one buy this...

5 comments about Every Hand Revealed.

1. You'll learn from this one. Reading it is as close as we'll ever get to actually tapping into one of the great minds of the game. As Gus himself says in the final sentence of the Preface: "Welcome to my mind ...."
   
   If you watched the 2007 Aussie Millions Tournament on TV you may remember that Gus Hanson stepped away from the table after practically every hand to speak into a digital recorder. Now we know what he was doing - he was recording his thought process for each hand. His thoughts have since been transcribed and this book is the result.
   
   When I saw what Gus was doing I felt vindicated. I began playing online tournaments a few months ago and quickly found that one of the most valuable things I could do was to think carefully through each situation and to record my thoughts. After the tournament was over I'd review my actions in light of my recorded thoughts. It has proved to be an invaluable tool in improving my game. Now we have the benefit of Gus Hanson's thoughts along with the outcome of each hand.
   
   In the non-stop Internet Age where the objective sometimes seems to be maximizing the number of hands played we've seen poker become somewhat of a lottery. However, it is thought and analysis - deep analysis - that leads to insight and expertise. And playing hands at breakneck speed is the very antithesis of thought and analysis. Gus has done us all a huge favor by sharing his hand-by-hand analysis of the 2007 Aussie Millions Tournament. This book reveals the thought processes of one of todays outstanding poker professionals and careful, thoughtful reading of this transcript can only improve your game.



2. The best poker book I have ever read. Gus Hansen walks you through his thought process on every hand he played on his way to winning the aussie millions tournament. I could not put the book down once I picked it up. Gus almost never bluffs, but he plays aggressively always. He shows the math behind his decision making, and writes in a style that isn't boring for a second. I can't recommend this one enough!



3. I agree wholly with every 5 star review. So why did I give the book 4 stars?
   
   I noticed a strange thing. After reading the book for a while and then going online right away to play some, I would lose and lose badly. This happened several times, so much so that while I was sorry to get to the end of the book, I was glad too so I could stop losing money. All in all, this book has cost me several hundred dollars.
   
   Several hundred dollars, I figure, equals one review star.
   
   Don't be a donkey like me. Don't think you can read some of Hansen and take it to the tables with instant results. Stick with your own game, very slowly insert a little Hansen and proceed carefully. No need to thank me for saving you a bundle! :-}



4. I waited an awful long time for my Harrington on Cash books, and am totally happy with them. That being said, I put down Harrington as soon as I got Every Hand Revealed and didn't pick them up again until I read it cover to cover.
   
   Less of a strategy book and more of a diary of his 2007 Aussie Millions win, Gus goes into his thoughts during each hand he played from day one to the final hand. Each day is given it's own chapter with an intro from Gus about how he had planned to play each day.
   
   This book may not be a great tutorial for the average player, but there are still some things to be learned. Overall, a great book I would recommend to anyone that enjoys playing or watching tournament poker.



5. I have to agree with others here. This one of the best poker books to come along in a long time.
   
   While pros making videos of their poker tournament victories are common online, this is the first time a serious player has explained an entire tournament in print.
   
   The narrative is detailed and honest; it shows that even Hansen nods with some way-off decisions. This frankness only increases the usefulness of the book as other pro poker players tend to gloss over their trouble hands in their writing. Simply put, they often display the Phil Hellmuth attitude: "I'm great and when I needed to, I sucked out." You just know players like Mr. Hellmuth are getting uncanny reads on opponents' hands, but they don't explain the thought process.
   
   Then too, sometimes Mr. Hansen makes the right decision, but the cards don't cooperate. It's enlightening to see him handle this and go on to win without getting tilted off his game. (Is it just me or why is it that best online players are unflappable? There's a Chuck Yeager quality to their voices.)
   
   The book is easy to follow without making you slog through complex math, yet this player is always aware of the numbers involved in crucial decisions.
   
   I hope Mr Hansen and other world-class players do more of this "poker tournament diary" writing, IF they dare. Hansen says he's not worried that other players will now read him like a book, because he claims he can change gears at will. I hope he didn't give away the store with this groundbreaking poker book.

5 comments about Cash Games (How to Win at No-Limit Hold'em Money Games) Vol. 1.

1. In this book Harrington tries to describe the difference between No-limit tournaments and cash games. He has split his cash game strategy into 2 books. These books are divided into 12 different parts. This first volume will deal with the first 5 parts.
   
   Part 1: He explains some basic ideas of no-limit holdem like pot odds, implied odds and outs.
   Part 2: Harrington talks about how the stack sizes affect the game. Some other principles that he describes here are deception, balance, hand selection, pot commitment, hand reading, multilevel thinking.
   Part 3: Differences between tight aggressive play and loose aggressive play.
   Part 4: Teach you how to play on the flop when heads-up.
   Part 5: How to handle multiway flop with two or more opponents.
   Part 6: How to play on the turn.
   Part 7: River play.
   Part 8: Tells and observations.
   Part 9: Basics of the loose aggressive style.
   Part 10: Describes what weak games are and how to beat them.
   Part 11: How to manage your bankroll and transitioning to live games.
   Part 12: Interview with a great no-limit cash game player.
   
   The style and layout of this book is very similar to Harrington previous books. He will describe a concept and then illustrate this concepts by showing it with example hands. He will describe in detail how the players were thinking and how they should be thinking. He got a lot of example hands were he tries to show all the different concepts involved in no-limit cash game.
   
   If you enjoyed his previous book you will probably like this book as well. It often tries to compare differences between tournament and cash game no-limit games.



2. All the advice given in this book and the hand examples are so ridiculously obvious. If you cant think of this stuff yourself, stick to tic tac toe. This book covers no new ground at all and is so basic and simple. Seriously, if you cant figure out what this book contains on your own, you should not be playing poker. How many worthless books can 2+2 publish?



3. As a good-to-mediocre limit player, I searched a long time for a book that would improve my no-limit game given that I already knew a good deal about limit poker. This is that book. If you've never played hold 'em, this book is going to be over your head; you won't even understand the first few pages. If you've played limit hold 'em and want to become a solid no-limit player, this is the book for you.
   
   The book is in depth on all betting rounds and promotes the kind of thinking that a good no-limit player needs to have. I also learned a few new ideas about randomizing my play and river bets that I hadn't considered before. At the end of most chapters, a thorough set of problems is presented that really drill the ideas well. Self-testing on those problems alone make the book fun and worth the price!
   
   Like most poker books, the English is poor. Apparently something about playing poker well excludes knowledge of the subjunctive! It's still more readable than most poker books. The chapters on bankroll management and other miscellaneous topics in Volume 2 were unnecessary and thankfully brief. There were some minor inconsistencies in the book and maybe even some math blunders, but relatively few given that the two volumes together are around 800 pages.
   
   I think that it's a rare player that wouldn't stand to profit from buying this book and reading it. The book isn't complete without both volumes.



4. Dan Harrington's three volumes on no limit tournament strategy became instant classics in the world of poker literature. No one before had ever attempted such a comprehensive discussion of optimal tournament strategy, with unique and extensive hand examples drawn from real-world play. Certainly no one with Dan Harrington's record and reputation had done so. Now, in this planned two-part series, Harrington tries to tackle cash game play in the same style and manner as his tournament books. In doing so, he has written a good, solid book, but not a great one, and certainly not another classic.
   
   Harrington was destined to fall short tackling this subject matter. To begin with, no limit cash game play has been written about extensively, starting with Doyle Brunson in 1979's Super System and carrying on through a plethora of Sklansky's 2+2 books throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Thus, while Harrington was able to discuss several unique and unfamiliar ideas on no limit tournament strategy (including the importance of blind structure, the M number, chip management, inflection points, among many others), there's not much new ground here to cover. In fact, this book only contains two new "Harrington Laws", and both of them are lifted from Sklansky (the gap theory of calling an early position raiser and the unimpressive observation that more people in the pot means that a player needs a stronger hand in order to bet).
   
   So basically there's nothing exactly new here. I agree partially with the review by Don Nguyen below; the book does indeed focus way too much on level 1 thinking (i.e. how strong a hand do I "need" given a particular flop and position). However, to its credit the book does indeed move beyond this level of thinking, at least occasionally, to discuss playing back at loose maniacs with marginal hands or taking advantage of a handful of "prime" bluffing/semi-bluffing opportunities. But mostly, the hand analysis is fairly straight-forward, conservative, and unimaginative in the extreme. Things are even further confused by Harrington's odd insistence on assigning an exact percentage to whether he would raise, call or fold in a certain situation (sometimes on the order of 80% fold, 15% raise, and 5% call). I understand the need to randomize one's play, and could see Harrington making a suggestion such as a player should "mostly fold, but consider raising as a bluff against some weak opponents", but the random percentages thrown out by Harrington seem arbitrary. And who exactly is really going to glance at their watch to determine whether they should perform the 70% call, or the 30% raise? In my mind it's much better to vary your play to your opponent rather than according to a random number generator.
   
   All in all, this is a good, conservative tome on cash game play that's comparable to much of what's out there in the poker literature. However, many readers may remember that Vol. I of Harrington on Hold 'em Tournament Play was also very by-the-numbers and unimaginative, emphasizing a more or less rigid, tight aggressive strategy. I have high hopes that the next installment on cash game play will feature some of the same level of insightful thinking we saw in Vols. II and III of the Harrington on Hold em series.



5. I had great expectations on this book (and Vol II) but I have been a little disappointed. First part is quite obvious, pot odds, commitment and so on. Second part is an extensive but quite boring list of flop situations and how should be played...I would have liked more explanations and less percentages, but Harrington seems very fond of the latter. If you are a good player you'll not find anything new, If you are a beginner it will be quite useful.