5 comments about Texas Hold'em Odds and Probabilities: Limit, No-Limit, and Tournament Strategies.

1. This book will boggle your mind in the beginning with terms and number crunching that probably will need a second or third reading to fully digest ... That is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you don't get frustrated trying to get the the 'meat' of the book. The book gets rolling with more 'advice' and good scenarios from the middle to the end ... although the author does favor certain types of hands. I would not recommend this as a first read for a novice player, but is a good addition to gain this author's prespective on the game.



2. Looks like a good book. I have not made it through the whole thing yet, but I can definitely recommend this vendor.



3. Unless you're a math genius or your name is Chris Ferguson, you need this book.
   
   Top-to-bottom odds and probabilities for limit and no-limit hold'em.
   
   Loaded with charts and explanations. I purchased this book after seeing the charts in the back of the book ... unlike any I've seen elsewhere. You can't go wrong with this book ... it's one of my top favorites.



4. If you had trouble with math in grade school, then this book may be just right for you. But I personally found it was too elementary. Come on--do you really need to explain how to add fractions and how to convert 1/3 to decimals? If you are THAT math-challenged, you probably can't count outs either! By spending so much time on remedial arithmetic, he doesn't cover a lot of ground.
   
   If you've never heard of implied odds and don't have a clue how to size your bets, then by all means buy this book. For anyone who has read one or two poker books, this stuff is too basic--and nothing is new.



5. I previewed this book before I bought it and it seemed like a good value and now that I have it, I still feel that way. The poor reviews from other customers must be from know it alls because unlike many poker titles, it delivers exactly what it says.
   
   If you already know the odds then you dont need this, but I already knew how to calculate with the 2-4 method but it expands on that to add implied odds, and douts. Thats how far I am into this book so far, and I expect the rest of it to be worth the time to read it and the cost.
   
   Do not be misled by the haters. If you are shopping for a book on the subject of texas holdem odds, I would say its worth it. Many poker books are convoluted and this one is perfectly readable. So the people who said it is too basic might be fans of the convoluted books that I dont fully understand, but I found this book useful to re-enforce what I already knew and to help me expand on that knowledge.
   
   Last comment, the book wasnt the holy grail that I couldnt live without, but it definitely gave me a deeper understanding of the subject and I would certainly reccomend it.

5 comments about Texas Hold'em For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. As a reference that covers all aspects of the game, this book cannot be beat. It is easy to read, yet packed with information, and everything is here, including pre-flop, flop, turn, and river play, the importance of position, pot odds, raising, check-raising, bluffing, semi-bluffing, starting hand values, analyzing and playing to your opponents, the different types of players (tight vs. loose, passive vs. aggressive), bankroll management, internet vs. casino play, and more.
   
   There are other books that cover some of these aspects of play, but I have found no other book that describes them in a manner that is this easy to understand while having plenty of detail at the same time.
   
   This is definitely one of the first poker books that you should read, and I am certain that you will find this to be a useful reference. I can see this as being a resource that I will refer to often as I continue to learn the game and build my experience.



2. Prefacing these remarks with the fact that I know very little about any type of card game (except Crazy Eights, Old Maid and Gin Rummy) I found this book both informative and entertaining. Mr. Harlan has a way with words that educates us Dummies in a manner that is not condescending in the least. His stated assumptions that we understand the basis of a normal deck of playing cards, plus simple but detailed descriptions of how play advances at the table, make this volume an enjoyable read. The sidebar stories and trivia tidbits are classic Harlan; in fact, the reader could ignore the main text and just read the anecdotal information to learn a LOT about the game. I received the book as a gift; it is a welcome addition to my library.



3. This book was a nice read and I really enjoyed some of the information that was presented in this one. Some information was new that other books, including ones that claim to teach you the secrets of the pros, decided to leave out. My only complaint is, that it being a For Dummies books makes a lot of references to "We'll cover this later" or "Head back to Chapter 7 for a review on this "



4. A great boof for beginners! I have just started plating poker and this book has really helped me understand the game!
   
   Also, provides some neat strategies.



5. Harlan's text is light and fun to read, yet very useful, concise and to the point. Differently than other poker books that scare you away by starting off with a lot of math and statistics and pot odds, Harlan goes through many other important and interesting poker stuff such as optimal starting hands, betting strategy for each round and table position, reading your opponents, different sorts of game - home, online, casino - before spaeking abouth the math (which, byt he way, he does in a very agreeable way, keeping it simple and straightforward - maybe because he knows his stuff - he is an applied math degree). the book also has easy to follow examples and real life anecdotes, keeping all that poker theory closer to what the average player will encounter at next Saturday's $10 poker night over his friends. It's definitely the first book on Texas Holdem you should buy, and you'll learn an awful lot from it.

5 comments about Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide.

1. Reading this book was the worst time spent ever. I learned nothing I didn't already know. If you really want to learn some new things and know thats what you are doing and not wasting time purchase Dan Harrington's boooks.



2. it actually write all bout the philosophy about poker and it teaches u to be a better poker players before or after u win the game !!!!



3. This book is far and away some of the best stuff that has been written on poker. I lost my copy and this book is so chalked full of info I had to buy it again! Barry Greenstein is the consummate professional and an excellent writer on top of that.
   
   For those that like hand charts and theorem like explanations of how to play poker, you will not like this book.
   
   For those that want the wisdom of one of pokers finest players, you will not be disappointed. Barry understands that a thorough understanding of mathematics and of poker is more the ludic elements that make up the physical game.



4. So I won't rehash what has been said in the other reviews. But the following hasn't really been emphasized:
   
   This book is BEAUTIFUL. It's a large oversized "quarto" trade paperback, with extraordinarily thick and glossy pages, bound together beautifully. It's been a very very long time since a book at this price point was made this nicely. I would suggest buying it, just to have such a nice looking book.



5. This book is different from the usual play these starting hands only type poker instruction manuals. There is a lot of interesting and useful insight into life and thoughts of a high limit poker player.
   
   The top review on the page said it was too brief about the math and starting hands, I say BRAVO, I have had enough of that information and this was definitely a refreshing work for a person who owns several books and dvds by professionals on how to play (Hold Em).
   
   GREAT WORK. I only gave it 4 stars simply because I didnt want anyone to think that I just slapped them on there because I liked the book. I read this almost 300 page book in 2 days(its really about 250 pages because theres a lot of photos and stuff, but they were not overdone IMHO)

5 comments about Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play.

1. this book is great. it really does a great job of teaching simple and advanced concepts in an entertaining way. I was actually laughing out loud thru some parts of the book.
   
   after reading it thru twice my game has drastically improved.



2. Mistakenly I took this to be a no limit book about small stakes tables. This book only discusses limit hold 'em strategy. As a result I started playing limit hold 'em and use the strategies with success. Unfortunately, I really want to be good a no-limit (as TJ calls it, "the Cadillac of poker"). I think having read this book will help my NL game, but only by abstraction.
   
   Make no mistake, this book is for the limit player. I think any limit player will find this book a must read.



3. This is not a book on No-Limit Hold'em. I think the title is a little deceiving. It should be called Small Stakes Limit Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play. This book is about LIMIT Hold'em. I am a small stakes NLH player and was looking for a book on NLH. There is a lot of good advice on how to play Limit Hold'em in this book for beginners. However, most of the stuff in this book a good player will all ready know.



4. This is a great book for those who already have some experience playing Limit Texas Holdem. It takes your game to the next level. Sometimes you should go for that gutshot straight. Fit or fold is not always the best option. Always know the pot size and your break even odds. This book is not designed to keep you safe and away from traps. It is designed to get you the maximum profits from aggressive play. Advanced concepts include partial outs and outs for backdoor flushes and straights. What is your hand really worth. Other concepts include starting hand evaluations, overcalls, counterfieting, reverse domination, hidden outs. You were always aware of reverse domination (A2 beating AK on a flop of A Q 2), Counterfeiting (A2 vs AK, board of A Q 2 5 Q - AK wins as the pair of Queens counterfeits the pair of 2s. The second Queen was a hidden out). This book gives you plenty to think about and apply in you lifelong game of poker. Here are the essential concepts to raise your game to the next level. Happy fishing.



5. This book is excellent for the small stakes player. There is lots of good information. It can get a bit complicated with all the stuff you have to learn and remember from the book -- but failing to follow the strategies outlined in the book will result you in being a long term loser in small stakes poker.

5 comments about Hold'em Wisdom for all Players.

1. Harsh reviews for this book are hardly accurate
   You can't read a book called "Hold'em Wisdom for all players" and expect to get caro's book of tells and psycho analysis details summarized.
   Anyone in any sport or game of skill realizes if you stop "working out" you become weak. This book is an easy read and a quick reference as a reminder to not repeat past mistakes. It keeps the basics in your head with a quick "cliff notes" format of pretty good. Only Liars and 5+ year poker player veterans would say they never make mistakes that this book points out.



2. This book is easy to read, but offers little new advice. No new ideas like i was hoping for but maybe his next book will be better. Its a tweener book because its not for people who are starting to play holdem and its not for people who have been playing for awhile.



3. Like most of the other reviewers, I'm impressed with Negreanu's poker play. His ability to put opponent's on a hand and to win with such frequency is astounding. I picked up this book hoping for some novel insights. Negreanu, after all, claims it contains wisdom for all hold'em players. Not only does Negreanu provide nothing new or incisive for those of us with an advanced understanding of the game, the book doesn't even qualify as a something useful for beginners.
   
   Negreanu's "advice" boils down to: be nice at the table, don't tell your bad beat stories, mix up your play and try to put your opponents on a hand -- and, oh by the way, I'm wonderful. Although he covers a number of important topics (pot odds, reading opponents, playing a short stack, etc.), he doesn't cover them in enough detail to provide a reader of any level with any insight into the game. It seems as if he spent no more than an hour writing each chapter. Indeed, most chapters are only a few pages long and too many contain his recollections of hands he's won. Worse, the tone of the book is often didactic -- don't softplay, be friendly, don't get angry, blah, blah, blah. I finished the book, but it wasn't easy.
   
   If you're just starting out, Phil Gordon's "Little Green Book" is well-written, insightful, and with enough analysis and real advice to help a beginner or intermediate player take his game to the next level. Moreover, Gordon is never didactic or condescending. If you're a little more advanced and have the time, I recommend Dan Harrington's three-volume set on playing no-limit tournaments. Maybe the best series ever written on No Limit. Truly an outstanding piece of work.



4. If this book were titled "Hold'em Wisdom for New Players" I would have given it 5 stars, as it does provide a lot of answers to questions a new player faces. For advanced players the book doesn't offer that much. I will say this is probably the easiest of all poker books to read and is suggested reading for the newby before you delve into the meat and potatos of poker theory and mathematics. I would recommend this book to a new poker player to be followed by Phil Gordons little Green Book. The information combined in both books will get you to the final table. They did me, since reading these two I have final tabled 7 times and still progressing.



5. Daniel is on fire, this book is one of the best I have read so far!!! Visit SuperAggressive.com for free bonus money if you want to play there.

5 comments about Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Texas Hold'em.

1. The What, How, and When for common situations. Concise and info packed chapters you can immediately apply. This is a book of instructions, usable piece by piece; as opposed to books on theory where you may forget the first chapter by the last. Nothing forgettable here.



2. Lessons and Teaching in No Limit TexasHold'em.
   
   I have only been playing poker a year and have read a number of books relative to play. Phil's style of play is aggressive which for someone new to the game might prove intimidating to employ. I have slowly integrated aspects of his play into my game and indeed they are effective. But as Phil teaches you have to play the player and not the cards, being able to switch gears. I really liked the ease of reading, the mathematics of poker, and the charts at the end of the book. For those interested in improving their tournament play this book should prove helpful.



3. This book contains very basic information which is not presented any better than the many authors who have written about these concepts before Phil Gordon wrote this book.
   The "analysis" of the super unbelievable play of the online superstar Prahlad Friedman [who since this book was published proceeded to go broke in high stakes games and has since not been seen playing in them] is highly flawed.
   In an effort to make his point, Phil greatly exagerates the percecntage of the time Prahlad had a big made hand such as a set for those times he made his trademark overbet. Maybe that is one of the reasons why really great online players [certainly not including Phil Gordon] subsequently figured out how to exploit Prahlad and soon had busted him for all his money.
   The reason I only mention this section specifically is because it is the only part of the book that even resembles a concept that had not been previously written [and better, at that]
   I am not a friend or relative of Phil Gordon. Find a real high stakes professional and ask them how long the waiting list would be if he sat in a 25-50 NL game online. There would be a waiting list of about 100 people. He's not a great player and his books are a waste of time and money.



4. I'm not sure what this book has that isn't covered in books like: "The theory of Poker" or "Super System." In fact, it might just be better to read those two and Mike Caro's "Poker Tells." This is a how to book based on how Phil Gordon would play a certian hand in a certian situation. Its a good beginner's book but not quite as good as Sklansky's or Doyle Brunson's books. It's a fairly quick read and doesn't offer much that can't be acquired elsewhere.



5. I picked this book up after looking at a bunch of the other ones out there. I've played for many years, but never really analyzed the game in detail. It seems to give good solid advice in short sections without all the fluff. The day I picked it up I read the first 4 chapters and came away with some solid impressions on how I should improve my game. That night I played in a local bar tournament and won it. My wife (who's won 2 herself) was very happy. This was the first time I've won a tournament and I have to admit the cards were definately coming up for me. People started kidding with me that I was a "bully" at the table. They were impressed with how my play had improved and how I had correctly bluffed them out of some major hands. I can't give Phil's book credit for the cards I got, but I was much more confident and solid with my play after reading the first part. I've since gotten more and more great tips from the book and really enjoy it.
   
   The only thing I have to criticize is minor. I don't really care for the Sun Zu quotes in the book. I've seen those in everything from self help to computer programming books, and they are really becoming tired.
   
   I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players (Advance Player).

1. Sure, there are tips in the book - but there isn't any supporting...anything. You are expected to just take things on face value. Also, it is TERRIBLY written. I think I read the word "finally" 4 times in a chapter. It's terribly nonsensical at many times. It needs a complete re-write and edit.
   
   The thoughts are chaotic and presented sloppily. It takes 3 reads to understand paragraphs most of the time...
   
   TERRIBLE READ.



2. 
   I was constantly breaking even before getting this book on online poker sites. After reading it, I took nearly all of the guesswork out of my playstyle and recently just bought a new guitar entirely with winnings.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who already considers themselves decent at poker and already has good intuition as to spotting how others play to determine what they have... or don't have. This book will not probably help you with those things. This book is best for those who are already good at poker but either have their game strategy wrong or off a little.
   
   The best part of this book is it makes it much more easy to spot poor play from other people at your table and thus allows you to profit hugely from that.



3. I really am not a fan of the reviews, but I feel that I have the obligation to recommend this book because if you read it, you will understand better the others players' game, and the best of it you'll get a big edge over them.



4. Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players is simply the best single volume study of Hold 'em as it is played today that I have ever read. It is endlessly informative, rich in detail and illustrations, complex in its treatment of complicated concepts, and insightful in every important way. It omits nothing of any importance to the game.
   
   The book begins with a consideration of general starting hands requirements, adjusted for playing style, position, etc., and follows through on the play of each, as well as general considerations for each type or class of hand, and its relation to the innumerable factors impacting expectation or the play of other. Once this analysis is dealt with, Sklansky deals with a whole series of more individual or isolated cases or concepts and miscellaneous topics. The important details considered are too many to list here; Hold 'em played well is an enormously complex game, and Sklansky addresses it from every angle.
   
   Sklansky's writing style is very dense. He does not blather on about his personal experiences, drop names, or chat; he instructs in the style of a particularily dry math or statistics professor. He is direct, thorough, and exhaustive (sometimes exhausting). You will not read this book in one sitting and become a professional caliber player. You need to play, then return to the book and read much of it again; upon doing so the reader will find, again and again, that now he finally really understands some new concept. It is a work of extremely subtle and complex analysis.
   
   Nobody playing Hold 'em for money today can do without this book.



5. This book is extremely good for gaining a solid foundation of Texas Hold 'em. I read it on and off for around 6 months and realized that while I learned some valuable lessons and picked up important bits of information I need to read it over and over again to truly take in everything that is being said. For me it is like a good movie that you see once and figure you saw it all only to watch it again and pick up something new, then a while later watch it again and see even more that was missed.
   
   I highly recommend this book for students of the game. This is essential reading if you want to compete seriously. Even if you think you know it all and the book makes sense, read it carefully and understand that many serious players have read, re-read and learned significantly from this and the other classics. It will help your game.

5 comments about Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One.

1. The book was very useful in understanding how much to bet given your hand and where you are in the deck. The casinos do still cheat, so I would advise watching for opportunities to play at a fair table (then clean their clocks with these methods).



2. Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward Thorp started a craze toward card counting in casinos, prompted several rules changes including increased numbers of decks, shorter cuts, and more frequent shuffles. It's the grandfather of Blackjack strategy books and the first mathematical analysis of the game published outside academia. For those reasons alone it's worth having and studying even if its effectiveness has been diminished by the rules changes I noted above.
   
   The other advantage that Thorp's book has over the dozens of blackjack books available is that it includes the probability charts. You can take the numbers from the appendix, see where the strategy was developed and make your own adjustments based on the conditions you encounter at your local game or casino.
   
   It's tricky, his counting system and strategy, but once you have the hang of it you can be assured a fair game with a casino. And, all told, it's not that difficult a system to master with some practice ahead of time. Don't read this volume on the plane flight into Vegas and expect to beat the dealers in a day, but spend a week or two with some decks of cards, practice, go online and play, then take your shot against the pros. Good luck.
   
   - CV Rick



3. Edward O. Thorp started the blackjack revolution way back in the early 1960s with a difficult but successful card counting system. This book explains that early system and why blackjack is a beatable game. There are now many easier card counting systems such as the Hi-Lo, the KO, the High Opt and the easiest of all Speed Count.
   
   Thorp's book is a must have for your gambling library as he started it all.
   
   Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!



4. Next stop Macau
   
   Still the classic for the high-low method, but nowadays you need to work in teams and with the perpetual continuous shuffle machines/decks the method has become harder to deploy in lots of casinos. Which is why those who use this with refined forced-card deck cutting are in the current gravy boat, although their day in the sun will also pass.
   
   Most folks can intuitively understand card counting and shoe-skew. There are plenty of books on the topic of card counting. However, Thorp's original work is best and overlooked on several important points by most folks. The first point is: rigor. Thorp has backed up his method with solid empirical and theoretical underpinnings. This gave confidence to generations of card counters who refined his method. The second point is: clarity. Thorp is a first-string mathematician and easily could have stayed conversing with peers in jargon, or he even could have purposefully employed obscurantism to keep tables thin. Instead his prose style is lean, direct, and clear. Such is his brevity and Wittgensteinian exactness that you may need to re-read a few sentences here and there to absorb what he is saying, but on the whole this is an accessible narrative written by a mathematician for an intelligent audience.
   
   A wonderful gift that opens up a new world combining math, fun and money.
   
   Now about Kelly criterion in betting strategies......



5. I find the story surrounding this book to be just as interesting as the book's content. [...]
   Few books are ever this popular, never mind this popular for decades. Beat the Dealer is approaching 50 years of incredible popularity among readers. This is reason enough to check it out. This is the best book for anyone eager to dive in to blackjack and move beyond the game's basics. It's not for a passive reader. It's also for anyone interested in gambling in general, or the history of gambling. This book is a classic.

5 comments about The Poker Mindset: Essential Attitudes for Poker Success.

1. Perfect book. It explains why not to be angry about bad beats.
   Helps you to control and to recognize your (various types of) tilts.
   It saves me money. I tilted too much and now i have a better
   control over it. Keeps hammering on that a winning pokerplayer
   must look for the long term. And thats what its all about.
   Helped me to focus on targets. NOT to set targets about how much you must
   win in a certain time. This is what i usually did.
   Now i set targets for example: I will read 1 pokerbook every 2 month, i will post 10 hands a week in a forum. All of this to improve my game...
   Guess what??? It works!
   Its a must read for every poker player



2. Learning the game is not the only thing you need to know to be a successful poker player. This book goes through the philosphical and psychologic aspects of the game. This gives you the information to get your emotions and attitudes in the corrct place to always go for that positive expectation.
   Solid information and a good read. Pick it up if you are getting serious about the game.



3. I mostly play online. Saw myself, my relationship to the game and other players differently as I read the book over a 3 week period. My results have improved. Check out the Table of Contents. Book is put together well. I'm considering purchasing their Statistics and probability book but I've got a stack of Harrington books waiting to be read.



4. So you may as well buy it. I'm an online pro poker player and have been for about 2 years now and I can say with 100% certainty that this book has increased my profits. I've read it about 3.5 times. If you have already mastered your tilt you may not need this, but it has lots of good information about different types of tilt you may not be familiar with. It also gives convincing points about BR management. Give it to your always busto friends.
   
   But most likely you need it. When people ask me which book helped my poker game most out of my collection this is currently the one I point to.



5. Reading this book makes a lot of sense. Good advice on bankroll management, and most importantly tells you what you need to do to help you avoid tilt. Tilt is probably the main cause of a downswing, avoiding tilt is important. After reading this book I feel cool and calm about playing poker knowing that it will all even out in the long run. I also like how it stresses that poker is just a game and that there are other things in life.

No comments about The Poker Tournament Formula II: Advanced Strategies.