| Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub. |
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| ISBN: 1880685337 List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $18.87 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Great poker reference This book is a great read, and is a great poker resource. Unlike many poker books I've seen, this book flows very well. His problem sets at the end of each chapter really help ensure that you remember his valuable lessons. Learn from the best! Summary: Excellent overview of tournament play This is a great book on NLHE tournament strategy. It has an easy-to-read style, and focuses on advanced topics. This is probably not a beginner's book, but will be very helpful to intermediate and advanced players. I consider this to be the best poker book I have ever read, and I've read most of them. Even if your style differs from Harrington's (and he does tend to be of a more conservative mentality than most), this book will absolutely add to your game. Summary: Excellent this book speaks to you logcially and explains how to play poker like a pro. Summary: |
| Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook (Harrington on Hold'em)
Publisher: Two Plus Two Publishing LLC |
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| ISBN: 1880685361 List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $17.97 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Not as excellent as the first two, but still excellent! This is a book full of interesting case studies. That's all it is. Case study, unlike the first two volumes where there is a lesson before the case study. He presents it in such a way that you are partners with a famous player. He takes you step by step on how you should play certain hands, much like the first two volumes. But there is a lot of info on the later stages of a tournament. This is good, because I usually cannot find education concerning the later stages of a tourney. Well written, like the first two. Summary: Much better than I expected. The workbook format really helped me fill some holes in my game. I was really surprised at the number of mistakes I made while going through these problems. If you like working on your game and enjoy analyzing hands, this is the book for you. I didn't agree with every answer but it made me think about my objectives in certain situations. Summary: Doesn't Dissapoint This book is a good supplement to the first two. Harrington is one of the best analytical thinkers in the world concering poker, and it really shines in this book. Like the first two, the most important thing about this book is not his recommedations on playing certain hands certain ways. The most valuable part is the way it makes you think about the hands, and the merits of different plays. The only problem I have with this book, is the amount of time devoted to internet sit n gos. I guess there is a large group interested in that, but serious players would rather have more insights on post flop maneuvering, instead of "what should you do on the bubble in a 5 dollar sit and go". Summary: |
| No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice
Publisher: Two Plus Two Publishing LLC |
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| ISBN: 188068537X List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $23.49 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Perspective Clear writing style. Equations are easy to follow (if you are not math challenged). The most important lesson I got from this book is that I am not ready for no limit games. On TV when they take a long time to raise I thought it was all just posturing. There is a lot of thought that goes into giving your opponent the right impled odds. Other books try to make poker easy. He presents no limit for what it is - complex. Required reading. Summary: Wow, this is a complicated game This book covers so many key adjustments from making the transition from limit to no-limit it blew my mind away. I really learned a lot of new ideas from this book. I still have trouble acting on the information at the table as I get quite nervous and the higher thinking aspects of my brain shut-down. Clearly, if you are able to think on your feet you can suceed by applying the different strategies outlined. The take home message of the book is NLH can't be taught as a formula (do this here, fold here) as it requires several layers of thought to analyze what a $200 bet means. I am sure to need to re-read this one many times, but it is far better than P. Gordon's first effort. Summary: Well-written, Solid from Cover to Cover! I usually gave these authors only 4 stars, because of their lack of writing ability, yet informative material. I have been critical (see my reviews). But this book has a good smooth read. Great Chapters on multiple level thinking and swapping mistakes. Read the Preflop strategy with an open mind. You may not agree with everything, but hear them out. Summary: |
| Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame
Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub |
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| ISBN: 1880685353 List Price: $29.95 Amazon Price: $18.87 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Even Better than Volume II Absolutely the best book on no limit tournament play. It is the greatest! Summary: advanced holdem I well thought out exceptional book on advanced moves and more importantly, thinking. It moved my game up by years. A great read and a must for any library. Summary: Five stars is not enough This book and its companion Volume II are like my bibles. I have only being playing online poker tournaments and sit-and-go games for three months and am already consistently winning money and getting to the final table in tournaments of 150 players or so, and have won a couple too. When I started I bought a number of books that were well reviewed on Amazon, but frankly the rest of them are not worth a hill of beans, whereas this one is worth its weight in gold. I will not go into a description of the contents, because so many reviews have already done so, but if you want to master tournament poker, or you want a great gift for your family poker player, then look no further. I should also say that the book is extemely well written, which is not always the case with poker books. The authorial voice is sometimes witty, and always a great friend and companion. This book is the definitive work on the subject of no limit hold'em tournament play. I just hope my opponents don't read it. Summary: |
| Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play
Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub. |
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| ISBN: 1880685329 List Price: $24.95 Amazon Price: $15.72 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Every Limit Player NEEDS This Book This should not be your first poker book, nor your bible for low limit play. This book is very valuable, when used in the PROPER CONTEXT. This book not only applies to low limit games, but any very loose limit game. If you play online and are at a table with 8 other rocks who are playing 8 tables trying to grind out a big bet an hour at each, this book won't do you very much good. However, if you play 6/12 or lower in a casino setting, this book is invaluable. Normally you profit by playing against players who play too many hands, but when you are in a game where 5 or 6 players are seeing the turn and river, that creates a very difficult problem. Sklansky and Miller have the formula to solve this problem. Even if you play higher stakes, you need the info in this book if the game is extremely loose. You do need a very solid foundation and understanding of the game and concepts before reading this book, because, again, it is tailored to a very specific setting. Using this book as your primary source of learning the game can be very damaging. Summary: Another must-own Sklansky book for Limit Hold'em Right up front, if you play poker and don't know who David Sklansky is, you have a lot of reading ahead of you. For my part, I buy anything he puts in print, and recommend every other player do the same. Also, I think Skalnsky should get Malmuth and Ed Miller to co-write all of his books. They flow better and are easier to read. Anyway, this book is just as advertised, it's for playing smaller stakes where players are typically more loose that higher-stakes games. Some of the suggestions in this book run counter to normal poker theory, but reflect the right sort of detours needed to adjust for these tables. It has your normal math-centric approach as you find in the rest of his books, but it's crisp. This book is an excellent add-on to any poker library, along with Lee Jones' Low Limit book. Summary: Best of breed for low limit holdem This is the best all-around instructional book on limit Holdem $5/$10 and below. I've read it cover-to-cover many times. The principles are rock solid and the explanations are well written, especially the post-flop strategies. I use Miller's style as my "fast gear", since it is very aggressive and is most effective those times when you happen to have a strong table image. It's important to understand, though, that it is a volatile style that requires mental focus and good judgement. In my experience, it's possible to win a little less with much less risk by substituting folds for the marginal raise plays, and that is what I do if I'm tired, or have one eye on a ball game, or just don't have a good read on the table. Summary: |
| Doyle Brunson's Super System II
Publisher: Cardoza |
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| ISBN: 1580421369 List Price: $34.95 Amazon Price: $22.02 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: Good introduction to different poker games. I haven't read the original Super System so I can't compare the two and tell you if this one is worth buying if you already have that one, so I'll just stick to reviewing "Super System 2". The book starts out with an introduction and a short autobiography by Doyle Brunson. Some of it is interesting, some of it not so interesting. And I really don't care about seeing pictures of Doyle's son Todd catching an 18 pound trout or deer eating from Doyle's apple trees. Early in the book there's also a section on Online poker, which feels a bit too much like a commercial for Doyle's poker site, but it does have its intersting parts too. The section written by Mike Caro contains a number of interesting tips regarding winnings and losses that's worth keeping in mind. Then comes the meat of the book, the chapters about different poker types, all written by different professionals. I especially liked Brunson's No Limit Hold'em chapter (although his style of play might be quite risky for inexperienced players and could cause some pretty big bankroll swings) and Jennifer Harman's Limt Hold'em Chapter. The chapter on Omaha Hi/Low was interesting too, although it refers to fixed limit. To compensate for this, there's also a chapter on Pot Limit Omaha. Todd Brunson has written a chapter on Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, but I wish there was a chapter on regular 7 Card Stud, which is one of my favorite poker games. The book ends with a short chapter about the World Poker Tour. This chapter is also more or less a commercial and not very interesting at all. Overall, this is not a perfect book, but it's good and will give you some good advice on your game of choice (unless it's 7 Card Stud High-only) as well as provide some basics other poker games. Summary: Not really "essential" like the first , but still a good idea to get it This belongs in any poker library, just not on the top shelf. It's a hyped-up "good" book, but not a "great" book like the first Super System. Doyle's chapter is basically a slightly updated version of his NL chapter from SS1, and that's half the reason I bought it, so I was a little saddened there. The other half is Jennifer Harman's Limit Hold'em chapter, which is outstanding and easily worth the cost of the book on it's own, a nice surprise. I only peeked at the rest, and noticed some of this material has already appeared in print elsewhere, such as Doyle's horrible "Online Poker" book. At a glance, Negreanu and Todd Brunsons' chapters look pretty good and I look forward to reading those. Also, as some have mentioned, Doyle's constant self-promotion is getting a little tiresome, and there's quite a bit of that in this book. Summary: Doyle's Book is Great This book is similar to the previous book. However, this is great book anyway. You must read either SSI or SSII. Summary: |
| Online Ace: A World Series of Poker Champion's Guide to Mastering Internet Poker
Publisher: ESPN Books |
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| ISBN: 1933060123 List Price: $19.95 Amazon Price: $12.97 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 2 Reviews: Summary: Not Much Content If you are looking for added insight to the game there are other texts with the same information and then some. Most of the descriptions are generalities with little context. It is easy to read, and some of the stories are interesting, but the advice given is not at all groundbreaking. Summary: Lots of fluff Most poker players will find that this book contains a large amount of 'fluff' that they will skip over. While there are a couple of good paragraphs here and there, most of the topics discussed in the book should be well known to anyone who has been playing for a while. My main reason to purchase this book was that I was hoping for detailed discussion on strategies for SNG and multi table online tournaments. Unfortunately both of these chapters were very weak in the amount of material which was presented. IMO anyone would be better off purchasing one of many other NLH tournament books. (check the chapters out for yourself by going to your local book store) If you are a beginner looking to get better at playing poker, there are many other books that are better to start off with. If you are thinking of buying the book, I recommend going to the store and reading several chapters before you buy it. The book is written in an easy to read format so it will not take very long to get a feel for the book. Summary: departure from the norm... I thought the book was excellent; it was not a re-write or clone of everything else already out there. Although it is a niche book-addressing mostly online play- it is one of the best niche books I've read so far. Unlike many other poker books, Fischman's books teaches you how to "think" about the game in ways your opponents might not consider. There are more "nuggets" in this short text than many of the "cookie cutter" approach books coming down the pipeline. His format and style are also very refreshing after so many rehashed "clone" type poker books. Although he doesn't provide a "hand chart" type book, his strategic ideas are worth their weight and he gives away much more in the way of "secrets" than many of the other high profile authors seem to be willing to. If there is a drawback to his style, it is that he seems to have developed a great feel for the game which may be unique to him personally and is somewhat difficult to learn other than just by doing what he did. His insights and those shared by several other top pros are good food for thought and definitely got me thinking deeper about my game and online play specifically. He also covers several psychological factors that are not often discussed which make the book particularly valuable(tilt, burnout, boredom, etc). Overall a solid 5 for content and a 5+ for the bonus intangibles he provides. Highest recommendation. Summary: |
| Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
Publisher: Free Press |
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| ISBN: 0743249992 List Price: $14.00 Amazon Price: $10.78 Usually ships in 24 hours |
Avg Cusomer Rating: 4 Reviews: Summary: A page-turner that doesn't teach you card tricks It's a Robin Hood-story of a group of math students from the MIT-ivory tower using their brains to get rich at Las Vegas giants' expenses. I must say it is truly a page turner and if you weren't interested in Blackjack before, you increase your chances of becoming. Looking back, the story is almost too cliché, but if you immerse yourself without skepticism, you'll will love it! Just a comment: the book does not make you better at Blackjack, I understand that Knock-Out Blackjack by Vancura & Fuchs is the one to turn to. Summary: Easy to read, hard to believe I have a hard time believing that the events that unfolded in this book are all entirely true. I think the author took some liberties for the sake of spicing up the tale. I don't know, but I'm not convinced that it was all true. Summary: You'll never look at Vagas the same way again! Beating the odds in Vegas is much harder than I thought. Leave it to a group of MIT braniacs to figure it out. This story is incredible; so much deeper than the "card counting" I expected. Their system was incdedibly elaborate. This is not a book you can read on your flight to LV and hope to gain an advantage. This is about a system that was years in the making. I"m facinated by how successfully this system worked - to the tune of millions in winnings. Summary: |
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