Professional No-Limit Hold 'em: Volume I

by Matt Flynn, Sunny Mehta, Ed Miller

No-limit hold em was once only a tournament game. Cash games were rarely spread in conventional poker rooms, let alone the Internet. All of that changed when the game exploded on television. No-limit cash games started sprouting up at casinos of all types. No-limit hold em is now the most popular form of poker. Tournaments pushed it to the forefront, and a great deal of money can also be won here despite that fact, many players feel frustrated with their results. They win some money, only to lose it all on one botched hand. This book teaches you how to play and think like a professional. It shows how to size your bets, manage the pot, manipulate your opponents, know when to go all-in, and avoid the big mistake. Do you understand critical no-limit concepts like The REM Process, The Commitment Threshold, and Stack-To-Pot Ratios? If not, this is the book for you.

Genres: Nonfiction

330 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jim Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see that my stat tracking software says I've played 30,000 hands online in the last two years. I have over 50 poker books on my bookshelves. I'm placing this book on my top shelf with the other classics from Sklansky, Harrington, et al to reread over and over as I get better. There is no other book that concentrates so heavily on why a bet should be sized as it is strategically rather than just tactically. Other authors have admonished to plan your hand and control the size of the pot, but this is the first mathmatical treatment of how to concretely envision how that will be done all the way to showdown when you're still sitting at pre-flop.

I picked up this book because of enjoying Miller's previous work. It's easy to understand the theory presented but applying the concepts at the tables will be tough, not only for the math but having the experience and accuracy in anticipating your opponents' actions. That's definitely where the "Professional" in the title comes from. I think the authors gave short attention to the reactions of inattentive, inexperienced, or uncooperative opponents - particularly those playing at my low stakes.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the next volume. Meanwhile, I'll keep these concepts in mind. The best I can hope for at this stage in my game is to be aware that REM and stack-to-pot ratios exist. I think it will still give me an edge over my buddies. But I'll have to come back to this again as I improve.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives you a real good framework with which to think about no-limit hold 'em. The scary thing about no-limit to inexperienced players is the all-in threat. Most people don't like the idea of playing a single hand of poker for their entire stack. This fear comes from not planning your hand. The theories in this book about stack-to-pot ratios and the REM process take some practice, but once mastered, they make no-limit decisions much easier. You will even find yourself welcoming all-in situations when you plan correctly and mathematically have the best of things. I would recommend to intermediate players looking to take their game to the next level.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 3.5. A solid book that delivers a single interesting, strategic, takeaway: triskaidekaphobia. But left me with nothing else, looking back.

[Jonathan Blanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a lot of good analysis of the mechanics and numbers behind poker play, even for people who have been playing in home games for many years and have had several good experiences at casinos, as I have. If you're at all interested in playing thoughtful poker, particularly in casinos, I would recommend this book for the principles and strategies that an experienced amateur may be missing.

I would caution that the principles and thought-practices the book teaches are probably more valuable than taking their direct advice on how to bet preflop on a given hand, just because different casinos and tables within casinos may have an established way of play that strictly adhering to their strategies might not earn you the money their theories would suggest. Nevertheless, I strongly endorse this book for how to think about poker and betting generally. For years, I took the Kenny Rogers' 'never count your money' approach when in the thick of the action--in part to project strength and confidence, and also just play from the hip--but their advice to how to think about betting relative to stack size is invaluable. It may take a couple of readings (and you may need to take notes, as I did the second time through) to really internalize the lessons, but it's worth it if you really want to improve your game.

[Aaron Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best books I've seen on cash-game (as opposed to tournament) poker. This book goes into concepts above and beyond most traditional poker books, and delves very deeply into a lot of the mathematical decisions--not odds and outs, but stack sizes, and levels of commitment... essentially making smart decisions earlier to make the later decisions easier. A great poker book, and one of the top 5 I've ever read (and I've read quite a few).

[David Ingvarsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concepts discussed but i really doubt the strategies advocated would work well in todays games. A lot have changed since the book was written.

[Eddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the theory excellent and would suggest a 5 Star rating. I struggled with the way the theory was put together though. It didn't flow for me quite as smoothly as the Harrington Tourny books. I read the first half of the book twice. The second half I need to re-read again, as I have only read it once. It will take some time to implement the theory learnt here into my game. I'm not good enough yet to start implementing the theory as second nature in my game, after one or even two readings.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems to be very centered around a single idea, the ratio of your stack to the pot. Miller et al argue that when the ratio reaches a predetermined point, you commit to the hand and go all in. This sounds theoretically sound but requires that your opponent cooperate.

EDIT: I finished my first reading. I stand by my opion that Miller assumes that your opponents will call with less when you get your shorter stack in with top pair.

[CV Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess it's time to close this book out of my currently reading list, even though I'm still reading it. This is my 3rd time through and this time I'm taking detailed notes. It's changed the way I approach cash games for the better. In fact, I think it's more valuable than the Harrington series on cash games because of its advanced concepts. I'll be getting volume two today, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for it.

[David Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first comprehensive introduction to strategy and tactics for "the Cadillac of Poker." Systematic, thorough and well-organized. Requires more than a rudimentary acquaintance with the game to grasp the more advanced approach offered here. A real winner. Important adddition to the library of any truly serious no limit hold 'em player.

[Abram Himelstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book, went to the casino, and lost $200. But it took me three hours. Without the book I'd have lost it in two and a half.
This book is betting strategy- not card-playing- you're supposed to know that already.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for the player experienced with poker not looking to understand bet sizing and the strategy of playing a no-limit hand from beginning to end. Really a beginner's book on no-limit play, but really puts a structure on what is a wide-open topic.

[Seytin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concepts in the book WILL make you money if you apply them. The sections about Stack-to-Pot ratios and Commitment thresholds are so good that I can't believe I ever played no limit with out reading them. Brilliant.

[Frankx99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best NL-Hold-em books out there

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably need to read this book a few more times...