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Harrington on Hold 'em #1
Харрингтон о Холдеме. Профессиональная стратегия для турниров по безлимитному покеру Том 1. Стратегическая игра
Poker has taken America by storm. But it s not just any form of poker that has people across the country so excited it s No-Limit Hold Em the main event game. And now thanks to televised tournaments tens of thousands of new players are eager to claim their share of poker glory.
Harrington on Hold Em takes you to the part of the game the cameras ignore the tactics required to get through the hundreds and sometimes thousands of hands you must win to make it to the final table. Harrington s sophisticated and time-tested winning strategies, focusing on what it takes to survive the early and middle stages of a No-Limit Hold Em tournament, are appearing here for the first time in print. These are techniques that top players use again and again to get to make it to final tables around the globe.
Now, learn from one of the world s most successful No-Limit Hold Em players how to vary your style, optimize your betting patterns, analyze hands, respond to a re-raise, play to win the most money possible, react when a bad card hits and much, much more.
Dan Harrington won the gold bracelet and the World Champion title at the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold Em Championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. And he was the only player to make it to the final table in 2003 (field of 839) and 2004 (field of 2576) considered by cognoscenti to be the greatest accomplishment in WSOP history. In Harrington on Hold Em, Harrington and 2-time World Backgammon Champion Bill Robertie have written the definitive book on No-Limit Hold Em for players who want to win ... and win big.
Hardcover
First published December 1, 2004
208 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
June 13, 2016
This is probably the best of the poker books I've read lately. It fits my learning style - practical lessons complete with a whole series of hands, played all the way through, at the end of each chapter, explaining thought processes and mistakes along the way. Dan Harrington I think thinks like I do - his style is naturally on the conservative side, which is how I've found I generally play, and he's a very logical player, a former chess and backgammon champion before he became a pro poker player. That makes this a book for the strategic and tactical game player, as opposed to the one I am reading by David Sklanksy, which is full of valuable theory and algorithms, but extremely mathematically-oriented.
Harrington on Hold'em Volume I covers strategic play - a lot of it is the basics that will be covered in any good poker book, like pre-flop and post-flop betting, reading the table, pot odds, continuation and value bets, bluffs and semi-bluffs, etc. But as I said, for me the real meat of the book was the illustrative hands that demonstrated each theory in practice.
Nothing in this book went over my head. It all seems perfectly sensible, even easy to put into practice. If only it were so easy to keep all this stuff in mind when you are actually in a hand!
Keep in mind this book specifically covers NLHE, not any other variety of poker. And it is mostly focused on tournament play, so I guess you'd probably want a more advanced and specialized book for playing ring and cash games. Since I play in a bar poker league, it is very appropriate for my venues, even though I am unlikely to ever see even a satellite tournament for the WSOP.
I'd say this a strong candidate for being a book I might recommend as the first book a starting poker player might want to read.
Harrington on Hold'em Volume I covers strategic play - a lot of it is the basics that will be covered in any good poker book, like pre-flop and post-flop betting, reading the table, pot odds, continuation and value bets, bluffs and semi-bluffs, etc. But as I said, for me the real meat of the book was the illustrative hands that demonstrated each theory in practice.
Nothing in this book went over my head. It all seems perfectly sensible, even easy to put into practice. If only it were so easy to keep all this stuff in mind when you are actually in a hand!
Keep in mind this book specifically covers NLHE, not any other variety of poker. And it is mostly focused on tournament play, so I guess you'd probably want a more advanced and specialized book for playing ring and cash games. Since I play in a bar poker league, it is very appropriate for my venues, even though I am unlikely to ever see even a satellite tournament for the WSOP.
I'd say this a strong candidate for being a book I might recommend as the first book a starting poker player might want to read.
August 22, 2023
5 ⭐️— Simply the Gold Standard of Poker Strategy, if you have bit to read only one Tournament Poker guide amongst the plethora of brilliant Literature now available, for me — this remains (along with ‘Harrington on Cash’) the top dog and perhaps always will.
Harrington offers such a uniquely supportive coaching perspective you will truly feel as though he had written this magnum-opus just for you — incredibly powerful, fun, anecdotally addictive & infinitely useful for any Poker fan.
“Making good bets, at favourable odds” — The opening line sums up pretty much all of poker. Brilliant!
Harrington offers such a uniquely supportive coaching perspective you will truly feel as though he had written this magnum-opus just for you — incredibly powerful, fun, anecdotally addictive & infinitely useful for any Poker fan.
“Making good bets, at favourable odds” — The opening line sums up pretty much all of poker. Brilliant!
March 10, 2019
Before starting this book I believed poker is just lucky draws, occasional bluffs and reading the body language of your opponents and while these things happen from time to time, the game has so much more to offer. In Dan's words "it's a game of memory, position, calculation, alertness and patience". The book teaches much of the strategic play fundamentals and my game has improved tremendously during the short course of reading it.
Read
June 27, 2007Well yes, I'm part of the poker craze, and yes I read up on my addiction. If you think poker is another gambling wasteland, then read this book. You'll learn how academic the game really is. Calculating odds, weighing risk vs. reward, and earning as much as possible are some of the topics. Sounds more like a business class than a poker book. If you do play poker, read it! You'll play better in tourney's immediately.
April 24, 2017
Five stars for content, three stars for layout and ease of use. The problem pages could be much better laid out, in particular. It's an old book but not that old -- as a classic that people will buy because of the name, it could use a facelift. At the same time, you see why it earned that classic status. He knows what he's talking about.
July 21, 2015
I read this book and the other two companion volumes where they came out. It changed the way I played and I credit the read and Terra's of Harrington and immediately qualified to the World Poker Tour (Cyprus 2009). Rereading the books meant my biggest live cash in the World Poker Tour to date: WPT Paris 2011 ... 25th for $24,000.
May 31, 2009
This was a great book to learn about Texas Hold 'em. Harrington really goes into the whole strategy of the game - position, when to bet/raise/fold, how much to bet/raise in certain circumstances and positions. He gives you a few overview/ workbook examples at the end of each chapter so you can practice what he just talked about. Right after I read this I implemented the stuff he talks about into my game and it has worked very well for me; I started to win a lot more than I lost. It still works for me, and it is so simple to remember, once you read it you can easily implement the basics forever. I'm not an everyday, or even monthly hold 'em player, I just play once in a while with friends, and like I said the stuff discussed in this book really works, and well.
May 3, 2016
Very well written and thoughtful book. You can't learn basics of poker from it, but once you know the rules, the book is easy to read and provides a lot of valuable knowledge. Every chapter ends with a few real-life exercises. I understood every chapter very well and I've learned a lot. If you're a beginner, I can guarantee that you'll become a better player after each single chapter of this book. After reading it, I can't imagine playing poker without reading a book like this one.
November 19, 2017
Texas Hold 'Em, the chess game of poker.
I played a lot of poker during my six years in the National Guard. It filled up some of the hurry-up and-wait time.
When I moved to the Lake House, just up the hill from an Indian casino, Doug, one of my new neighbors, suggested we play in a $40 Texas Hold 'Em tournament since the casino was so close.
I didn't make it into the money that night (In each tournament only 8 out of 45 to 50 players get any return on their investment.)
Doug and I went back a number of times over the next few months and I did get into the money now and again, but I decided I'd benefit from a bit of coaching so I bought a book, Dan Harrington's.
It's practical and easy to follow with lots of examples. A good tutor.
The fact that my game hasn't improved is due to my own shortcomings not Dan's. I plan on reading his second volume and soon winning The World Series of Poker. Watch for me on TV.
August 8, 2019
Mandatory read for the aspiring tournament hold'em player
No-limit play is different from limit play; tournament play is different from ring-game play. In tournaments the blinds come marching irrepressibly around, and they get bigger and bigger. In a ring game, they march around but they stay the same size. What this means is that there is a certain urgency in tournament no-limit that doesn't exist in a ring game.
Harrington, one of the top players in the world, and a dead-on scientific and shrewdly psychological player, who is also a master chess player and a world class backgammon player, emphasizes this difference by making this book just volume one of a two-volume set. The second volume is sub-subtitled, "The Endgame" and focuses on the later stages of tournaments.
How valuable is this book? For the tournament player I would say that there is only one other book that is even in the same league; that's David Sklansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. But this book is better. Harrington's nearly exhaustive approach out-Sklanskys Sklansky. Scores of hands are analyzed in minute detail, the analysis typically covering several pages of text. Harrington begins with a diagram of the table, showing "your" position and that of the other players seated. He gives the amounts in each player's stack, the size of the blinds, the stage in the tournament (just starting, early, middle) and what kind of tournament it is, major, online, etc. And he identifies conservative and aggressive players.
Next he gives "your" hand and the action to you. For example, you have TdTh on the button and Player A passes, Player B raises x number of dollars....and now it's up to you. What I love about these illustrative hands is that Harrington gives first an analysis of the factors that a professional player would consider at that point, and then he gives his recommendation: fold, call, raise x number of dollars, etc.; and then he tells what "you" actually did--which is sometimes or even often, the wrong thing. And then he continues the hand to the flop and often all the way to the river, commending on every action.
How much to bet, Harrington says, can be calculated almost exactly in some cases. If you have top pair and you believe your only opponent is on a draw, you need to bet enough to make it unprofitable for him to call. If it is a turn bet and the pot is $900 and he has a flush draw he has a 9/46 = 19.57% chance of hitting his hand, or about one in five. So you need to bet more than one third of the pot to make it a mistake for him to call. But, as Harrington cautions several times in the book, you do not want to foolishly bet more than is necessary. Going all-in--an irresistible thrill for some tournament players--is silly when you can get the same result by betting a smaller amount.
Another nice point that Harrington makes is that whenever there is a bet and you are trying to figure out what the bettor has and whether you should call or not--always more of an art than a science, which is one of the great things about poker--you should put the probability of a bluff at at least ten percent.
What the reader realizes is that no-limit tournament hold'em poker is a very complex game and that there are almost always many things to consider before making any decision. Sometimes of course the decision is easy. You have the nut flush on an unpaired board at the river and it's bet to you. You raise, of course. But wait a minute! Is there somebody behind you yet to act? Maybe you should just call and try to get an overcall. And, by the way, just how much should you raise? Even if there is nobody else in the pot but you and the bettor, you need to consider just how big a raise he is likely to call. If you bet too much he may not call. If you bet too little you may not get as much out of the hand as you might.
You might say, Whoa, not everybody at the top plays this way. Surely Johnny Chan, for example, in his prime did not stop and figure out every angle before proceeding. He acted and reacted with lightning speed. Yes, but that is only because he had already figured out all the angles, had added them up and totaled them, so to speak as he went along; and when his opponent acted or he saw the next card, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Instantly, and perhaps somewhat unconsciously.
The "natural" player as opposed to the "scientific" player considers the same factors before acting, but he or she may put a different emphasis on certain values. The natural player may value position more than the scientific player (or it could be vice-versa), but regardless both players take into account the very factors that Harrington delineates before acting.
One thing that really made me sit up and notice is that Harrington's theory about profitable player styles includes not only his fairly conservative style, but the "aggressive" style and the "super-aggressive" style. His main point is that the more aggressive your style, the more alert, intense and sharp-witted you have to be. Wild players CAN win, but they have got to be able to read both the action and the other players extremely well since they are often walking the razor's edge.
Bottom line: Harrington's mastery of the game and his clear instruction make this a mandatory read for the aspiring tournament hold'em player.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
No-limit play is different from limit play; tournament play is different from ring-game play. In tournaments the blinds come marching irrepressibly around, and they get bigger and bigger. In a ring game, they march around but they stay the same size. What this means is that there is a certain urgency in tournament no-limit that doesn't exist in a ring game.
Harrington, one of the top players in the world, and a dead-on scientific and shrewdly psychological player, who is also a master chess player and a world class backgammon player, emphasizes this difference by making this book just volume one of a two-volume set. The second volume is sub-subtitled, "The Endgame" and focuses on the later stages of tournaments.
How valuable is this book? For the tournament player I would say that there is only one other book that is even in the same league; that's David Sklansky's Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. But this book is better. Harrington's nearly exhaustive approach out-Sklanskys Sklansky. Scores of hands are analyzed in minute detail, the analysis typically covering several pages of text. Harrington begins with a diagram of the table, showing "your" position and that of the other players seated. He gives the amounts in each player's stack, the size of the blinds, the stage in the tournament (just starting, early, middle) and what kind of tournament it is, major, online, etc. And he identifies conservative and aggressive players.
Next he gives "your" hand and the action to you. For example, you have TdTh on the button and Player A passes, Player B raises x number of dollars....and now it's up to you. What I love about these illustrative hands is that Harrington gives first an analysis of the factors that a professional player would consider at that point, and then he gives his recommendation: fold, call, raise x number of dollars, etc.; and then he tells what "you" actually did--which is sometimes or even often, the wrong thing. And then he continues the hand to the flop and often all the way to the river, commending on every action.
How much to bet, Harrington says, can be calculated almost exactly in some cases. If you have top pair and you believe your only opponent is on a draw, you need to bet enough to make it unprofitable for him to call. If it is a turn bet and the pot is $900 and he has a flush draw he has a 9/46 = 19.57% chance of hitting his hand, or about one in five. So you need to bet more than one third of the pot to make it a mistake for him to call. But, as Harrington cautions several times in the book, you do not want to foolishly bet more than is necessary. Going all-in--an irresistible thrill for some tournament players--is silly when you can get the same result by betting a smaller amount.
Another nice point that Harrington makes is that whenever there is a bet and you are trying to figure out what the bettor has and whether you should call or not--always more of an art than a science, which is one of the great things about poker--you should put the probability of a bluff at at least ten percent.
What the reader realizes is that no-limit tournament hold'em poker is a very complex game and that there are almost always many things to consider before making any decision. Sometimes of course the decision is easy. You have the nut flush on an unpaired board at the river and it's bet to you. You raise, of course. But wait a minute! Is there somebody behind you yet to act? Maybe you should just call and try to get an overcall. And, by the way, just how much should you raise? Even if there is nobody else in the pot but you and the bettor, you need to consider just how big a raise he is likely to call. If you bet too much he may not call. If you bet too little you may not get as much out of the hand as you might.
You might say, Whoa, not everybody at the top plays this way. Surely Johnny Chan, for example, in his prime did not stop and figure out every angle before proceeding. He acted and reacted with lightning speed. Yes, but that is only because he had already figured out all the angles, had added them up and totaled them, so to speak as he went along; and when his opponent acted or he saw the next card, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Instantly, and perhaps somewhat unconsciously.
The "natural" player as opposed to the "scientific" player considers the same factors before acting, but he or she may put a different emphasis on certain values. The natural player may value position more than the scientific player (or it could be vice-versa), but regardless both players take into account the very factors that Harrington delineates before acting.
One thing that really made me sit up and notice is that Harrington's theory about profitable player styles includes not only his fairly conservative style, but the "aggressive" style and the "super-aggressive" style. His main point is that the more aggressive your style, the more alert, intense and sharp-witted you have to be. Wild players CAN win, but they have got to be able to read both the action and the other players extremely well since they are often walking the razor's edge.
Bottom line: Harrington's mastery of the game and his clear instruction make this a mandatory read for the aspiring tournament hold'em player.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
June 9, 2023
This was incredibly informational. I've always like playing poker with the guys and have held my own in the past. With the massive explosion in Texas Hold'em's popularity, that has become the game of choice of my friends.
A friend, who is known as one of the best players in our group, mentioned these two books by Dan Harrington. If you got caught up in the ESPN WSOP telecasts with the infamous Chris Moneymaker winning, you may have seen Dan at the final table and described as one of the better overall players. His credentials do speak for themselves. He has a similar style to mine, more conservative and let the game come to him. I truly enjoyed this first book. It is really a 4.5 starts, but only one item is missing for me.
He starts with the basics of the game and what are "good" hands (of your two hole cards) and what are "bad" hands that people think are good. Then discusses betting patterns and the process to systematically win more chips (not necessarily pots) than lose chips over time in a game, tournament, or just in a fun evening.
He goes from Hands, positioning, identifying player-styles, stack size, and tendencies. It is a bit overwhelming to the novice player, but then he takes each of these in bite-sized portions to explain the strategy/philosophy. Very intriguing.
Then he gets into examples/problems of different hand combinations. He goes through this with initial cards (before the flop) and then after the flop on 4th street (turn) and 5th street (river). It is outstanding instruction.
The only thing missing is how to play against/set up different playing styles. I'm not a fan of playing with the very aggressive bettors, so I'd like more knowledge about that (hence the 4.5 stars). There is a Volume II, which I also own, and will be reading soon. He also had references a ton of other poker books out there.
Thanks to Dan Harrington for putting much of his knowledge (I'm sure not nearly everything he knows) into an instructional format. Good luck to every player and give this book a try.
A friend, who is known as one of the best players in our group, mentioned these two books by Dan Harrington. If you got caught up in the ESPN WSOP telecasts with the infamous Chris Moneymaker winning, you may have seen Dan at the final table and described as one of the better overall players. His credentials do speak for themselves. He has a similar style to mine, more conservative and let the game come to him. I truly enjoyed this first book. It is really a 4.5 starts, but only one item is missing for me.
He starts with the basics of the game and what are "good" hands (of your two hole cards) and what are "bad" hands that people think are good. Then discusses betting patterns and the process to systematically win more chips (not necessarily pots) than lose chips over time in a game, tournament, or just in a fun evening.
He goes from Hands, positioning, identifying player-styles, stack size, and tendencies. It is a bit overwhelming to the novice player, but then he takes each of these in bite-sized portions to explain the strategy/philosophy. Very intriguing.
Then he gets into examples/problems of different hand combinations. He goes through this with initial cards (before the flop) and then after the flop on 4th street (turn) and 5th street (river). It is outstanding instruction.
The only thing missing is how to play against/set up different playing styles. I'm not a fan of playing with the very aggressive bettors, so I'd like more knowledge about that (hence the 4.5 stars). There is a Volume II, which I also own, and will be reading soon. He also had references a ton of other poker books out there.
Thanks to Dan Harrington for putting much of his knowledge (I'm sure not nearly everything he knows) into an instructional format. Good luck to every player and give this book a try.
December 31, 2016
This is the only poker book I read, but it came very highly recommended and it didn't disappoint. It helped me transition from a total newbie to an above average newbie. I especially liked all the example hands in the book - helped a lot!
July 9, 2012
Not only the first volume of the best poker series I have ever read but also one of the best instructional books of any sort that I have ever read. Wonderfully concise introduction to the key concepts of tournament poker with opportunities to test your wits in real situations.
April 13, 2012
Superbly constructed book, wonderful insight into a fun but complex topic.
September 11, 2012
The Standard by which all other poker tournament strategy books must be measured. A classic.
June 2, 2015
At its' time the best book on tournament Hold'em.
September 29, 2015
Excellent and thorough covering of the basics as well as in depth explanation of a few different strategies. A must read
November 4, 2023
The original hold'em bible for the tight aggressive player.
February 21, 2021
Oh wait you’re saying I SHOULDN’T play A10 off out of position?? O.o
September 6, 2020
Maria Konnikova's "The Biggest Bluff" made me want to learn more about poker. She started by reading Harrington, and so did I.
The author succeeds at making the book a good introduction to amateurs, while leaving the impression that you are grappling with serious strategic questions in the problems outlined in the work. I have played poker a bit before, but not at the level where I calculate pot odds and the probability of a card that I want to see hitting me. Neither had I thought about table positioning, and strategic ways of how to extract information from other players. In other words, I had not really thought about anything, it seems.
I felt like being in university once again since I haven't learned a new skill for a while. It felt exhilarating going through the stages of learning. First, you do not understand odds or why not to play some hands. Then, it all seems too much - the odds, implied probabilities, outs. After a while, you slowly start realizing that many situations resemble each other, some odds and ways of thinking stick, and suddenly you know the answer to the questions posed by the author.
Using this knowledge in real life, under time pressure, with money at play, is a whole different matter, I suppose.
The author succeeds at making the book a good introduction to amateurs, while leaving the impression that you are grappling with serious strategic questions in the problems outlined in the work. I have played poker a bit before, but not at the level where I calculate pot odds and the probability of a card that I want to see hitting me. Neither had I thought about table positioning, and strategic ways of how to extract information from other players. In other words, I had not really thought about anything, it seems.
I felt like being in university once again since I haven't learned a new skill for a while. It felt exhilarating going through the stages of learning. First, you do not understand odds or why not to play some hands. Then, it all seems too much - the odds, implied probabilities, outs. After a while, you slowly start realizing that many situations resemble each other, some odds and ways of thinking stick, and suddenly you know the answer to the questions posed by the author.
Using this knowledge in real life, under time pressure, with money at play, is a whole different matter, I suppose.
August 5, 2022
Fantastic, straightforward, both a strong introduction and good deeper content depending on your ability level. I am sure that I will come back and read this book again. There's a lot of helpful tips here for thinking in terms of pot odds, play variance, and other important elements of basic poker strategy.
A couple notes on this book: It is (mostly) about deep stack poker tournaments, and although it has advice about other types of poker and is entirely correct about how insanely aggressive online poker betting is and the need to adjust, I would say the most value you will get out of this is for longer poker tournaments. The fundamentals don't change but you will likely struggle if you play this tight in shorter formats (and I believe the authors would agree and mention this).
Also, it's almost 20 years old. The fundamentals of pot odds haven't changed, but playstyles are even more aggressive today and a lot of people play based on far more advanced poker math than you can find here. Not really a criticism of this book, but if you are going to play in the types of tournaments that are being discussed here you will want to read some more updated material in addition to this more foundational text.
A couple notes on this book: It is (mostly) about deep stack poker tournaments, and although it has advice about other types of poker and is entirely correct about how insanely aggressive online poker betting is and the need to adjust, I would say the most value you will get out of this is for longer poker tournaments. The fundamentals don't change but you will likely struggle if you play this tight in shorter formats (and I believe the authors would agree and mention this).
Also, it's almost 20 years old. The fundamentals of pot odds haven't changed, but playstyles are even more aggressive today and a lot of people play based on far more advanced poker math than you can find here. Not really a criticism of this book, but if you are going to play in the types of tournaments that are being discussed here you will want to read some more updated material in addition to this more foundational text.
June 16, 2022
I was inspired to read
Harrington on Hold 'em
after reading
The Biggest Bluff
by Maria Konnikova. Reading about Konnikova's journey from amateur to poker professional is more entertaining than learning about poker itself (for me). I read half of Harrington and then lost interest. Watching
Molly's Game
also turned me off from the sport.
June 3, 2025
I’m reviewing my poker library after re-reading each of the books and formatting them for ease of reference.
Poker player experience level required: BEGINNER
Original publication date: 2004
Reviewed: 2025
Game: No Limit Hold‘Em
Book information is relevant at time of review: YES
Content:
Since Harrington's foundation of poker begins with the basics of conservative play, this book continues to stand the test of time.
His approach to pre-flop and post flop play is consistent and mostly reflects a current approach to attack a tournament structure. With the recent focus on positional charts, 3-bet pre-flop strategies, and GTO play this material is - in reality - the foundation for those academic approaches.
The book takes the same approach as his cash game books, breaking the concept down in to easy to understand material and then supporting it with examples from live play.
Still relevant, and still useful.
Poker player experience level required: BEGINNER
Original publication date: 2004
Reviewed: 2025
Game: No Limit Hold‘Em
Book information is relevant at time of review: YES
Content:
Since Harrington's foundation of poker begins with the basics of conservative play, this book continues to stand the test of time.
His approach to pre-flop and post flop play is consistent and mostly reflects a current approach to attack a tournament structure. With the recent focus on positional charts, 3-bet pre-flop strategies, and GTO play this material is - in reality - the foundation for those academic approaches.
The book takes the same approach as his cash game books, breaking the concept down in to easy to understand material and then supporting it with examples from live play.
Still relevant, and still useful.
July 10, 2024
Very good book on the basics of tournament No Limit Hold ‘Em, with fundamentals that are applicable to cash games. Introduces the idea of ranges, betting pre-flop and post flop, playing style, live reads, and most importantly, the influence of pot odds on NLH. Harrington’s breakdown of pot odds is really crucial for NLH, no matter your playing style or strategy, and his theories can be replicated in any probabilistic environment (such as investing, etc).
Harrington is a “conservative” professional poker player, which makes his particular strategy very beginner friendly. This is an easy book to consume for NLH players who know the rules of Hold ‘Em but may not be privy to the more advanced components of poker strategy. I really enjoyed Harrington’s commentary and his problems which let readers practice the concepts he has discussed.
Harrington is a “conservative” professional poker player, which makes his particular strategy very beginner friendly. This is an easy book to consume for NLH players who know the rules of Hold ‘Em but may not be privy to the more advanced components of poker strategy. I really enjoyed Harrington’s commentary and his problems which let readers practice the concepts he has discussed.
April 29, 2019
Pokerio klasika vadinama knyga. Nors ir senoka, tačiau joje aprašomos strategijos puikiai tinka ir šių dienų pokerio turnyrams, tiesa, gal skirtos labiau konservatyviems žaidėjams, tačiau kiekvienas gali prisitaikyti pagal savo žaidimo stilių.
Anglų kalba nesudėtinga (aišku pilna pokerio terminų), daug vaizdinės medžiagos, konkrečių pavyzdžių. Paprastai duodama situacija ir kalbama kaip galima ją sulošti priklausomai nuo pozicijos, turimų kortų, vietos turnyre ir pan. Mažai kalbama apie psichologinius dalykus, daugiau remiamasi skaičiavimais, tačiau laikomasi minties, kad padaryti klaidingą ėjimą tinkamu metu nėra pasaulio pabaiga.
Tiks išimtinai turnyrų lošėjams, tiek geriau įvaldant savo pasirinktas taktikas, tiek atpažįstant kokiu stiliumi lošia oponentai.
Anglų kalba nesudėtinga (aišku pilna pokerio terminų), daug vaizdinės medžiagos, konkrečių pavyzdžių. Paprastai duodama situacija ir kalbama kaip galima ją sulošti priklausomai nuo pozicijos, turimų kortų, vietos turnyre ir pan. Mažai kalbama apie psichologinius dalykus, daugiau remiamasi skaičiavimais, tačiau laikomasi minties, kad padaryti klaidingą ėjimą tinkamu metu nėra pasaulio pabaiga.
Tiks išimtinai turnyrų lošėjams, tiek geriau įvaldant savo pasirinktas taktikas, tiek atpažįstant kokiu stiliumi lošia oponentai.
June 9, 2017
A must read
This book breaks down each scenario that could occur in the early stages of a poker tournament. The authors teach the reader how to calculate pot odds which I never knew before (which are how much it costs you to be part of a pot). This book has inspired me to try a poker tournament at my local casino. I believe anyone can learn to play hold 'em with this book and practice.
This book breaks down each scenario that could occur in the early stages of a poker tournament. The authors teach the reader how to calculate pot odds which I never knew before (which are how much it costs you to be part of a pot). This book has inspired me to try a poker tournament at my local casino. I believe anyone can learn to play hold 'em with this book and practice.
February 11, 2018
I’m a very new poker player, and found this book incredibly helpful. I have a much better understanding of the fundamentals of how and when to bet, and when to fold. There are extensive examples throughout, presented as problems “What should you do in this situation?” which really helps reinforce the theories presented.
It has improved my game massively, and would recommend it to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of poker.
It has improved my game massively, and would recommend it to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of poker.
April 21, 2018
Must-read for beginners and seasoned players alike
Easy to read. Great introduction to basic tournament skills. Some brief introduction to more advanced skills to prompt readers to more advanced readings. Affords solid insight into thought processes and tactics of a well respected champion and his not insignificant number of poker disciples. Can provide a solid foundation if studied, or help a more mature player refine their game on review.
Easy to read. Great introduction to basic tournament skills. Some brief introduction to more advanced skills to prompt readers to more advanced readings. Affords solid insight into thought processes and tactics of a well respected champion and his not insignificant number of poker disciples. Can provide a solid foundation if studied, or help a more mature player refine their game on review.
September 22, 2020
Absolutely essential introduction for getting serious about Poker. Through the sheer quantity of sample hands presented here, I think I'm finally getting the mechanics and tactics of poker. Harrington is indefatigable in all these.
However, the actual writing and organization of the book were a bit bewildering. Some definitions were too thin, unclear. And the sequencing of ideas was confusing.
However, the actual writing and organization of the book were a bit bewildering. Some definitions were too thin, unclear. And the sequencing of ideas was confusing.
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