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Power Hold'em Strategy
Super Stars of Hold'em does for hold'em what Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 did for poker. Negreanu gathers together the greatest young players, theorists, and world champions of hold'em, to present insider professional secrets and winning strategies for the only poker game that counts nowadays-hold'em. Ten powerful chapters cover every aspect of the major hold'em games-limit, no-limit, and pot-limit for cash games and tournaments -- with in-depth coverage on all aspects of play. This weighty volume will be an instant classic-poker players cannot ignore the professional advice from the greatest stars of the game.
- GenresNonfictionGamesSports
504 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2007
217 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Negreanu
25 books20 followersDaniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour championship titles.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 22, 2023
4.75 ⭐️— A true, definitive guide to the world of No Limit Texas Hold ‘em’ & at the same time an extremely well written, telling & somewhat poetically strategic brilliance, with nuance, subtly & yet also brute force, all wrapped up into one big ‘Poker Bible’ — A true must-read for any poker player.
March 3, 2020
Good beginner to intermediate book for poker.
The writers walk you through hands and explain the strategy behind the moves. Playing small ball tournament poker, to last longer in each event that you enter.
Big Don D
The writers walk you through hands and explain the strategy behind the moves. Playing small ball tournament poker, to last longer in each event that you enter.
Big Don D
May 27, 2016
Skip to the Negreanu section. It's going to be the most informative, helpful, and profitable toward your sessions.
There are a lot of variables in poker. Every person is different; therefore, everyone's approach to the game is going to be different. However, you should always stick to your style while also switching gears and playing the opposite of the table (tight in a loose game, loose in a tight game).
That said, Negreanu makes some great points about appearing weak and allowing your opponent to lead (even though that will no longer work for him). The most important quote in this book (for me) was a brief mention of an old player Daniel used to know. I don't remember it word for word, but it was something along the lines of, "Why do the pushing when the donkeys will do all the pulling?" Brilliant. Then again, I'm a much better defensive player than offensive player, so it works for me -- might not work for you.
The small ball approach can greatly reduce stress and give skill a much bigger role (you play smaller pots so you have to grind your way to the top opposed to losing on one unlucky hand where you lose all your chips).
Recommended, but skip right to the Negreanu section. Still well worth the investment (time and money).
There are a lot of variables in poker. Every person is different; therefore, everyone's approach to the game is going to be different. However, you should always stick to your style while also switching gears and playing the opposite of the table (tight in a loose game, loose in a tight game).
That said, Negreanu makes some great points about appearing weak and allowing your opponent to lead (even though that will no longer work for him). The most important quote in this book (for me) was a brief mention of an old player Daniel used to know. I don't remember it word for word, but it was something along the lines of, "Why do the pushing when the donkeys will do all the pulling?" Brilliant. Then again, I'm a much better defensive player than offensive player, so it works for me -- might not work for you.
The small ball approach can greatly reduce stress and give skill a much bigger role (you play smaller pots so you have to grind your way to the top opposed to losing on one unlucky hand where you lose all your chips).
Recommended, but skip right to the Negreanu section. Still well worth the investment (time and money).
July 29, 2015
There are so many poker books out there, but there should be only three that you would read. Doyle Brunson's Super System, Doyle Brunson's Super System II and this one. Daniel is one of the best poker players in the world and here is his book, if you know him than this is enough, if you don't, Daniel has won millions of dollars in poker, and he is giving you some of his knowledge in this book. Make sure you give it a read before entering any tournaments.
April 4, 2012
A lot of the advice given in this book was not particularly useful, though I really did enjoy the chapters by Negreanu and David Williams. If I were to recommend this book to a friend, I would just tell them to skip everything else in the book.
December 15, 2015
Read through each of the co-authors that contributed to this book and gleaned from each of their strategies. Particular liked Daniel Negranu's Small Ball strategy. So much info in here will need to try and master parts of this, then re-read and undoubtedly learn more.
May 1, 2025
I read this book about a year after I joined a group of about twelve friends playing Texas Hold'em once a month. I never won before I read the book. It's been three years I've been playing now and I've won first or second place at least six times since, so I went from 0% win rate in year one, to 25% win rate in the last two years. Not bad. Having said that, I don't think the strategy's explained in this book helped me. I don't think I purposely ever used any of them to play my hands. Much of the book show's different players sharing what they do when they get different hands and in different situations. Most of them more agressive than me. I'm more conservative in general, waiting for my moves, which may depend on reading the table as much as what I actually have in my hand. I have developed my own methods and my own instincts and some of it's just gut instinct.
I think the book did help me though. I read a little bit every night before I go to bed. While I was reading this book (over a period of a few months), I was exposing myself to this game every day. I was thinking about it during each day more. I was becoming more comfortable with it, and I think I was gaining confidence in my ability to play during all this time. Shortly before I finished reading the book, I won for the first time. Then I won the next month too. There are very good strategies in this book and I think there are also a lot of strategies that can burn you, especially when you have limited chips and once your out your out. I think if I just followed the advice of what to do with certain hands expressed in the book, I probably would lose more (althouogh they obviously worked for the pros sharing their method in the book). I think the book helped me just by making me think about Texas Hold'em every day. I invested my time and thought into it, and just learned what works for me during that same time. I recommend the book to new Texas Hold'em players with that caveat. Immerse yourself in it, but take their advice with a grain of salt.
I think the book did help me though. I read a little bit every night before I go to bed. While I was reading this book (over a period of a few months), I was exposing myself to this game every day. I was thinking about it during each day more. I was becoming more comfortable with it, and I think I was gaining confidence in my ability to play during all this time. Shortly before I finished reading the book, I won for the first time. Then I won the next month too. There are very good strategies in this book and I think there are also a lot of strategies that can burn you, especially when you have limited chips and once your out your out. I think if I just followed the advice of what to do with certain hands expressed in the book, I probably would lose more (althouogh they obviously worked for the pros sharing their method in the book). I think the book helped me just by making me think about Texas Hold'em every day. I invested my time and thought into it, and just learned what works for me during that same time. I recommend the book to new Texas Hold'em players with that caveat. Immerse yourself in it, but take their advice with a grain of salt.
April 28, 2018
Great book to inform serious players to situations that arise while playing and to provide potential solutions. Any information on playing poker seriously, such as this, should be taken with a grain of salt since in the realm of live poker especially there is vast amount of diversiy of the factors that have to be considered. Accumulating personal experience is the best way to understand what information about playing the game is relavant to YOU.
That being said, reading through the book has reminded me of all the situations i have experienced playing the game and in a sense confirmed my thoughts of what was the best course of action at the time. Also brought clarity of the actions i have made that i had no understanding of the reasons why i took them whether right or wrong at the time.
This book has helped my get my bearings of what i do know, what i don't know, what is need to know, and what i may need to relearn. That is the value i got from this book.
That being said, reading through the book has reminded me of all the situations i have experienced playing the game and in a sense confirmed my thoughts of what was the best course of action at the time. Also brought clarity of the actions i have made that i had no understanding of the reasons why i took them whether right or wrong at the time.
This book has helped my get my bearings of what i do know, what i don't know, what is need to know, and what i may need to relearn. That is the value i got from this book.
August 24, 2024
I’ve been playing poker since I was about 12, and this book still thought me a ton! That being said, I did have a tough time figuring out who this book is targeting, since some sections seem to be for beginners while other sections are far more advanced. I came to the conclusion that this book is likely meant for the intermediate “casual” player who knows enough about poker to understand the basic principles and lingo of the game.
The book is broken up into 6 sections written by 6 different poker professional. Ending with Negreanus section. I loved this structure being that every pro had their take on strategy, and gave unique advice based on their own perception of the game. The problem with this, is that much of the advice happened to repeat multiple times.
Overall, this is a fantastic book for casual poker players looking to get their game up, but keep in mind that some repeated sections, or sections outside the scope of your skill set, can easily be skipped.
The book is broken up into 6 sections written by 6 different poker professional. Ending with Negreanus section. I loved this structure being that every pro had their take on strategy, and gave unique advice based on their own perception of the game. The problem with this, is that much of the advice happened to repeat multiple times.
Overall, this is a fantastic book for casual poker players looking to get their game up, but keep in mind that some repeated sections, or sections outside the scope of your skill set, can easily be skipped.
February 20, 2018
The first several chapters are pretty common stuff, picked up small thing up from all the different players and their styles. I like that there is a mix of aggressive and conservative players explaining their strategies. The best section was Daniel's explanations of turn plays. The Chan play is a nice weapon to add to the tool box. Also his explanation of how the Chan play sets you up nicely to run a lot of bluffs is great and works well for me.
January 30, 2025
Würde das Buch, wenn überhaupt, Fortgeschrittenen empfehlen. Und dann auch nur den Teil von Negreanu, falls die Smallball Strategie noch nicht bekannt ist.
Regelmäßige Turnierspieler werden die Strategie jedoch vermutlich bereits kennen, da sie stark verbreitet ist.
Kein Muss unter den Pokerbüchern.
Regelmäßige Turnierspieler werden die Strategie jedoch vermutlich bereits kennen, da sie stark verbreitet ist.
Kein Muss unter den Pokerbüchern.
July 7, 2021
Very good poker book, specially the examples at the end of the book. Overall a good book. The small ball strategy is already implemented everywhere and also seems that this strategy is countered a lot today by aggro 3 bet bluffs, specially in tournaments. But useful examples and opinions.
December 26, 2019
Smallball is about keeping the pot small and waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. ”Why to risk going all in with AA when u can win little by little without risking anything.”
April 18, 2020
This book is perfect
January 19, 2021
Far from the best book on Poker.
It does have some interesting chapters mainly Negreanu's approach » the small ball. Still some better books available as alternatives
It does have some interesting chapters mainly Negreanu's approach » the small ball. Still some better books available as alternatives
November 16, 2023
great book
Good job Dan, really helped me look at my game from a different perspective and different plays. Can’t wait to try!
Good job Dan, really helped me look at my game from a different perspective and different plays. Can’t wait to try!
January 23, 2017
Imagine learning how to play poker from the leader on the all time money list, someone who has made over $30 million from poker, someone who is considered as one of the best poker players the world had ever seen. With Daniel Negreanu’s Power Hold’Em Strategy, you can learn from the best of the best. Daniel Negreanu, along with other professionals such as Todd Brunson, and David Williams. The way Daniel teaches his ‘Small Ball” poker approach makes you wanting to turn over every page. Daniel will improve your game. If you follow all the steps in the book, you will turn from a losing player to a consistent winning player. He even gives you a glimpse into the life of a professional poker player.
Daniel does an astonishing job of describing his strategies. While he makes it very informative, he also uses his usual humour and wit to make it quite entertaining and even funny at some points. The book is easily read, he even makes a glossary at the end of the book for the more beginner players who may not understand what all of the terms mean. I do wish that he went into more detail about his life as a poker player, and when he decided he was going to try to make it as a pro.
I would recommend this book for anyone over the ages of 15, and for people who have good knowledge and a solid understanding of the game. Overall, if you are looking to become a better poker player, this is the right book for you.
Daniel does an astonishing job of describing his strategies. While he makes it very informative, he also uses his usual humour and wit to make it quite entertaining and even funny at some points. The book is easily read, he even makes a glossary at the end of the book for the more beginner players who may not understand what all of the terms mean. I do wish that he went into more detail about his life as a poker player, and when he decided he was going to try to make it as a pro.
I would recommend this book for anyone over the ages of 15, and for people who have good knowledge and a solid understanding of the game. Overall, if you are looking to become a better poker player, this is the right book for you.
August 9, 2016
Good book about "small ball".
I only liked Daniel Negreanu's part (and David Williams one, a bit), though.
Interesting to see that technic developed, leading the player to less aggression in tournament than what is usually recommended. Off course he cannot teach us the whole big part of player-reading, and tells-perceiving that are necessary to go with "small ball", which is a lot of post-flop play.
I only liked Daniel Negreanu's part (and David Williams one, a bit), though.
Interesting to see that technic developed, leading the player to less aggression in tournament than what is usually recommended. Off course he cannot teach us the whole big part of player-reading, and tells-perceiving that are necessary to go with "small ball", which is a lot of post-flop play.
March 10, 2009
The first half of the book was written by several of Daniel's friends. The reason I bought the book was because I wanted to learn poker skills from my favorite player, so I was disappointed. But I powered through until I finally reached Daniel's section and was disappointed. He writes strategy in an easy to understand language.
July 13, 2009
The sections in this book by David Williams and Daniel Negreanu are must reads for anyone serious about poker strategy. This is the first book that I've read (and I've read a lot of poker books) that, when discussing strategy for a given hand, talks about the position of everyone at the table, chip stacks, blinds, what you know about your opponent, what your table image is, etc...
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August 9, 2011If you've played just enough poker to get killed at local tournaments, then this is the book for you.
Most sections are introductory, but Negreanu's conclusion about the philosophy of "small ball" was more challenging.
I found the first chapter by Evelyn Ng for novices especially helpful.
Most sections are introductory, but Negreanu's conclusion about the philosophy of "small ball" was more challenging.
I found the first chapter by Evelyn Ng for novices especially helpful.
April 5, 2015
I never thought that I would get anything out of a poker strategy book but this book was very good. The first section of beginner strategies wasn't much good to me but I found that the rest was helpfull. The chaperst were well laid out and progressed in a logical manner. The use of "in hand" examples was good and not overdone. Good all round poker strategy book.
October 6, 2010
Completely changed my approach at playing poker. Well written articles rehash a lot of what I've read before, but actually give a glimpse of the mind of a 'wildcard' poker player. Lots of good points and excellent examples throughout.
June 2, 2013
Some helpful tips, but don't expect this to help you understand Negreanu's playing -- I've NEVER seen him follow ANYTHING from this book, even in the exact same circumstance.
It's useful advice for your general playing, though. . .
It's useful advice for your general playing, though. . .
April 23, 2015
Good slow ball info, but the rest is very common knowledge.
August 6, 2016
Negreanu's chapter on "small ball" play is worth the price of the book alone.
December 23, 2022
A game changer! My plays started generating money after I internalized this book and used it to develop my own game plans.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews