No-Limit Hold 'em For Advanced Players: Emphasis on Tough Games

by Matthew Janda

In 2003 poker was put on television and no-limit hold em quickly became the most popular form of poker played in casinos, public cardrooms, and on the Internet. At first, because of the newness of the game to most participants, they could be easily be beaten by players with only a moderate knowledge of sophisticated strategy. But today, this is no longer the case. Even though no-limit hold em is not, from a Game Theory perspective, a solved game, many ideas and concepts which come from this branch of mathematics now play an important role in a strong, winning no-limit hold em strategy. But it s also important for the expert player to know when to leave what is known about optimal play and switch to exploitative strategies to maximize his profit. And this brings us to No-Limit Hold em for Advanced Players, Emphasis on Tough Games by Matthew Janda. In this text, Janda spends much time discussing sophisticated strategies that should be employed against tough opposition, some of which has never been published before. He then supports his ideas with the modern advanced software programs of PokerSnowie and PioSOLVER. Topics covered include, but not limited to, Linear, Condensed, and Polarized Ranges, Raising First In As the Button, Understanding High Variance Plays, Turn Play and Overbets, Understanding Counter Strategies, Opening Frequencies Based on Stack Depth, Playing Short in Button vs Big Blind Situations, and Denying Your Opponents Equity While Realizing Ours.

Genres: Games

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2017

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were to summarize the aim of this book into one phrase, it would be that it aims to teach the reader the correct thought process to think about poker decisions (or at least what is currently thought to be correct). It is a thought process that is in line with, and can make sense of, decisions calculated by advanced tools like PokerSnowie and PioSolver. The book covers all aspect of a pokerhand, from preflop ranges to river decisions, and also includes some chapters on shortstack play. The concepts are applicable both in cashgames and in tournaments. Don't expect overviews of what to do in every possible situation. Although there are a lot of examples which cover a lot of common spots, and these include a lot of interesting information about what tools like Snowie and Pio think about these spots, the main aim of them is to teach the underlying though process, to allow you to adapt the same thinking in other spots. And I must say it does a really good job at that. Compared to Janda's previous book 'Applications of No-Limit Hold'em', this book contains less abstract mathematics, is more focused on practical thinking during a hand, and has already had an immediate impact on the way I play and think about hands. Furthermore, given the advanced concepts it addresses, it does a remarkebly good job of keeping it easily digestible and very well readable. That makes it both the most useful and the best written pokerbook in my collection.

The subtitle 'Emphasis on Tough Games' is kind of misleading, because the thought process the book teaches you is applicable to both GTO and exploitative decision making, and will just as well elevate your game in a €10 SNG as it would in a 400NL cashgame. I would advise this book to anyone who is familiar with ABC poker and wants to take their game to the next level, regardless of the stakes you play.

[Wilson Carlisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sound, concise overview of what's going on in terms of strategy in today's High Stakes No-Limit Hold'em cash games. The author utilizes his knowledge and known knowledge of solvers such as PokerSNOWIE and PioSolver, and carefully explains these findings in detail, and why certain plays may be correct, and some may not. Really enjoyed reading the book from start to finish nearly a year ago, and I still use it as a studying tool at least a couple times per month.

[Pranav · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good update to Matthew Janda's previous book on poker strategy - a few good pieces of strategy advice here (c-betting your entire range with a small size) and some clarification as to how betting size increases as a range becomes more polarized.

[Edward Kuruliouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably better than Applications. Might be the best poker book on the market.

[Eric Thim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for online midstakes+ players and 5/10+ live players.

[Mark Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and thought provoking. I love all the example hands, and how they are supported with computer simulation numbers. I see this style of computer aided analysis as the indispensable future of poker. Looking forward to reading Applications.