 "Good but it never distinguises "Limit" from "No Limit" Poker..." | 2009-04-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1WFF74N8PI71S |
| This is a good starter book, but inexplicably Skalansky, and Malmuth never make it clear at any time if they are suggesting stategies for "Limit" or "No Limit" games, and as we all know, concepts completely change depending on which game you are playing! If anything the book seems more catered toward limit play, but the fact that there was never a clear distinction at any time, really annoyed me. This book is way overrated, everyone said for me to read it, but I'm sure there's better Texas Hold 'Em books out there. Let's start by explaining if concepts are for "Limit" or "No Limit" thats a huge difference, and a distintion must be made when talking about strategy! |
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 "Love it or hate it, the world wouldn't be the same without Sklansky's books." | 2009-04-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: AKYN7ZSE75JV1 |
I feel like people are in two camps about Sklansky, and there are times when these two camps appear to find as much common ground as listeners of Rush Limbaugh and Obama campaign volunteers. Well, maybe a little more than that. Still, there's a lot of difference. One side finds Sklansky too dry, technical, unrealistic about how people really play, and just a bunch of mathematical postulating with little practical value. The other side seems to think that Sklansky is the seer of poker theory, that he has the ability to single-handedly determine the correctness of any poker play, and that all his complicated formulas and theories can turn anyone into a winning player, if they only study his books to exhaustion. I may be overstating slightly, but based on the other reviews for this book, I don't think I am exaggerating too much (btw, I'm not sure which side are the Rush listeners, perhaps both).
Well, I'm in both camps about Sklansky, and this book serves as a great example of why. I think there is no doubt that Sklansky's poker theory is virtually unmatched, even in this new age of internet poker players, many of whom could, if they so chose, be associate professors at MIT (but why would they, considering how much they can make playing a card game online.) He does a fantastic job really fleshing out the many details in making proper choices. It does get very complicated, but it has to be in order to take all the details into account. Any attempt to give a correct answer requires an acknowledgement of all those details. Anything short of that is intellectually dishonest, and most likely wrong.
On the other hand, Sklansky does not do himself any favors in his manner of writing. His insistence on accurately and fully explaining his recommendations, often do more to cloud his recommendation than to clarify. Great poker theory does have to be complicated, because poker is a complicated game, but it doesn't have to be death to read. Additionally, Sklansky has a particular blindness when it comes to poker, in that he thinks all the theory can, in itself, make you a good poker player. I think it helps to add a dose of Mattew Hilger, whenever reading Sklansky, and it'll make you a more complete player.
I've said a lot without saying a lot about the book specifically. So, in brief, this offers a lot of the value that Sklansky's Theory of Poker offers, but with a focus just on Hold'em and with a bit more practical advice, assuming you are advanced enough to know how to implement a numerically-based poker style, and complicated plays within your overall poker strategy. It's a challenging book, but to write it off without putting in a serious effort to understand Sklansky's viewpoints means consigning yourself to a level of mediocrity, because you need to know this stuff when you get to a certain point in your poker career. Take that as you will. |
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 "2 + 2 publishing will make you a better player" | 2008-12-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: ADUAM04L78WWM |
If you want to become a better poker player and are willing to invest the time and resources (brain power) to do so, this book WILL, without a doubt, serve you well. Those who have read anything from 2 + 2 publishing understand that the foundation for poker is based in probability and expectation. It is for that reason this book is not an easy read. It is a textbook. It is very effective one at that. Sklansky goes beyond the fundamentals to provide insight into specific plays that produce positive mathematical expectations in a variety of circumstances. This book is for the person who is looking to study the game of poker and become a better player. It will not fit the guy who is looking for the fast, easy way to do... well anything.
If you are new to the game or are still fine tuning the basics in your home game (counting outs, understanding pot odds and position play) I recommend investing some time in some other books before this one.
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 "Don'y buy this if you're after advice on NO LIMIT HOLDEM" | 2008-08-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2P5SRKWAWWE9Y |
Primarily for LIMIT HOLDEM not for no limit (which is my prefernace). This wasn't clear in the descriptive text.
Excellent for Limit PLayers, but essentially a very different game than "NO LIMIT". For No LIMIT POKER you can do alot better than this. |
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| "Something You Cannot Read Just Once" | 2008-01-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3QXFMHA96AA8N |
This book is extremely good for gaining a solid foundation of Texas Hold 'em. I read it on and off for around 6 months and realized that while I learned some valuable lessons and picked up important bits of information I need to read it over and over again to truly take in everything that is being said. For me it is like a good movie that you see once and figure you saw it all only to watch it again and pick up something new, then a while later watch it again and see even more that was missed.
I highly recommend this book for students of the game. This is essential reading if you want to compete seriously. Even if you think you know it all and the book makes sense, read it carefully and understand that many serious players have read, re-read and learned significantly from this and the other classics. It will help your game. |
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| "read, study, play, reread" | 2008-01-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2O9L2LA6Z5LXJ |
Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players is simply the best single volume study of Hold 'em as it is played today that I have ever read. It is endlessly informative, rich in detail and illustrations, complex in its treatment of complicated concepts, and insightful in every important way. It omits nothing of any importance to the game.
The book begins with a consideration of general starting hands requirements, adjusted for playing style, position, etc., and follows through on the play of each, as well as general considerations for each type or class of hand, and its relation to the innumerable factors impacting expectation or the play of other. Once this analysis is dealt with, Sklansky deals with a whole series of more individual or isolated cases or concepts and miscellaneous topics. The important details considered are too many to list here; Hold 'em played well is an enormously complex game, and Sklansky addresses it from every angle.
Sklansky's writing style is very dense. He does not blather on about his personal experiences, drop names, or chat; he instructs in the style of a particularily dry math or statistics professor. He is direct, thorough, and exhaustive (sometimes exhausting). You will not read this book in one sitting and become a professional caliber player. You need to play, then return to the book and read much of it again; upon doing so the reader will find, again and again, that now he finally really understands some new concept. It is a work of extremely subtle and complex analysis.
Nobody playing Hold 'em for money today can do without this book. |
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