Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31213 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 369 pages

Customer Reviews

Well worth the Price
This book will probably pay for itself within a few days if you study it's contents diligently.

The small-stakes games on the internet, and those home games between friends, are notorious for being populated by many poor players. By poor I mean that they play far too many hands pre-flop and that they often play hands for far too long e.g.they'll often call with hands like J-8 offsuit reasoning that 'any hand can be a winner', and will often play Ace high hands to the showdown just because they have an Ace. Given these tendencies of weak players, Ed Miller describes the startegy and thinking processes you must go through to exploit weak players to the max.

One of the most useful sections of the book is devoted to pre-flop play. It's summerised with the use of tables indicating what hands you should play, given your position, action so far in the hand, and the number of players who usually see the flop. If you remain disciplined and stick to just these hands, then you should see an immediate improvement-mainly by not losing as much through calling pre-flop with very mediocre hands.

Miller then moves onto post-flop concepts, which are far more important and difficult than pre-flop decisions. If you can understand the concepts, and I really do mean understand, then post-flop will become much more profitable for you.

The book ends with a large hand quiz. To get the maximum benefit from this quiz, really think about the question before you look at Miller's answers. You'll be able to pin-point where your game is going wrong, and also which parts of the book you might need to re-read.

In conclusion: A fantasic book which, once studied thoroughly, will reap vast rewards.

Definitely the first poker book you should pick up
This book, I believe, is the first one anybody should pick up, if they're looking to improve their skills at the poker table. It explains concepts far more clearly and concisely than does Sklansky and Malmuth's Hold'em for Advanced Players, which I - like most readers, I think -had a fairly hard time getting through the first time I picked it up.

There is nothing that stands out as a noticeable shortcoming, although I think that readers may initially have a little trouble getting comfortable with the more aggressive style of play the book recommends. That being said, aggressive play is essential to improving your poker skills.

The sections on post-flop play are outstanding; in fact that's probably the most important piece of advice I internalized from this book: there are so many books and websites out there that devote tons of time to laying out preflop charts and guidelines, when post-flop play is exponentially more complex and important. I think readers still may not be equipped to handle the tougher games against super-aggressive opponents, but this book will go a long way toward helping you clean up against your buddies at your next poker night, or in the internet poker rooms - I was initially hesitant about doing the online thing, but you can find some free money sign-up bonus codes floating around the internet that will make it worthwhile...I find that POKERCROAKER.COM updates their codes frequently. Bottom line is that this is where I recommend all of my friends begin their reading; by far the best and most concisely written book I've read on the topic.

Superb
This is by far the best work I've read on how to play Hold'em. The book simply lays out the different aspects of the game in easy to digest sections. There is a lot to read, but then again there is a lot to learn. If you're looking to improve your play on small stake tables this book is your bible.

All in all, this book is a must buy. £12 is a small price to pay for a lifetime of improved pay at the table.

Definately recommended.