Customer Reviews

Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is more or less considered the 'bible' for texas hold'em players, and for good reason: Sklansky and Malmuth are recognized as the leading authorities on poker strategy. While HPFAP is a difficult read, nearly every single aspect of proper hold'em strategy is covered in excruciating detail. While I would suggest picking up less complex books to start out with (look for Lee Jones'), this is a must read for all serious hold'em players.

Now for some constructive criticism: this is by no means a beginner's book - a lot of novices have heard the authors praised and figure they should run out and buy this book. I'll warn you now that unless you've got 6 to 12 months of hold'em experience, the writing in this book will be WAY over your head. It's not just the terminology, but the authors assume that readers are already well-versed in all basic hold'em strategies. The first time I read the book, it seemed utterly nonsensical. Only now that I go back and re-read it do I truly understand what the authors are talking about in many places.

Where to apply the poker tools this book gives you? Anywhere, really - I used to play at my local casino 4 times / wk, but now play almost exclusively online, since play goes so much faster - I go out of my mind with boredom when I try and sit at a casino nowadays. Any of the major online poker sites are more or less as good as each other - another post here led me to pokercroaker.com which has site reviews for all of them to help you pick, and even has signup bonus codes that will get you free bonus money when you open an account. A lot of people have said that Sklansky & Malmuth's advice doesn't translate well to the sometimes wild online games, but I disagree: the tight-aggressive strategy they promote is in fact perfect for these games, although you should expect your variance to be higher.

The Best Book on hold'em Bar none (at least for limit) this book is THE resource to use if you want to beat limit games.

Every time I read through this book I learn something new or remember something I've forgotten because there is so much good info. For new players the hand ranking tables alone are probably worth the purchase price. Many of the plays described target higher quality players than are usually found at the low limits but keeping an open mind and understanding the reasons described for making the play are probably more valuable lessons anyway. The question and answer sections finish off the work nicely helping the reader to figure out how much they've learned and how much they still don't know.

This is more or less considered the 'bible' for texas hold'em players, and for good reason: Sklansky and Malmuth are recognized as the leading authorities on poker strategy. While HPFAP is a difficult read, nearly every single aspect of proper hold'em strategy is covered in excruciating detail. While I would suggest picking up less complex books to start out with (look for Lee Jones'), this is a must read for all serious hold'em players.

Now for some constructive criticism: this is by no means a beginner's book - a lot of novices have heard the authors praised and figure they should run out and buy this book. I'll warn you now that unless you've got 6 to 12 months of hold'em experience, the writing in this book will be WAY over your head. It's not just the terminology, but the authors assume that readers are already well-versed in all basic hold'em strategies. The first time I read the book, it seemed utterly nonsensical. Only now that I go back and re-read it do I truly understand what the authors are talking about in many places.

Where to apply the poker tools this book gives you? Anywhere, really - I used to play at my local casino 4 times / wk, but now play almost exclusively online, since play goes so much faster - I go out of my mind with boredom when I try and sit at a casino nowadays. Any of the major online poker sites are more or less as good as each other - another post here led me to pokercroaker.com which has site reviews for all of them to help you pick, and even has signup bonus codes that will get you free bonus money when you open an account. A lot of people have said that Sklansky & Malmuth's advice doesn't translate well to the sometimes wild online games, but I disagree: the tight-aggressive strategy they promote is in fact perfect for these games, although you should expect your variance to be higher.

The name of the book implies that it is only for advanced players but a significant portion of the book is dedicated to hand rankings and their correlation with position play. Although the points are nice to review over, most "advanced" poker players would have a solid foundation on the basics of preflop play.

In light of this, I would think that this is actually a book that is well suited for beginners as well. The book follows a systematic formula which describes more advanced information such as specific hands and how they are to be played in the latter half of the book while the opening parts give the readers a general idea of how to start your preflop play. In this fashion, beginners can follow the book chronologically and practice the "theory" as he/she advances in their game. This practical application is extremely important from my point of view.

Overall, I think that there is value in owning a copy of this book, especially if you're in the beginner-intermediate skill level range. More advanced players may prefer books that are solely dedicated to less techincal aspects of the game and more into strategic play.

This IS the bible to limit hold'em....a must have.

This book has changed my strategies while playing poker amongst friends in tournament style play approx 12-20 person tourny. I used to average 6th place finishes and now I make final table and money about 75% of the time. The book was very easy to understand and has a lot of good tips. Practice them and see the end results. It may not make you tons and tons of money but it will increase your chances of winnig pots and enjoy staying in the game longer - pick up other books for reading people but this one is great for postion information, starting hands, reraising, slow playing tips and more...

This was a very Enjoyable Book. It provided important and useful concepts about the game of Poker. I learned new concepts, which identified some leaks in my game. Leaks in your game can come from anywhere!!! Leaks can originate from lack of aggression, overcalling raises, misreading opponents and any other number of ways. So this book helps. Many people look at poker the wrong way. They think to win they need to do all of this super fancy plays and mindblowing stunts. Well folks...there are not that many options in poker...you fold, call or raise. So its really hard to do thinks that will just fool your opponents all the time. To win at poker it is mostly limiting your mistakes and getting all that you can from winning hands and minimizing losses on losing hands...that's it

Ive been playing for about 5 years now and love the game. Ive read many poker books and found this one to be very good. So I would suggest you buy this book and maybe a couple others and get to playing. There's really no excuse anymore - since anyone can access the internet. (...)

If you happen to be a poker novice, this book is not for you. But, understanding basic terminology and strategy will make this a nice addition to your poker literature. Many different scenarios and strategies are examined by Skalansky and Mason Malmuth, including semi-bluffing, check-raising, and statistical probabilities. Folks who love playing poker 'by the numbers', and calculating odds to make a decision at the tables will love this book. It has so many different scenarios and charts, you'll be in heaven. However, for those (like me) who prefers to read opponents to stone cold numerical odds, you'll find this book a bit too bland. There is almost nothing about the body language or science of opponent reads, and the book almost invites you to base your decision purely on numerical data, a mistake which can be costly. In the end, this book is a nice addition to a poker player's collection. It reads like a large set of 'If/Then' statements at times (i.e.- If you have ____ and the flop is ____, then ____...), but is overall enjoyable. Definitely worth the money. (...)

This a fantastic book for the advanced player looking to
further his knowledge on the game to a knew level.

Be warned though, this book is not guarnteed to make you a great poker player. The old adage remains true, "practice makes perfect". And that was never more true than in the game of poker.

Also know this, good poker players don't make their money off other good poker players. Play with good players when you need to sharpen you skills, then play the weaker players who have not researched and practiced as you have.

Where should you practice? Where can you find a lot of these weak players and advanced mixed together waiting for you to challenege them?

Well without a doubt the best place to look is the Party Poker online cardroom. This is where all the action is.

If you want to play at Party Poker then be sure to use this Bonus Code to receive a $25 dollar bonus on your first deposit: LOOT99