Customer Reviews

Small Stakes Hold'em

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

If you play limit hold'em you have to own this book. I've read Cloutier/McEvoy but it doesn't hold a candle to Small Stakes Hold'em.

It was the 11th poker book I bought. I wish it had been the second. It's not for complete newbies. Once you know the mechanics of the game and what beats what, it's priceless. It holds so many valuable concepts that other books don't really get into (hidden outs, the value of suited cards at loose, low-limit games, and why you love those players that never fold).

Since I read SSHE and got back to limit hold'em, I've made a killing. In 11 days of playing 6-max online (at .50/$1 and $1/2) I've made $300...many times what I paid for the book.

If you're just starting in poker, or you've been playing for a while and don't own this book...BUY IT!!!

This was one of the first books I picked up after playing poker for about a year with little success outside of home games. There is nothing in this book that will turn you pro, but it has an insane amount of sound information that will make you a better player.

One thing I did not realize when I bought this, was that it is mostly based on Limit Hold'Em. I mostly play No Limit, which is very different as most people know. This book obviously fails to handle the extremely aggressive opponents found in many small stakes games, but it will give you enough information to know what hands to play/fold, and how to enter MOST average pots in a No Limit game.

Of course, the main difference is that this book assumes most people will see their hand through to the end, since you cant overbet in Limit games, and that is where you should make money. This book obviously fails to handle bluffing and stealing pots/blinds which is common in the No Limit game.

This book is well worth it and has a wealth of information for any poker player. Do not limit yourself, since this book really got me to understand pot odds, outs, common betting strategies, and when to be aggressive vs. passive. Definately recommend this book.

If there is a bible to low limit hold'em this would certainly be in the top 2 or 3 contenders, and if you haven't read it many of your opponents have so you should at least know what theories they might be playing by. This book is certainly one of the most in depth you will read, especially for this level of play, and it certainly can help fill some gaps in your understanding.

The main criticism I have is that it often assumes that all your opponents are overly lose and will play silly hands to the river. The examples are often stilted towards this idea, which was likely true even a few years ago, but now there are too many even at the lower limits that have read this book and many others. It is almost completely devoid of ideas of play against tight-aggressive and middle of the road players who will play more hands more aggressively than your typical call stations that this book targets.

Other than this drawback the book is an extensive collection of topics that go far beyond most books available. It is probably the most exhaustive work of tactics for the low limit player, but will not likely be of much use until you have at few thousands hands and a couple introductory books under your belt.

I highly recommend it for those who are interested in improving their game at this level. If you are planning on moving up to the mid-levels quickly then you might want to skip this text and go to books on higher level games instead.

A very revealing book that is so easy to read. It is one of the best poker books in the market. Fools Die, Disciples of Fortune are titles, which show that life is a gamble.

This is an excellent book that deserves to be in any poker player's book collection.

I own a multitude of poker books, including Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones, Internet Texas Holdem: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Matthew Hilger, Hold'em Poker and Hold'em Poker: For Advanced Players by Sklansky and of course The Theory of Poker by Sklansky.

I play exclusively on the internet (low limits) and the book by Matthew Hilger was (still is) my bible. But I am incorporating some ideas from SSH and they seem to work...

One warning, though, you must have some playing experience to read this book. If you don't, I think you can't understand some of the concepts presented in the book.

I have now read an advance copy of the book twice, and some sections more than that. I can safely say that those of you who are so looking forward to this book will not be disappointed. The book is excellent.

Indeed, it addresses some topics so well that I wonder at the title. Calling it "Small Stakes Holdem" is really too limiting. The book targets loose games more than small stakes games per se. With loose games and poor playing opponents permeating B&M cardroom games from $3-6 through $40-80, this book really has something for everybody. Yes, newer players will get more from it than mid-limit veterans, but even the mid-limit players will find some critical ideas spelled out in a way that helps them improve their game.

It is an excellent blend that helps the newer players take the next big step to being significant winners, while at the same time it expounds upon and extends HPFAP in a way that addresses the super-loose games that permeate today's cardrooms. In short, it's the book that many have really been waiting for 2+2 to publish for quite some time. I expect this book to quickly move alongside Theory of Poker and HPFAP as a definitive 2+2 work. I recommend it highly.

I've never reviewed a book before, but felt so strongly on this that I took the time to drop a quick note.

I have only been playing poker regularly for about 6 months. Typical dealer choice stuff once a week. Recently, we decided to start playing Hold'em instead. I immediately bought this book and I have only made it through the first few chapters covering pre-flop hands and strategy. We have played 5 times since I started reading and I have placed no lower than 2nd place 4 of the 5 times.

Simply put, this book has paid for itself several times over in just 3 weeks.