Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play

No limit hold'em, obviously, is a complex game. So complex that there has never been a good comprehensive treatment in a book form; I had thought that this was because it involves more "table feel", experience and intuition that can't be easily taught or expressed in a useful format. Harrington and Robertie have done just that. Harrington is the 1995 world champion, and the only player to make the final table in both 2003 and 2004, overcoming the two biggest fields in World Series history (839 and 2,576 players, respectively). Robertie is a top backgammon player and author of several excellent books on that game. Among the top players, there are drastically different styles of play, from conservative to super-aggressive. One problem I expected was that given Harrington's solid, fairly conservative style, he wouldn't be able to give much useful information on playing at the other end of the end of the spectrum, styles such as those employed by Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen. I was wrong. The book does a fine job addressing the relative merits of various styles, playing against each type of opponent, and even choosing one for yourself. This makes sense; no matter his own style, to be successful he has to have spent a lot of time thinking about, observing, and combatting all different types of players. Further, a playing style isn't cast in stone; even the most conservative players have to switch gears and become much more aggressive at times, and vice versa. A few more notes on this idea: first, Harrington's own play as described isn't as conservative and cautious as many think. Second, a fairly conservative approach is demonstrably the more sound one for the student, and anyone without many years of experience. Hyper-aggressive play would be much harder to teach well, and also much harder to pull off successfully. The players who thrive playing these aggressive, gambling styles have exceptional talent as well as lots of experience and a great feel for the game and their opponents, and are faced with difficult decisions under lots of pressure much more often. For those who insist on trying, it probably still makes more sense to learn a fundamentally sounder style first and then proceed from there. The book is laid out well for learning. Each chapter starts with a discussion of the topic, touching on the theory. There are several example situations with the authors' answers and detailed reasoning, as well as the merits of alternative plays. Following each chapter there are problems, mostly from real hands. It provides a diagram of the table, the chip counts for each player, your knowledge of the opponents, etc... all the relevant information. The problems usually provide all this information even when some of it is irrelevant to the problem, which is a strength. A big part of the decision-making process in poker (as well as lots of other things) is recognizing and eliminating extraneous details to make analysis more managable. This is the first in a two volume set. I thought this was odd, as this is first for 2+2 poker books, but the first volume is bigger than most of their others already. The book is self-contained; there are no partial answers or information that tell you to buy the second volume for the details. I don't think there has been an official announcement on when Volume 2 will be released, but I've heard sometime this spring. The book is geared specifically toward tournaments, and especially toward those with well-defined formats, such as major casino/cardroom events and those on the Internet. For cash game players, a solid understanding of tournament and poker theory would be necessary to make the appropriate adjustments to cash play. Most of the book would still apply, but some situations would change drastically in a side game, where simply getting your money in with an advantage, rather than survival, is the main goal. For those newer to poker, to get the most out of this book, I would recommend a few others be read either first or at the same time: "The Theory of Poker" by David Sklansky, "Small Stakes Hold'em" by Miller, Sklansky and Malmuth, and "Winning Low Limit Hold'em" by Lee Jones, especially for the newest players. UPDATE FOR VOLUME II: Many of the same comments apply to Volume II, which is more of a continuation of the first than a separate book (even the chapter numbering picks up where the first left off). It focuses on the endgame; the late stages where everyone left is in the money and the blinds are relatively very large. They use the ideas of zones and inflection points to give effective generalized advice about different situations, evaluating your chip position relative to both the size of the blinds and the other remaining players. The last few sections cover short-handed and heads-up play, where strategy often changes radically. In most tournaments the table only gets heads-up at the very end and doesn't last very long, but the difference between first, second and third place is huge, even millions in the biggest events. Given that one position makes such a big difference, strategies changes dramatically, and most players have little experience heads-up, this material is extremely valuable. A third volume is in the works, in workbook style with problems and examples, which should nicely complement and review the material in the first two.

Although this is a two volume set, the books should really be considered as one, so I have reviewed them as such. These books are the best publications on NL Hold'em tournaments to date. Dan Harrington does an excellent job of detailing complex strategies and how they change through the course of any given tournament. He even goes so far as to break down different styles of tournaments and how you should adjust play for each (i.e. major big buy-in, single table satellite, major online, single table online etc.) and examines all of these types within his problems throughout the book. The book is impossible to summarize due to the wealth of knowledge in the book and the detail that Dan puts into his strategies and analysis. A couple of highlights include Dan comparing different playing strategies (Loose-aggressive, tight-aggressive, etc.) and how to play and play against each. Just because Dan is a tight player himself, his vast experience gives him more than enough knowledge to teach any style. Dan goes through some of the basic components found in many poker books: starting hands, pot odds, continuation bets, slow-playing, semi-bluffing etc. But then will get into deep analysis of many complicated facets of tournament strategy that the average player may have never heard of. His analysis of M&Q and how it relates to your play as the tournament progresses, complicated moves (squeeze play, sandbagging, back-alley mugging, rope-a-dope to name a few), end play and heads-up play are some things rarely found in other books that alone will advance your game tremendously. Dan's in-depth and detailed analysis is what sets these books apart from any other book. He doesn't just explain bluffs, but goes on to explain when to bluff, how to bluff, how much to bet when bluffing, the type of player to bluff, the stack size to bluff against, why you only bluff when you have absolutely nothing, the expected return on bluffing, cards that come on the on the board that send a red flag (this may surprise many, but a 10 on the flop is one of the worse cards) and so on. This type of analysis is used on bluffing, semi-bluffing, slowplaying, check-raising and every other aspect of the game. He doesn't just talk about pot odds, but reversed odds, implied odds, and then teaches you how to not only use them yourself, but how to take them away from the player in the hand against you. Other things that impressed me are Dan is the first to give credit were credit is due, noting that many ideas come from other offers and players. Dan will also send you to other books that cover certain ideas that better than he could insert into his book. For example, he immediately references David Sklansky (of course) on the subject of pot odds, and Mike Caro on tells. Dan barely even touches on the topic of physical tells, but rather basically says that Caro has already covered it better than anyone else ever could, so I'm not going to discuss it, just read his book. Dan does say that the primary physical tell he looks for his hand movements stating that people are aware of their facial expressions but not their hand movements. Dan also states that physical tells, though important, are somewhat over rated and that betting patterns are actually more important stating "Not everyone has a tell, but everyone HAS to bet." Overall, a great book that is full of information and even well written and an easy read. I recommend reading the books multiple times, because you will be surprised the second time through the stuff you missed the first time.

I bought this book the other day and was rather skeptical about how good it would be, but, now that I finished it, I can honestly say that Harrington on Hold `em is the best book on poker that I have ever read. Am I over-exaggerating? No. The secret of this manual is that, while he expresses many of the same thoughts and ideas as other poker players/writers, he is far superior to them in the teaching of technique and strategy. As a teacher, Harrington is a master. Every page is crystal clear and comprehensible which is considerably more than I can say about the works of his publisher, David Sklansky. The lingo was in keeping with our common poker tongue, and I never had difficulty imaging the situations he described; whereas, with Super System I, while I totally recommend it, there were times when I could not apply Doyle's counsel to my own game due to a lack of skill. Such a situation never arose with Harrington on Hold `em. Many of my faulty and defeatist habits at the table were identified, and, more importantly, the manual helped me understand just how much careful attention needs to be paid to the betting patterns of my opponents. The strongest segments in the book are "The Problems" sections. They are found at the end of each chapter or part. Harrington uses them to "show" us information after he has already taught the concepts. These scenarios grab us by the wallet and place us atop the championship felt. The funniest, and most unique, thing about his examples is that Harrington observes the hands from a vantage point high above the players. He tells us what should be done and then often has to shake his head when the player analyzed does the complete opposite. Regardless of the quality of the amateurs, Harrington follows along and makes the best of their bad situations while being careful to point out how much trouble would have been avoided had the right play been initiated in the first place. Early on, "Action" Dan makes clear that he will be using examples from online play (and then does so extensively) which is extremely helpful for the majority of us who do not reside near one of the gambling Meccas. Most of the scenarios come from the commonly-played online single table satellites. Harrington, rather surprisingly, knows all about the pitfalls and characteristics of internet poker, and, time after time, illustrates how a particular play succeeds in a brick and motor card room but not on the web-and vice versa. Dan Harrington was the perfect person to write a book like this. Other than Texas Dolly, he has the most gravitas out of any of the poker luminaries. He won two bracelets in 1995, and finished at the final table two years running (2003 and 2004). Practically nobody else has the combination of experience and contemporary success as he, and his intelligence stands out like a flush in this initial volume.

I'm still very wet behind the ears concerning my play at hold'em. Therefore, I decided to invest a little money in Harrington's book on tournament play instead of investing (losing, actually) much, much more in actual play. Early in the book Harrington and Robertie share their views on how a typical discussion might go between a beginner seeking advice on a hand he'd played and the top player whom he approaches. Then follows a list of almost a dozen factors that should be considered in a given hand, the last one listed being the cards dealt to you. The book covers such different factors as playing styles (yours and those of others at your table), pot odds and hand analysis, your table position for the hand, and important considerations in your decision-making before and after the flop, on Fourth Street, and on the River. Each chapter has several "problems" or quizzes to test the reader, derived from hands played in past tournaments. Early in the book Harrington also shares a hand played at the final table of the 2003 World Series of Poker. No one went all-in on the hand. There was no great showdown after the river card, and no one was eliminated; in fact, everyone but the pot winner eventually folded. When I first read the chapter I wasn't really sure why I should be impressed with, or even interested in, his narration of the hand. Having now finished the book and begun to go back over it, the chapter speaks volumes. Will this book automatically make you or anyone else who reads it a winner in tournament play? No. But it should give you a long-term advantage over players who aren't willing to take the time to study the game and analyze each hand as a unique situation. I'm impressed enough with it that I've recently ordered the other two volumes in the tournament series.

I have only been playing poker (no limit hold em) now for a few months and so am obviously quite the rookie, but I found this book to be a wicker read. I read Brunsen's Super System section on No Limit Hold em before I bought this book and it gave me a lot to learn but at the same time the motivations for a lot of strategy seemed to be lacking. I have just finished Harrignton's book (I've only had it for 4-5 days) and can say that for the most part everything is explained in great detail, motivation and all. This is a great help for a begginner such as myself to help understand somewhat of what it takes to play good poker. Obviously I didn't absorb nearly all the material by reading it just once (especially given my inexperience with the game) but the parts I have taken from it were nuggets. I definitely plan on re-reading this one a couple of times (probably taking notes) and am certainly looking forward already to volume 2. Though I haven't read the classics of poker (Slansky's and others) I would still reccomend this book to anyone who has a rough idea of what is going on in a no limit poler game (maybe played a few times or watched some TV and have a genuine interest in the game and would like to start playing). I'm guessing there is still lots in here for novices and maybe even those of you who have a great deal of experience (I say this only because of Harrington's success and assume that he has some wisdom to pass on). A highlight about this book is the numerous examples for you to go through. They are a great help too see how your poker skills rate (roughly). I bought this book based solely on the reviews here on Amazon and was not disappointed. (Well, when I read some of the reviews saying that they almost didn't want to reccommend it because they wanted all the knowledge for themselves, and I thought, "Come on. Enough already. I'm sure it's a great book, but you can't be really serious." Now I find myself thinking a little along those lines myself. Disappointed that others have this great tool available to them.)

You know, I didn't read this book. I studied it. Well that's not true, I read it once, then the second time I read it I studied it. I kept an accompanying notebook and marked each line that I felt gave a specific insight into the game I had never noticed or thought of before, and needless to say, I made a LOT of marks. I wrote roughly 50-70 pages of liner notes for my own personal summary of the text and worked through each example without cheating and reading ahead. I feel like this text was a great "first book" to read that focused particularly on the type of poker I was playing at the time. The only parts of the text I didn't spend quite as much time on was the online poker portions of the book and examples. I'm glad that he included it because it made me realize some things about the online poker realm that differ from live games, but at the same time every online example I came from had that glossy.. I don't know, online feel to it. That may sound silly but anyone whose played online versus playing in person knows playing online has a sort of detached feel. When you hear an example of his poker playing days and Harrington goes into specific names and playing styles and insights into each of the players it makes the example that much more intriguing. But, nevertheless that's not related to the quality of the book and is simply a personal observation, you just have to learn to shift your mind's gear to the proper atmosphere for each example. Don't treat his online examples as live examples and vice-versa. In conclusion, I highly recommend this book. He has a great writing style, a great insight, and quite a sense of humor. If you play poker and you feel that you are having difficulty organizing your thoughts or are unsure what you *should* be thinking about, this is a good book for you. Each player has their own personal flair, and I don't want to make poker play seem like an assembly line, that being said, this book's examples and practice problems eliminated a LOT of my hesitation in live and online play and the algorithms and methods I learned reduce the number of difficult decisions drastically. Buy it. (Typed hastily, apologies for poor punctuation, grammar, and run-ons.)

Without question, this is the best NL Hold Em tournament book on the market today. End of story. I have read tons of poker books out on the market, books that focus on Limit Hold Em, books that cover the basics, books that cover how to stay in the moment while playing poker. Each of these books have their own pros and cons, but sadly none of these books focused on NL Tournament Hold Em like it should be covered until I read 'Harringon on Hold Em: Volume I'. Dan Harrington and Bill Roberte have packaged together a book that ALL NL Hold Em tournament players should read (or maybe they shouldn't --- I'll get back to that later). The chapters are broken out as follows: 1. Basics of No-Limit Hold Em 2. Playing Styles and Starting Requirements 3. Reading the Table 4. Pot Odds and Hand Analysis 5. Betting Pre-Flop 6. Betting Post-Flop 7. Betting on the Turn and River After reading this overview you might think that this is just like any other NL Hold Em book, but it's simply not. For one thing, this book ASSUMES that you know something about the game of NL Hold Em before you read this. While you can pick up this book not having ever played the game before, you are better off probably having read a basic book like Phil Hellmuths or playing some hands before you read this text. While most books cover the basics like AA is better than JJ and explaining what 'Big Slick' is, the heart of this book are the hand analysis parts at the end of each chapter. The thing that separates this book from any other on the market is the realism of the hands presented. Other books try to do the same thing, but to help the reader feel better, they will usually say the reader hits a monster hand and wins a ton of money. I understand why the writers do this, but it really doesn't help anyone who really wants to become a better poker player. My favorite poker quote of all time: "You win you earn, you lose you learn" Without going on and on and on and on, I'll stop this review and state that while I have reviewed many books in the past, this is only the 2nd poker book that I have ever put HPR on. If you want to become a better NL Hold Em tournament player, pick up this text and watch your game improve dramatically. Actually, maybe you SHOULDN'T pick up this book so that myself and others can take advantage of our improved game while you are stay the amateur level and watch the chips come my way. ***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

This book, although accurate, is very technical. In fact, after reading it, my playing became worse because I was trying to remember and follow all the technical stuff. However, if you're new to the game there are many useful tips. It gives you a clear understanding of the order of things. Example: When playing Texas Hold'em you need to know your position with regard to the big/little blinds, the betting sequence and why it's important to know who you're following. For instance, a decision you make regarding your bet is different if you're the first to bet than it would be if you're 2nd, 3rd or even last. On the whole, it's a good reference but don't let it take the fun out of it or you won't do well.

The best book on no limit hold'em that I have ever read. An excellent read for any player who wants to vastly improve their game.

Turnierpoker ist schon etwas besonderes. Es geht nicht nur darum, einfach Geld zu machen, sondern im Wettbewerb mit anderen Spielern möglichst lange im Turnier zu bleiben, um eine Chance auf den Titel und einen der Ränge mit Preisen zu haben. Harrington erklärt in diesem Band die dazu erforderlichen Strategien. Es gibt dazu kurze Kapitel mit Beispielen und dann einen sehr instruktiven Übungsteil mit Fragen, die den Text rekapitulieren helfen. Oft sind diese Fragen / Antworten der interessantere Teil, weil hier typische Spielsituationen als Beispiel analysiert werden. Spannend ist auch, dass die Beispiele immer bis zum Abschluss der Hand fortgeführt werden, und gezeigt wird, dass man auch bei der richtigen Spielweise nicht immer gewinnt. Vor meinem ersten größeren Turnier habe ich es intensiv durchgearbeitet. Das Ergebniss war Platz 3 von 30. Für die Endphase des Turniers gibt es einen zweiten Band. Den hätte ich vielleicht auch Lesen sollen :-)

Great experience. I phone handy would love to recommend to other people too. Thans kindle for grt experience n all

数あるノーリミット関連の本の中でも最も分かりやすく、全くトーナメントやライブプレーの経験の無い人にとっても大変参考になる。 実際これを読んだだけで、ホールデム未経験ながら、ミドルリミットの数十年もやっている手ごわいアメリカ人とも対等に戦えるようになった。 売れ行きがとても好調のようだが、トーナメントプレイヤーが皆この本を読んでいるとしたら、怖いものがある。

Tutto quello che un principiante dovrebbe sapere, Molto interessante Nn vedo l’ora di leggere il volume 2 Buon poker Ciao