Winning Strategies from a Poker Pro
Written: Feb 08 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: A very thorough step by step guide of how to play limit hold 'em.
Cons: The book is not as focused on internet poker as the title suggests.
The Bottom Line: If you a looking for a good text for learning or improving to an intermediate level of skill in Texas hold 'em, 'Internet Texas Hold' 'em is it.
|
|
|
| strategery's Full Review: Internet Texas Hold'Em: Winning Strategies From An... |
Internet Texas Hold'em by Matthew Hilger is a very good strategy book for the game of limit hold 'em. Hilger states that he has won over $100,000 in the span of a year playing poker online. He had played poker off and on during his life at various locales. Once, during his corporate career the company he was working for transferred him to Argentina. When the urge to play poker once again bit, he found no live poker available there. It was in pokerless Argentina that our hero first began to play online.
Matthew had become an accomplished player while working in Costa Rico. He discovered the beautiful Central American nation was a hotbed of poker. For some time he played against such poker greats as Humberto Brenes and Jose Rosenkrantz without realizing who they were. Slowly playing against such talented competition and diligently studying the game allowed Hilger to become a very talented player himself. This past year he finished 41st in a field of more than 2,500 entrants in the main event of The World Series of Poker .
The book begins with a rather cursory overview of the basic rules of limit hold 'em. Hilger assumes that the reader already has a working knowledge of how the game is played. If you are looking for a book that starts at the beginning, Winning Low Limit Hold 'em by Lee Jones would probably be a better first book.
After the brief overview of hold 'em comes a section on poker concepts. These include: probability and odds, bluffing, semi-bluffing, raising and check-raising, and; deceptive tactics. These topics were also cover earlier by David Sklansky in Theory of Poker and Hold 'em Poker For Advanced Players .
The three chapters on starting hands are a real strength of the book. The format of Hilger's starting hands chart is a real a advancement. He not only indicates whether to fold, call, or raise but indicates different choices depending upon the number of callers that are already in the particular hand. He includes a separate chapter for the beginner and one for the intermediate player. In each he suggests modifications to the basic starting hand guide based upon the players skill level.
After the starting hands section, Hilger includes an exhaustive section on flop play. He systematically covers every imaginable situation the is likely to occur on the flop. For example there is a chapter on how you play when flopping top pair and another chapter on how to play when flopping middle pair. The flop section is so detailed that it is just over 100 pages long.
Following the section on flop play Hilger addresses play on the turn and the river. He finally addresses subjects such as playing your opponent, bankroll management, online tells, and playing multiple tables. The book is highlighted with 'Internet Tips' that emphasize differences between live play and online play. Another good feature is the 'Test Your Skills ' segment that is included at the end of most chapters. Here hand examples are given to illustrate the chapter's main points and to test the readers understanding of the chapter.
The author also is the host of a very active website , InternetTexasHoldem.com ; that serves as a companion to the book. He is active on the site and will usually be available to answer any questions you might have about the book. This is very helpful if you become confused about something in the text. There are also other very accomplished players there that will help you with your game.
The one mild criticism I and others have of the book is concerning the paucity of information on the game as played online. If you are expecting a book that really focuses on playing Texas hold 'em on line you might be a little disappointed. More could have been included on this subject.
There is a great deal of information for the student of Texas hold 'em in this text. It is a book that can be studied and referred to again and again. It will help many to improve their hold 'em skills and have more fun at the tables whether real or virtual.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
strategery
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Reviews written: 102
Trusted by: 70 members
About Me:
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.