With the beginnings of the name
Hold'em carefully unexplained in the first chapter this book bursts into life
like no other informative text on the subject. Holden spent many years learing
his trade writing about somebody called Shakespeare ( a character created by
Christopher Marlowe ) before finally reaching the summit with Big Deal and
Bigger Deal. This volume is the latest of his contributions to poker
literature.
After the first chapter on the origins of Hold'em we get
into how the game works in chapter two. This is probably the only wasted paper
in the book. If you don't already know how to play you should be burnt at the
stake along with the other infidels. The chapters on theory and practice are
the best available because they bring together huge amounts of useful
information and present easy access with silky prose.
The latter
chapters focus on real tournaments with contributions from some of the top
players currently out in the green baize jungle. There are even useful
suggestions on further reading with some of the best written manuals (I
personaly recommend avoiding Sklanksy). If you need one book to start with or
to replace many others, this is IT!
The Poker Encyclopedia: The Definitive Poker
Book by Elkan Allan and Hannah Mackay
The "Poker Encyclopedia" covers such topics as Add-Ons
(an opportunity to buy further chips at the end of the rebuy period), Antonio
Esfandiaries (reckoned by many to be the best young player around), Alligator
(players who can withstand pressure are said to have 'alligator blood') and
Anna Kournikova (not a reference to her Poker playing skills, but an Ace-King
in the pocket which doesn't go on to win. A pun on the initials of the tennis
player who looked good, but never won a major title.) All this, and that's just
under A! Lovingly complied and meticulously researched, this is the poker
reference book worth going all in for.
"The last work of the late, great
man-about-poker Elkan Allan, left unfinished at the time of his much-mourned
death in June 2006, this lavish, exhaustive Encyclopaedia has been completed by
his young friend Hannah Mackay, who used to deal to him at London’s
Gutshot Club. You’re bound to have read some of his poker writings. The
best tribute you can pay to such a fellow-poker enthusiast, and/or the best
present you can give to the poker fanatic you love (yourself, perhaps?) is to
invest in a copy of his Poker Encyclopaedia." - Anthony Holden
Limit Hold'em: Winning Short-handed Strategies - Techniques for Limit
Hold'em Games with Six Players or Less by Terry Borer, Lawrence Mak
, Barry Tanenbaum
Full ring limit
hold'em poker games (featuring 9 or 10 players) can be frustrating for the
skilled player. You don't get to play many hands, you can't always exploit weak
play and, facing many opponents, your good hands often don't stand up. What's
the solution? Easy - play short-handed! Short-handed poker features a maximum
of six players and often less.
These games are becoming increasingly
popular and are great to play because: you get to play a lot more hands; you
have more chances to exploit opponents' weaknesses; you get more opportunities
to use all of your poker skills; and, short-handed play is quite different from
full ring play and requires a different approach. This book analyses the
necessary skills: attacking and defending blinds; watching and reading the
opposition; being aware of your own image; and, playing with controlled
aggression. Much of on-line limit hold'em play is moving towards the
short-handed game. Make sure that you have the skills to compete in this form
of the game, as it can be very profitable!
Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit by Anthony
Holden
If you are looking for one
of the many technical manuals to improve your poker, this is not the book for
you. However, if you are a keen poker player, but want something entertaining
to read between games, this might be the one. You really need to have read 'Big
Deal' written nearly 17 years before, when Holden first tried his hand as a
poker professional. But even without that, this will still be an absorbing and
amusing read.
In this enjoyable sequel, he revisits the poker world,
playing in card rooms and tournaments in Europe and America, in home games in
his native London and online during 2005 and 2006. The result is a rich account
of how the game and its players have changed over the 17 years since he tried
(and failed) to become a professional poker player. He profiles a range of
people, from poker's living legend Doyle Brunson to the new breed of young
professionals, schooled on the Internet and ruthlessly aggressive, and explores
the reasons for poker's recent, unprecedented boom. Go to the Anthony Holden
page
The book profiles the 15
most influential players - their origins, development and gambling style, and
most importantly their winning moves. It begins with the legendary players from
the West Texas school - Puggy Pearson, World Series of Poker winner Doyle
Brunson, and Amarillo Slim - and ends with the new crop of players like Daniel
Negreanu, who live in MTV-style 'cribs' and hold court with the likes of Leo
DiCaprio. Plus Chris Moneymaker, Howard 'The Professor' Lederer and Chris
'Jesus' Ferguson, and many more.
This is a well structured look at what
motivates a top poker pro, how they developed individual playing styles as well
as the dedication and work required to make it to the top level of the game.
Interwoven into the story of each player is a history lesson on how poker has
evolved from the early 19th Century to the present day. Always entertaining,
frank and honest. A classic in the making.
Million Dollar Hold'em by Johnny Chan and Mark Karowe
"Million Dollar Hold'em Limit Cash
Games" is destined to be a poker classic and is a must have book for the
serious player looking to gain knowledge of limit cash games. The book offers
practical lifestyle approaches; techniques and strategies to help make you a
profitable cash game player and, perhaps, a wealthy player as well. The book is
easy to read, written in a conversational tone, as if Chan is sitting next to
you at the poker table giving you one-on-one advice and wisdom.
The
book combines well-written narrative and lots of hand examples to help clarify
the points he is trying to get across. What Dan Harrington's books do for the
tournament player, Johnny Chan's book does for the limit cash game player. The
book does not have an index, and it is not a book you would buy to improve your
no-limit cash play as it is, as titled, a limit cash game
text.
How to Win the World Series of Poker (or Not): An
All-American Tale by Pat Walsh
How to Win the World Series of Poker (or Not) chronicles the
author’s journey to play in poker’s big leagues: the World Series of
Poker. Pat Walsh begins by playing online poker for pennies at his kitchen
table, continues his expedition with stops at church basements, a mansion, the
back room of a bar, an Indian casino, and finally the hallowed poker rooms of
Las Vegas (known among hobos and preachers as the Devil’s Porch Light). On
the road to triumph (or ruin), Pat lives out a dream he shares with millions of
other players and fans—all the while trying to juggle his family life, his
work, and his beloved gambling. How to Win the World Series of Poker (or Not)
is a book about poker, but it is also a book about those all-American ideas of
using a little bit of skill, a fair bit of guile, and an enormous amount of
luck to grab the big win that will change your life. Or not.
Pat Walsh
is one of the funniest writers in America. You don't have to be a poker player
or wannabe to enjoy this great book on America's newest love affair--poker. The
dialogue with his wife, convincing her they should invest $10k in the buy-in,
is worth the price of this book alone.
Romping through crooked games, dodgy players, exotic venues and
incredible hands, "Poker's Strangest Moments" celebrates the strange history of
Poker's most celebrated tournament, its World Championship event and the
characters who have graced it with their presence, compiles some of the
strangest things said about the game and fully records the details of the
strangest Poker Year yet, 2006. The Poker world is divided between those who
believe the game to be the most skilled contest ever devised, and those who
believe that success in the game relies on pure luck.
Poker players
spend half their time protesting that they play a game of skill and the other
half complaining about the influence of luck. It's surprising, then, that this
collection does not include a single example of a 'bad beat' story. Whatever
your view, this book will appeal to the novice player who can barely tell his
flops from his nuts, and equally to the connoisseur of the subtleties of Poker
who has developed and matured his or her skills over many years.
Online Ace: A World Series Poker Champion's Guide
to Mastering Internet Poker by Scott Fischman
Thsi is not a re-write or clone of everything else
already out there. Although it is a niche book-addressing mostly online play-
it is one of the best niche books I've read so far. Unlike many other poker
books, Fischman's books teaches you how to "think" about the game in ways your
opponents might not consider. There are more "nuggets" in this short text than
many of the "cookie cutter" approach books coming down the pipeline.
His format and style are also very refreshing after so many rehashed
"clone" type poker books. Although he doesn't provide a "hand chart" type book,
his strategic ideas are worth their weight and he gives away much more in the
way of "secrets" than many of the other high profile authors seem to be willing
to. If you have not read a poker book prior to this one it will help your game.
You will find it all very useful. It is a great book to make your first poker
book, especially if you do not like maths.
Main Menu
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Holden on Hold'em
£9.09
$19.27
The Poker Encyclopedia: The Definitive Poker
Book
Limit Hold'em: Winning Short-handed Strategies - Techniques for Limit
Hold'em Games with Six Players or Less 
Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit 
Aces and Kings 
Million Dollar Hold'em 
How to Win the World Series of Poker (or Not): An
All-American Tale 
Poker's
Strangest Hands
Online Ace: A World Series Poker Champion's Guide
to Mastering Internet Poker