Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players

Texas Hold ’em is not an easy game to play well. To become an expert you must balance many concepts, some of which occasionally contradict each other. In 1988, the first edition appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and the hold ’em explosion had begun. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including extensive sections on "loose games," and "short-handed games." Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed include play on the first two cards, semi-bluffing, the free card, inducing bluffs, staying with a draw, playing when a pair flops, playing trash hands, desperation bets, playing in wild games, reading hands, and psychology.

It's important to understand that this is a textbook, not simply a casual read or handbook. The information is presented in a manner that is to be studied, not skimmed. I've talked to some people who were very disappointed in this text. They told me it didn't give them tips or rules to use when they played, which they expected because everyone speaks so highly of the book and say it is one of the best. Simply put, these people were not advanced players and they just didn't have what was needed to understand this text. Sklansky approaches the game from an analytical stance. He teaches you about concepts, not specific situations. He presents you the theory of how to make good decisions, he doesn't teach you how to walk into every game and win. Sklansky repeatedly reminds you that if you make more good decisions than bad you will come out ahead. The text explains to you how the game is about odds, rather than luck or emotion. It gives you the information you need to understand the game from a mathematical and statistical standpoint. If you instantly feel queezy when thinking about those things, this probably isn't the book for you (yet, anyway). If on the other hand, you're able to handle intense analytical rhetoric, definitely get a copy of this text, it will blow your mind and you'll likely see the game in a completely different perpective. Before getting this text, really evaluate your abilities. I liken it to the following: Let's say you are a diehard CSI fan. You know what tests they use, what type of things you can DNA from, and how to play slueth. But, do you think you would be able to pick up a text on advanced molecular biochemistry or molecular genetic assays and be able to understand the theory covered? You might be able to pick up a little here and there, but overall you'd likely think the text was jibberish that made no sense to you. That's alright though, you aren't trained in forensics or molecular biology. You haven't studied it for several years so a book written at such a high level would logically not make sense. Poker for Advanced Players is much the same. Most people can't pick up a text aimed at a graduate or professional level when you've only taken a few introductory courses. Does this mean that you will never understand? No, it just means that you need back up and start near the beginning. You need to train you're mind to think a certain way. However, if you are seeking quick and easy tips on how to win more money this probably isn't the approach for you. There are plenty of books available for those kinds of tips.