Hold'em Poker by David Sklansky Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hold'em Poker
Book Review: Basic Strategy
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this book as well as No Limit Hold 'Em Theory and Practice. I mainly bought this book just to refresh my memory on the basics. This book covered a lot of good notes on how to become a good Hold 'Em player. I wanted to read a book that showed the basic strategy and not get to complicated. This was definitely the book for that.
This book contains a lot of the information for the old version of Hold 'Em. Most of the information still holds up to today's Hold 'Em games but for No Limit some of the strategy has to be changed. Towards the end of the book, it contains information on how to read hands. In my personal opinion this was one of the best sections throughout the book as it all came together how poker professionals become good at what they do.
Overall this was an easy read, and a book for beginners.
Book Review: Basic overview and strategyof Texas Hold'em
Summary: 2 Stars
Although the ideas presented in this book are interesting, I think a person would be better served reading a more lengthy book which presented a little more insight into hold'em.Book Review: Classic book now good for a new class.
Summary: 3 Stars
This books is not wrong about anything. This book is right about almost everything. Mostly though, this book is great for the beginner. If you play poker for fun, and want to learn more about how to play holdem, this is where to start, and after a while, move to its big brother, Holdem for Advanced players. This book has starting hand requirements that work for most levels of games, and is one of the most in-depth books about how to play that still allows comprehension of the lessons in the book by the layperson.
It is not the best book on the subject, but it is by far not the worst. This might be the best first-book on poker for someone, as it is a very good introduction towards the style of most noteworthy poker books, and it doesn't really have too many flaws (in regards to detail).
In the areas where this books lacks, just get the Advanced player book, after fully digesting this one, and you will have plenty to chew on.
Book Review: Confusing
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is a quick course to playing good poker. I am sure all the topics he writes about will make you money. The problem is that he give too little information and examples to fully know how to put the knowledge in to practice right. I really got a headache going through this book and still i am second guessing myself if I am making the right plays. What I think this book lacks is: 1. information about how to deal with certain players 2. how to recognize what kind of game you're in (just talks about loose or tight)If you have the patience to fully understand this book it may be for you.
Not a book for beginners!!
Book Review: Decent, but seriously dated
Summary: 2 Stars
A decent introduction to hold-em, but you can find a better written, and more current, book easily. This book was written in 1976 and updated in 1997, although this reprint is from October 2004.
Although a lot of the hand ranking and strategy is probably still applicable, the outdated nature of the book shows through at several points. The author freqently refers to the "new" system of two blinds, and in the "Note to 1997 Edition" says that this is usual at "bigger games." All hold-em games in casinos, at least in any casino I've been in, use the two-blind ("big" and "little") system, and the typical reader will only encounter those games in 2006. Sklansky also admonishes the reader not to play "no limit" games at several points in the book - well, in 2006 "no limit" is the most common game in casinos, and you'll be pressed to find a "limit" game in hold-em. Last two times I was in a poker room, there were no "limit" games even listed for hold-em. If you want limits, play Omaha.
This is a significant limitation to the book, because as I understand it, no-limit makes a significant difference in how you play. The book also does not address the differences in strategy between tournaments and cash games.
Finally, the author's use of the badly outdated terms "fourth street" and "fifth street" is just annoying - except for one twit on TV (either WSOP or WPT, I forget which) who has an idiotic affectation for referring to the turn as "fourth street", NO ONE uses these terms any more - it's "the turn" and "the river." It doesn't affect the instruction, but it really grates on the nerves almost immediately, and probably confuses the rank beginner who turns on the TV and hears different terminology used. It would have taken no time at all to change this before the 2004 reprint, if not earlier.
In short, a useful book, but you can do better for the money.