Poker Strategy

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I wish there was some easy way to help people learn how to play poker, specifically Texas Hold'em poker and Texas Hold'em odds in a quick and matter a fact kind of manner. But, unlike Blackjack and other casino games, Texas Hold em has so many different variables that cannot be easily explained with a strategy card.

I have only been playing for a little under 2 years, but have become a winning player for the last year of that time. I will tell you exactly what I did and what I used to become the player that I am today.

The secret is to read and learn as much about the subject as possible, play a couple thousand hands, keep reading, keep playing, read some more, play some more, study, play, study, play, rinse, repeat. If you want to become a winner at this game, that is all it really takes.

For most of us, playing is the fun and easy part. The more you play, the more experience you will gain and the more times certain situations will repeat themselves. Hard decisions will become easier and easier. This is especially true with online poker as you can play so many more hands so quickly compared to playing live.
 

BOOKS

It would be nice to have a firm grasp of all the concepts of Texas Hold'em before hand so we don't lose everything before we get good though. But what should you read? Since poker is hot right now, there are many people writing strategy books on the subject, and not all of these books are equal in terms of quality. I have read some pretty horrible ones recently, so I will do my best to steer you clear of those.

If you are a beginner or just starting to play, I strongly suggest reading Small Stakes Hold'em by Miller, Sklansky & Malmuth. This is by far the best beginner to intermediate book that I have found on limit Hold'em, and most importantly, specifically geared for small stakes limit hold'em, which will more then likely be what you will be playing. Whether you are going to play Limit or No Limit, tournaments or ring games, I strongly suggest getting this book. Every time I read it, I pick up something new. It is really worth the time to read this and the money to purchase it.

If you are more interested in tournament play over ring play, I strongly suggest reading Harrington on Hold'em by Dan Harrington & Bill Robertie. This book is specifically geared towards tournament play and is the first in the series. This book really opened my eyes to tournament play. The second book in the series, Harrington on Hold'em: Volume II: The Endgame by Dan Harrington & Bill Robertie, is even better then the first. I do suggest reading the first one though, because many of the concepts in the second book are explained in detail in the first.

As you can tell, I am not much of a book reviewer. I can tell you that I own all three of these books, and have read them all multiple times. When I feel my game needs a tune up, one of these three books is where I go. I am getting half a dozen new books for Christmas, so if I think that one of them deserves to be on the list, I will update this page accordingly.

Ones that I would stay away from:
Super System 1 and 2 - Not very much on Hold'em
Any book by TJ Cloutier & Tom McEvoy
Killer Poker series
Any books by Ken Warren