Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players - Review
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Review by Dave, TightPoker.com contributor
One thing I've noticed after reading many poker books by David Sklansky, is that they all follow the same basic outline.
They basically play out as a poker game plays out. The books start by giving players information about which hands to
play, and what to do with the hole cards you get. The books then go on to talk about in great detail, as in this book,
or in lesser detail as in Hold'em Poker the strategy behind the rest of the game:
after the flop, on the turn, on the river, playing heads up, large games, small games, loose games, tight games,
and much more. Sklansky basically covers every possible situation you will run into in a game of poker.
Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, of course, is no different. In it, Sklansky and Malmuth take an in-depth
look at every aspect of Texas hold'em and analyze it from an expert point of view. This book reminds me a lot of
Sklanskys Theory of Poker, but specifically geared toward Texas Hold'em.
It is a wealth of information that no Texas Hold'em player can afford to ignore.
Pros:
This book is written by two experienced poker professionals and writers. Sklansky is generally considered the
authority on poker strategy, while Malmuth has been writing books and articles since 1987. Both writers are
at the top of their field. That being said, the information in this book is golden. Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players is
basically an encyclopedia of hold'em strategy. The book is well written and packed with examples of everything
Sklansky and Malmuth go over.
Cons:
As I said in the pros section, the book is like an encyclopedia of information. This is great because it's such a
good resource of information, but bad because it needs to be read like an encyclopedia. To really understand the
information contained in this book, it can't just be read. It needs to be studied. This book is also intended for
expert poker players, beginners should start of with a simpler book, such as Hold'em Poker,
and get some experience playing the game before checking out this book. Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players sets up
some very complex situations that can be very hard for a beginner to grasp. More experienced players should be
able to get a firm grasp of whats going on fairly easily.
Summary:
Overall, Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players is one of the best books for experienced hold'em players looking to bring
their game up to the next level. Its a wealth of excellent information that should never be overlooked.
I'd recommend it to experienced players looking to improve their skills.
-Dave
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