Texas Hold'em for Dummies

by Mark Harlan

Book Overview

Want to play -- and win -- poker's hottest game?

Turn on the TV, drop by a newsstand, or just browse the checkout your local supermarket and you'll see firsthand that Texas Hold 'Em is the poker game everyone's playing. It's a game that's deceptively simple, yet within its easy framework you'll find truth and trickery, boredom and fear, skill and misfortune--in other words, all the things that make life fun and worth living

Texas...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047004604X
• ISBN13: 9780470046043
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

a Dummy's perspective

Prefacing these remarks with the fact that I know very little about any type of card game (except Crazy Eights, Old Maid and Gin Rummy) I found this book both informative and entertaining. Mr. Harlan has a way with words that educates us Dummies in a manner that is not condescending in the least. His stated assumptions that we understand the basis of a normal deck of playing cards, plus simple but detailed descriptions of how play advances at the table, make this volume an enjoyable read. The sidebar stories and trivia tidbits are classic Harlan; in fact, the reader could ignore the main text and just read the anecdotal information to learn a LOT about the game. I received the book as a gift; it is a welcome addition to my library.

Essential book for those learning the game, and it's really well-written!

Unlike most poker books, this one is a joy to read beyond the information, which is priceless. Harlan writes as if he's one of your best friends, teaching you the game, what to watch out for, the differences between home games and on-line games, and he lays it out in an easy to understand but never dumbed-down way. And he's not afraid to get into theory and more advanced methods for play. This is recommended far and above some of the "big" names in poker books because Harlan can write and explain much better than the pros and it's both entertaining and informative. A must.

The Best Place to Start

I picked this book up at my local bookstore; I actually almost didn't. The shelf was covered with lots of books written by these great names I had seen on t.v. However, upon cracking open their covers I found a dialect I still wasn't ready to handle. I was a young player just tryiing to get a feel how to beat friends in the neighborhood and had no idea how deep the game of Hold 'em actually was. I chose this book because of the trusted Dummies name and I was not dissapointed me. The book is the best approach for a beginner. The book starts with an explanation of the rules of the different variants of poker before dipping into any really deep strategy. He did what he should to any novice, presented the "correct" way to play Hold 'em and then told me about the deeper strategies of Hold 'em, but he only scratched the surface, leaving those strategies to other Hold 'em books. All I can really say is that it is the necessary stepping stone for the true novice. Without reading this book, you won't have the foundation necessary to progress to more advanced books authored by such geniouses as David Sklansky and Mike Caro. These advanced books start off assuming the reader knows the rules of Texas Hold 'em and throw poker jargon at you from start to finish. Without this introductory text, anything else you read will be useless.

Great Book!

Texas Hold 'em for Dummies is packed with game play information, strategy and tons of useful tips. Mr. Harlan starts with a bird's eye view of Hold 'em and then moves into play by play mode. In addition to discussing the basics of the game, he also talks about the importance of managing your bankroll and table position. From there he goes into advanced strategies of reading players, bluffing and trapping. There's also chapters on mathematics as it relates to the game and an overview of game theory. If that weren't enough, he then gives a complete overview of where to play Hold 'em whether on-line, with friends or in a card room. Here there are useful tips like how to handle hotheads, the difference between good skimming and bad skimming, what kind of food to eat during a poker game (no potato chips which can grease up the cards!) and a friendly reminder to get your car validated at the card room. Written with an authoritative, friendly style, Mr. Harlan makes this complex and fascinating game accessible and fun. Also included is a great glossary because Hold 'em and poker in general have their own slang which can get confusing. Overall, this book is a great value for the money because you will continue to go back to it as a reference and it works as a springboard to more advanced information. Oh, and he's funny too. I was also impressed that he knows the names of all five Marx Brothers. That Godzilla comment was a kick too.

Peek inside a master's brain

I started playing poker a long, long time ago, back when Texas Hold'em wasn't the only game that got any attention, poker wasn't televised, and guys that look like Jesus weren't winning big and getting famous. But I never learned -- I always played for fun, not profit. Reading this book changed all that for me. While I've always resented the implied insult in the "...for Dummies" series titles, I was indeed a dummy at Hold'em before picking up this volume. And now? I am stunned, astonished at (a) what I didn't know, and (b) that I could learn it from (c) a book. I've long admired Mark Harlan's legendary writing prowess, but only for enjoyment -- I didn't realize that the man could teach, as well as entertain. And he's got real chops, as the founder of an online poker company and frequent tourney player. This book has given me, an occasional poker player, the skills and confidence to move forward in the world of Hold'em. If it can happen to me, it can work for anyone.