B
bdc100
Enthusiast
Silver Level
Good Book: Annie Duke's "Decide to Play Great Poker" (Amazon 149 reviews,4.4 rating)
This is one of my favorite Hold'em books. It's aimed at the "advanced beginner" to "intermediate player".
PROS:
The beauty of this book is its extremely detailed explanation for every piece of advice given (unlike some books by respected authors that still leave you wondering why they recommended certain action).
Some great insights:
Middle suited-connectors are highly over-rated: when you're dealt 87s, think of it as 87o and that will bring you back to "reality" and avoid making stupid decisions like calling a raise. A single high suited-card is stronger than a middle suited-connector (e.g, Q7s vs. 87s).
It's organized into 5 dimensions:
1. Hand Type (top-pair, big-hands, draws)
2. Opponents (heads-up vs. multiway)
3. Board Texture (wet vs. dry)
4. Position (in vs. out)
5. Preflop Lead (lead vs. not lead)
That's 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 48 combinations!
I have a poor memory until I grasp a concept, but the dimensionality makes a "Cliffs Notes" almost impossible, so I'm using matrices and spreadsheets to summarize it (a big project).
CONS:
A difficult read, poor indentation & paragraph structure, verbose, slightly repetitive.
The Kindle edition is poor, but there are paperback and Audible versions.
SUMMARY:
All in all, the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons; highly recommended for mid-level (non-expert) players.
This is one of my favorite Hold'em books. It's aimed at the "advanced beginner" to "intermediate player".
PROS:
The beauty of this book is its extremely detailed explanation for every piece of advice given (unlike some books by respected authors that still leave you wondering why they recommended certain action).
Some great insights:
Middle suited-connectors are highly over-rated: when you're dealt 87s, think of it as 87o and that will bring you back to "reality" and avoid making stupid decisions like calling a raise. A single high suited-card is stronger than a middle suited-connector (e.g, Q7s vs. 87s).
It's organized into 5 dimensions:
1. Hand Type (top-pair, big-hands, draws)
2. Opponents (heads-up vs. multiway)
3. Board Texture (wet vs. dry)
4. Position (in vs. out)
5. Preflop Lead (lead vs. not lead)
That's 3 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 48 combinations!
I have a poor memory until I grasp a concept, but the dimensionality makes a "Cliffs Notes" almost impossible, so I'm using matrices and spreadsheets to summarize it (a big project).
CONS:
A difficult read, poor indentation & paragraph structure, verbose, slightly repetitive.
The Kindle edition is poor, but there are paperback and Audible versions.
SUMMARY:
All in all, the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons; highly recommended for mid-level (non-expert) players.