Harrington on Hold 'Em: the Workbook: Expert Strategy for No-Limit Tournaments

If you play NL Hold'em tournaments of any level or any type, Dan Harrington's series are the absolute best books out there and are arguably the best series on poker period. It doesn't matter if it's high stakes or micro buy-ins; casino, home games or online; Multi-Table, satellites or Sit `n Go's; an expert or a newby....... you must own this series. Although an absolute newby would possibly have trouble with some aspects of this book, you do not need to be an expert at all in order to read and comprehend. I own all 3 in the series (and I will add that they MUST be read in order) and I have read each one cover to cover multiple times, and constantly refer back to them. The first book is held together by duct tape from overuse. It's not just a book, but a manual that you can always refer back to. His principals and philosophies in tournaments alone are great with ideas and concepts you might not have every thought of, especially for the beginner. No one has been as in-depth, giving strategies and then applying them in examples...... which makes it very easy to comprehend. It's just the best.

This volume is the natural offspring of Harrington's other two tournament books, I and II. Approaching Texas Hold 'Em as a hybrid of practical science and art, Harrington sets up a number of real hands borrowed from a variety of tournaments, some famous, some not-so famous, and asks how you would play the hand. There's a score-card in the back to keep the work-problems interactive and to stimulate a poker-player's "game gene." This book is not an easy read, as it requires hard work and thinking--which is to say that it is not for the casual poker player--but if you are a serious student of the game, this is the natural and invaluable next step to his other two books. One of the great things about ALL of the Harrington books is his willingness to challenge his own style of play and his own knowledge by offering advice and then showing how NOT following it sometimes still leads to success. This open-minded, and yet vigorously disciplined, approach to the game shows Harrington to be an exceptional teacher who is neither didactic nor short-sighted as to the myriad of choices available to the growing poker player, both in terms of individual hands, and in terms of overall playing styles. Again, please note: this book is not for the casual poker-player, but for the serious student of the game. Also note: it is essential to study the preceding volumes I and II--not read, but study--before moving on to this "advanced" text. But if you ARE a serious tournament player, this book can bump you up a notch in your ability to play with complexity and nuance.

This work, just as Volumes 1 and 2, is near spectacular but Volume 3 is rather unique in the series. Unlike the first two offerings, this one is short on theory but long on practice. It is solely devoted to hand analysis, but what makes it unusual for a hand manual is that the examples come from celebrities. Readers now have the chance to be Phil Ivey--if only for a few moments--as Harrington provides a breakdown of his play against his opponents. The same can be said of many pros including Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu. The real idea behind the text is that you learn by doing which is exactly what occurs here. The effect is accentuated should you make a point of answering the questions as you go and follow it up by consulting the "Categorizing your Errors" section in the back. It contains groupings of wrong answers which allow us to see what exactly it was that you did wrong. Despite their excellence, I wouldn't suggest novices studying these volumes out of order. If you haven't read the first two, jumping to 3 will diminish its value. However, with Action Dan it's hard to go wrong with any subsection of Harrington on Hold `em.

I agree with all the other reviewers: this book is Dan Harrington like you've never seen him before, kicking butt and taking names. Finally we get an entire book devoted to analyzing pre-flop and post-flop action across every decision point of the hand. Even better, Harrington has shed the pure conservatism of the first two volumes. In this book, he advocates a variable style of play that includes loosening up against more aggressive opponents looking to push you off the table. The first two volumes will give you fundamental, mathematically-sound conservative play. This volume includes a great deal of more aggressive, "playing your opponent" kinds of moves. This is brilliant analysis. I absolutely cannot rave enough about this book. Harrington takes your hand and walks you step by step through the decision-making process in dozens of hands. Along the way, he scores the quality of your decisions. Although he remains conservative and likes to play a hand substantially according to its potential, he respects more aggressive plays. He discusses the merits and drawbacks to other types of plays throughout, and tells you what he would do and why. An awesome display of poker analysis. Some books are so good that they define their field. Every book that comes after may agree, disagree, or clarify what a definitive book has to say on its subject, but there is one thing subsequent books can't do: they can't ignore it. If you're a serious tournament poker player, you can't ignore the Harrington series. This is THE classic text on Texas hold em poker tournament strategy, bar none. Vol. 2 continues the greatness of Harrington's series by moving away from the formulaic, conservative approach taken in Vol. 1. This is understandable, since you have to learn to walk before you can run. And by the time you finish Harrington Vol. 2, you'll be ready for the speed trials! Words like "highly recommended" can be overused, so I'll just say you'd be crazy to gamble any serious amount of money without buying and completely absorbing all three of Harrington's books. You should also re-read them right before any major event to clarify your thinking. They're THAT good! I'd also recommend The Poker Tournament Formula and Poker Tips that Pay: Expert Strategy Guide for Winning No Limit Texas Hold em for readers that are looking beyond the Harrington series, for additional hand-based poker strategies and techniques. Both books compliment Harrington's approach to the game quite well.

If you play poker for money, you need to get this book. A clearer guide to poker success does not exist. In my opinion, it is better than Harrington's Volume II which is its closest rival. What makes it better are the extremely detailed post-flop hand analysis. Post-flop is where most of the money is won or lost, it is the hardest part to learn, and, not lending itself to a hand and position "re-raise, raise, call, fold" chart, it is the most difficult to teach. Rather than just codify a list of do's and don'ts, Harrington clearly articulates the principles involved. His text clearly indicates both basic and more complicated principles and demonstrates how complex well-played poker can be. As for Harrington's "conservative" style, his books reveal that his style is not nearly as conservative as the "rocks" at your local card room. (The ones who regularly cash from players trying to be Gus Hansen.) If you can Harrington's style, you will be cashing from them.