How Good Is Your Limit Hold'em?

Do not believe the negative reviews that have been written about this book. They are written by the very people for whom this type of book is useless, namely rank beginners who are nowhere near ready for an advanced text such as this one. I'll keep this review short, this is an excellent book for somewhat more experienced players; for a beginning player the book is a waste of time. Some of the problems are extremely difficult and are designed to test the knowledge of players who are already proven winners in limit hold 'em and are looking to advance to higher limit games against higher caliber opponents. If you are already a good hold 'em player and are looking to find out just HOW good you are, read this book and test yourself. It is very educational and will certainly get you thinking about the game on a higher level. If you are a beginner, don't bother. Without trying to come across as condescending, I would guess that this book will be way over your head. There is nothing worse than people writing negative reviews about something that is way over their heads and that they are incapable of understanding yet that is exactly what has happened when people say ridiculous things like they use this book for toilet paper. Go out and buy "Getting started in hold 'em" and work on that before you start reviewing advanced books that are way out of your league.

The first question I ask when evaluating any poker book is, "Did it strengthen my game?", and with this one the easy answer is yes. Byron Jacobs may not principally be a poker player, but like so many other chess greats, he possessed excellent analytical and processing skills which enabled him to excel at poker before he first sat down upon the virtual felt. The style you'll learn from him can best be described as logical/aggressive. I say this because for limit, he's far from super tight. It's actually a great text for nits because it gets you to take better advantage of the opportunities presented. I think the real theme throughout these 24 hands is obtaining the MAXIMUM EXTRACTION of chips from your opponents. Jacobs, unlike many of us, fully realizes that the only way to really make good money from limit is to make the most out of every opportunity which comes your way. Limit's all about small edges and when they're not pushed players end up losing to the rake. Concerning the criticisms about the book's structure and organization, I do agree that they could have been improved upon. Perhaps putting the answers right after the questions would have helped as I too didn't like constantly flipping back and forth as I read; however, the whole "learn by doing" thing really did help me. I liked answering the questions because it made the lessons clearer. Yeah, it should have been longer, but considering the pile of lengthy stuff out there which isn't useful, this one was definitely a cut above.

This is a book with 24 practice hands, with quizzes on each stage of each hand. It's an excellent learning tool for an intermediate player after digesting Ed Miller's Small Stakes Holdem. I particularly enjoyed how the playing styles of opponents were factored into the quizzes.

If poker is more than just a hobby, and if you are serious about analyzing your play and winning the game, then this book is a must read. It is not the kind of book that you can just skim through; it is the kind of book where you work through examples and then compare your thinking to the author's on the way best to play the hand to maximize what you win at hold'em. The examples are realistic and the author's discussion on how best to play is well thought out. The book includes descriptions of the type of opponents you face each hand because correct play varies depending on the type of players in the hand. This book challenges you to think about how you play, to think about what the actions of other types of players likely mean and to improve your performance as a result. I highly recommend this book to a player who already has fundamental hold' em knowledge as a way to move to the next level of play.

THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR BEGINNERS! If you have a solid Hold'em background, are playing middle limit games, and want to learn to push marginal edges to increase your expected value you must read this book. Byron Jacobs came out of nowhere (his name is not well known within the poker community) to produce the definitive question and answer format book on middle limit play. My favorite part about each sample hand is the fantastic reads he provides of each player, and the hypothetical outcomes based on the possible opponent actions. Get it... its mandatory reading.