Mastering No-Limit Hold'em

The book provides an overview of how to play a tight-aggressive style of NLHE, geared towards 100 buy-in ring games at both Las Vegas and Los Angeles. From starting hand selection, to play on every street, enough specifics are given coupled with elaboration of the reasoning behind them to provide the reader with the tools necessary to develop a profitable strategy and mindset. Recommendations on betting amounts and pot-size management in different situations are given throughout the text. Mistakes in these two areas are often what get players into trouble, putting them in situations where they're not sure where they stand in the hand or have unnecessarily pot-committed themselves in less than ideal situations. I found recommendations in these areas to be the most useful, and I'm sure most tournament players or LHE players will agree with me. More obscure topics such as bankroll management, game selection and managing your own mindset are also elaborated on, and I found a lot of what was written to be very insightful and helpful. To summarize, the book is an excellent starting point for individuals new to NLHE ring games, and will serve as a useful reference down the line. Starting hand charts (modified to reflect the context of the hand) are provided at the end of the book, and you will most likely be looking back at these quite often. I'm glad to have this as an addition to my poker library, and I highly recommend it.

I would tell you this is a great book for getting started in no limit ring games but if I did that I might find you sitting across from me making my job at the tables harder. Seriously this is a great book for getting started in smaller stakes ($100 to $500) no limit tables and also for the internet play. This book assumes you know how to play good poker so if you are looking for starting hand requirements etc. you should probably start with a more rudimentary book on poker, but for no limit betting structure, pot odds and just general strategy this is a must have. This book is not geared for tournament play but for ring games, get another book for tournaments.

If you are looking to play no-limit cash games (as opposed to tournaments) and your main experience with NL Texas holdem is watching poker on TV or playing sit-and-go or multi-table tournaments online, please get this book. The truth is that NL holdem against ordinary players is not a game that requires or demands a lot of fancy plays and bluffs, but rather mostly solid fundamentals. It might be "sexy" to play like Gus Hanson or Daniel Negreanu do on TV (at short-handed final tournament tables) but you don't want to play like this in the typical game. This book stresses these fundamentals of how to bet, when to raise/call/fold, how to play after the flop, etc. I thought that I was a decent NL player, but I underestimated the differences between cash game and tournament style holdem. In the few weeks I've had the Fox/Harker book, my results playing NL holdem cash games, both online and in a casino, have been great. This book assumes that you will be playing in a "restricted" buy-in NL holdem game against average opposition, which is the type of game you would play online (with a $25-$200 buy-in) or in a casino (where the buy-in is usually in the $100-$500 range). Unlike Doyle Brunson's SuperSystem, Harker and Fox do not assume you are playing with a huge stack of thousands of dollars against players that are scared to death of your raises. They also do not assume that you are a world-class player in terms or putting your opponents on a hand. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I would have personally preferred a lengthier discussion of "implied" and "reverse implied" odds and more mathematics (although most will probably find plenty of math for their taste).

Having played for several years (prior to the days of 21 year old millionaires and Gus Hanson)... I have great respect for the subject matter in the book. Nothing flashy or dramatic... just good solid poker strategy. I was first attracted to the book because I have played with Russell Fox several times at the Bicycle Casino in CA... and he is the most unexcitable player I have ever met. Yet somehow, he continues to cash-out absurd amounts of chips time and time again. I have even caught myself on the loosing end of a bluff/move in a heads up match against Mr. Fox. Live and learn... read this book and be successful. The tips are legitimate, and very relevant to the world of minimum/maximum buy-in structures. Areas covered include not only tips for play, but tips on maintaining a winning attitude and a solid financial base for your endeavors into Poker.

If you're considering playing the restricted buy-in no limit hold 'em games that have become popular in most casinos, then this book is a must. It is a complete guide to developing a winning strategy. If you are already a winning player, this book will help reinforce many of the concepts that you already are using, and should increase your win rate. I've been beating the small no limit games for two years now, and I find that this book has helped shore up some of the leaks in my game.