Book Description
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 Hold'em For Dummies introduces you to the fundamental concepts and strategies of this wildly popular game. It covers the rules for playing and betting, odds, etiquette, Hold'em lingo, and offers sound advice to avoid mistakes. This handy reference guide gives new and even seasoned players winning strategies and tactics not just for playing the game, but for winning. You'll learn:
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Rules and strategies for limit, no-limit, tournament, and online play
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How to "play" the other players
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The importance of your bankroll—recommended sizes and more
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Hands you should and should not play
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How to camouflage your play and dodge traps
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When, who, and how to bluff
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How to maximize your win with check-raising and trapping
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The different approaches for playing in private games, casinos, card rooms, tournaments, and on the Internet
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How to use mathematics to your advantage
Texas Hold 'Em is a game of both skill and chance. But it's a game that can be beaten, and whether you want to make money, sharpen your game, or just have a good time, Texas Hold 'Em for Dummies will give you the winning edge.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable and easy read.......2007-08-03
This book was a nice read and I really enjoyed some of the information that was presented in this one. Some information was new that other books, including ones that claim to teach you the secrets of the pros, decided to leave out. My only complaint is, that it being a For Dummies books makes a lot of references to "We'll cover this later" or "Head back to Chapter 7 for a review on this "
a Dummy's perspective .......2007-08-01
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.
Best comprehensive reference on texas hold em!.......2007-05-31
As a reference that covers all aspects of the game, this book cannot be beat. It is easy to read, yet packed with information, and everything is here, including pre-flop, flop, turn, and river play, the importance of position, pot odds, raising, check-raising, bluffing, semi-bluffing, starting hand values, analyzing and playing to your opponents, the different types of players (tight vs. loose, passive vs. aggressive), bankroll management, internet vs. casino play, and more.
There are other books that cover some of these aspects of play, but I have found no other book that describes them in a manner that is this easy to understand while having plenty of detail at the same time.
This is definitely one of the first poker books that you should read, and I am certain that you will find this to be a useful reference. I can see this as being a resource that I will refer to often as I continue to learn the game and build my experience.
More then worth some bets ;-).......2007-04-01
Very easy to read and a lot of tips.
Even if you know nothing of Texas Hold'em (like I did) you understand it within the first few pages.
And he slowly but surely further and deeper into the subject to a point where real advanced strategies come in to place.
Also his sense of humor helps a lot. I really stopped reading a few times cause I couldn't stop laughing. When someone can make me laugh because of what he wrote, for me you are a very good writer then.
After I read this one I also bought the another book of Mark Harlan, called Winning at Internet Poker For Dummies®. It was written in the same way as this book but with (as the titlte suggest) internet poker as its subject. It shows the differences with poker in the Real World.
After I read his books I started playing tournaments online and started with the real low tournaments. It is amazing how his tips work. I allmost won back his book in chips.
To conclude the review: I hope no-one buy this book as they will clearly become better players and cost me money ;-)
Richard Wensing.
Real bang for the buck.......2007-03-31
Harlan's first book Winning at Internet Poker For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) is the book that turned me from a losing player to a winning player. I bought this book as soon as it hit the shelves and I was not disappointed. Since his first book I have bought and studied over a dozen texas hold'em books and like the one reviewer said "nothing new". Well duh it is a for dummies book, but Harlan brings it all together in a unique fashion and he covers the basics to some advanced concepts that I have only seen in one or two other books.
Harlan has a point he drives home repeatedly: know your enemy. "If you can identify the traits of your opponents, and interpret the way those traits are presented to you at the table, you've found the master key to the game. Make no mistake about it, understanding your opponents at the table is THE most important aspect of poker."
I have found a couple holes in the way I present MYSELF at the table, and I am more able to see things in others.
Don't let the title sway you. This book's a winner, and for the low price the best bang for your buck in any poker book I've seen. I can honestly say that Harlan's books have been worth thousands of dollars in profit to me at the tables. If you are serious about winning you should add Harlan's books to your library.
Book Description
Poker is America’s national card game, and its popularity continues to grow. Nationwide, you can find a game in progress everywhere. If you want to play, you can find poker games on replicas of 19th century riverboats or on Native American tribal lands. You can play poker at home with the family or online with opponents from around the world. Like bowling and billiards before it, poker has moved out from under the seedier side of its roots and is flowering in the sunshine.
Maybe you’ve never played poker before and you don’t even know what a full house is. Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. If you’re a poker expert, you still can benefit – some of the suggestions may surprise you, and you can certainly learn from the anecdotes from professional players like T.J. Cloutier and Stu Unger.
Know what it takes to start winning hand after hand by exploring strategy; getting to know antes and betting structure; knowing your opponents, and understanding the odds. Poker For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:
- Poker games such as Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, and Texas Hold'em
- Setting up a game at home
- Playing in a casino: Do's and don'ts
- Improving your play with Internet and video poker
- Deciphering poker sayings and slang
- Ten ways to read your opponent's body language
- Playing in poker tournaments
- Money management and recordkeeping
- Knowing when and how to bluff
Poker looks like such a simple game. Anyone, it seems, can play it well – but that's far from the truth. Learning the rules can be quick work, but becoming a winning player takes considerably longer. Still, anyone willing to make the effort can become a good player. You can succeed in poker the way you succeed in life: by facing it squarely, getting up earlier than the next person, and working harder and smarter than the competition.
Foreword by Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series of Poker Champion.
Customer Reviews:
not so good.......2007-01-04
Honestly, this book didn't do much for me. I never got interested in reading it, and just learned by playing and watching poker tournaments on TV.
Excellent start.......2006-03-10
This book is great for everyone who's new to poker, especially casino poker. It explains all kinds of poker in detal and gives general rules on how to win in poker. You certainly can learn all your basics from this book, but I don't think it's good for people who want to learn Hold'em in particular - for that I'd recommend "Hold'em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner" by Lou Krieger. It explains everything in detail. Krieger certainly knows what he's talking about and explains it in a simple, easy to read form.
Poker for Dummies doesn't deal very well with internet poker; it only gives some general advice and the info is somewhat outdated. If you're interested in online poker, it's definitely not for you.
There's not much here.......2005-07-12
I love "Dummies" books and usually start with one when I want to learn something completely new. I have played poker recreationally most of my life, and been a consistent winner--because my competition was even worse than I was. I even won in my sole foray into a card club--because I was lucky. I had never played Hold'em, however. I wanted to learn more than just the rules of the game and get an introduction to some of the theoretical poker concepts that I knew were out there. This is the wrong book for that.
This book is just too elementary for anyone but a total and complete novice. The only "take away" for me was an understanding of what playing tight pre-flop means for Hold'em. The commentary on post-flop play was way too simple-minded.
This book spends too much time explaining things like tournaments, the World Series of Poker, and the Internet. I am still looking for the book I want.
Lou Krieger knows poker.......2005-07-11
it's great that this book assumes that you know nothing about poker, because i knew nothing.
this book is great in helping you think of all the considerations in poker, what the odds are, the groupings of hands, what other players are playing etc, but with a bit of practise, you can make these decisions in a matter of seconds. and practise i did. when i found that lou krieger was host of royal vegas poker, i practised there.
the only aspect that put me off a bit, but was my own shortcoming, not the book's, was the issue of calculating the standard deviations, outs etc. being mathematically challenged, puts me at a disadvantage.
but this is a great book, which is comprehensively basic - as it should be. i'd recommend it to anyone.
Good for beginners!.......2005-03-10
Its good for beginners but its too broad.....it covers a little bit on every poker game and teaches you about bluffing, helped me win Id reccomend it!
Book Description
Take poker online the fun and easy way!
Five years ago, 50 million people were playing poker recreationally or professionally. Now that number is more than 100 million, including a huge influx of young people. Online betting is up nearly four-fold over the past year, with total wagers running over $30 billion.
Winning at Internet Poker For Dummies provides the lowdown on the hottest game around, highlighting the best sites and virtual games and showing how to make secure online bets. The book covers setting up an account, securing funds, navigating a basic online poker game, using Internet abbreviations and lingo, observing online poker etiquette, playing popular online poker games such as Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha, devising a winning strategy, and participating in tournaments.
Download Description
The fun and easy way to take poker online Five years ago, 50 million people were playing poker recreationally or professionally. Now that number is more than 100 million, including a huge influx of young people. Online betting is up nearly four-fold over the past year, with total wagers running over $30 billion. Winning at Internet Poker For Dummies provides the lowdown on the hottest game around, highlighting the best sites and virtual games and showing how to make secure online bets. The book covers setting up an account, securing funds, navigating a basic online poker game, using Internet abbreviations and lingo, observing online poker etiquette, playing popular online poker games such as Texas Hold 'Em and Omaha, devising a winning strategy, and participating in tournaments. Mark ""The Red"" Harlan (Santa Clara, CA) is cofounder of CyberArts Licensing, a company working on the next-generation Internet poker room, gamesgrid.com. During the course of his 20-year Silicon Valley career, he designed eBay's bidding schema, was the Human Interface Evangelist at Apple Computer, and wrote the popular ""Notes from the Fringe"" column at InfoWorld. Chris Derossi (Henderson, NV) is also a cofounder of CyberArts Licensing and has been an avid poker player for 15 years. His two-decade computer career includes stints at Apple Computer, where he was chief architect of the Macintosh operating system, as well as ePeople, which he founded, and Trading Technologies, where he was CEO. He has written for many computer magazines.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2006-02-08
I didn't think much of this book when I borrowed it from a friend, but after a few pages I had changed my mind. It's a great book that will teach you to become a very good poker player.
YOU WILL NOT BETTER YOUR GAME WITH THIS BOOK.......2005-06-19
First off this is not a 'WINNING AT INTERNET POKER' book...it is a 'EXPLANATION OF INTERNET POKER'. I bought this book hoping to learn something. The first (and I am not exaggerating this) 2/3 of the book has nothing to do with actual poker playing. Throughout those chapters they discuss how to use your computer to choose and download a poker program. I saw that they had a chapter on tournaments. All they do is simply explain the enviroment of the tourney (i.e. how many people are in certain tournaments, how much you have to pay to get into them...) You will not learn any actual strategies or what to do in certain situations. I recommend buying this book if you have never in your life played any poker over the internet. If you saw the world series of poker on your TV and thought to yourself 'hey maybe i can play online' then right at that point this book wouldn't be the worst idea. Let me take an exerpt from the book...page 18 5th paragraph..."If your screen is kind of fuzzy, and you don't normally stare at it for excessive periods of time, you may want to consider upgrading to a new monitor. Gawking at fuzzy images for hours at a time is draining,"...
And if you want more examples of what you are in for buy the book and read the whole thing. Once again to emphasize...YOU WILL NOT BETTER YOUR GAME BY READING THIS BOOK, IT IS A WASTE OF TIME.
Helpful for two beginners.......2005-03-29
I met one of the authors at a dinner, and he was so articulate and enthusiastic about online poker that I became interested in it-although before that, I had never once thought about online poker in my life (seriously). Later I mentioned the conversation to my 77-year-old dad who had been playing "some" online bridge when he wasn't crashing AOL, and he decided to try it. Well, long story short: while I got this book to see what I've been missing all this time, and read it just for fun (and it was fun, too, written with a sense of humor, and full of information), my dad was getting extremely frustrated and starting to hate the whole idea. After hearing him grumble more times than I could count, I went over to his house, sat down with him, and-completely based on what I'd read in this book-got him up and playing comfortably on a site in about an hour and half.(While reassuring my mom over my shoulder at the same time...) He's been playing ever since, but I'm still too chicken, having played a lot more Yahtzee than poker growing up. Anyway, the book was very helpful for two beginners: a non-poker-playing, computer-confident woman and her un-computer-savvy father who's been playing cards for more than six decades.
A good, if very basic, introduction.......2005-03-11
Sometimes when I read--and I use that word with some restrictive license--a "Dummies" or an "Idiot's" guide to a subject, I find myself thinking, "how aptly named!" This book is no exception. However--and really this is what is important--if you're new to online play, this is the book you want to peruse. It's very basic, almost painfully so in some respects, as all "Dummies" books are; but whether you are a neophyte poker player or an expert, this book will give you everything you need to know to begin playing online.
Notice I am not talking about reading the book from cover to cover. As the authors say in their introduction: "Read any chapter at any point. Feel free to skip around." They do a good job of giving the links and naming the sites--playing sites and sites associated with online poker. They explain how you can deposit money and they alert the reader to some of the dangers of online play. They even give advice on how to play. However, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that this might not be the best book to buy if you are interested in becoming a better player. What advice they do give is generally good although not of world class quality.
Here are a couple of examples that the causal player might want to skip:
[First, there's their analysis of a hold'em hand they observed being played at the $3 & $6 level (p. 138). I won't rehash the hand, but will observe that their conclusion that "Player 1 may have had A-K, or a large pocket pair, but dropped the hand when the other players clearly showed the board had paired" is faulty in several places. One, of course, is that the board had not paired. What they mean is that the bet, raise and re-raise action after the flop of 9s 10s Qd indicated that at least one of the players had a queen in hand and therefore had a pair. The fact that Player 1, with 17 bets in the pot, giving him 17 to 2 odds on his money by calling the raise and reraise, did NOT call strongly suggests that he did not have AK, since if he had he would have had two overcards and a draw to the nut straight, which has something like a 40% chance of improving on the river to a hand that could very well win the pot. It's hard to say what he had. It looks like he misplayed his hand. Furthermore, the authors don't give us the full story. At the showdown they reveal that the winner had AQ and won with just a pair of queens and the top kicker. They remark that the site folds the caller's cards because "the runner-up doesn't show." That's correct, but if you are in the hand and refer to the record of the hand that is sent to your computer on sites like PartyPoker, it will show all hands still in play at the showdown, and you could find out what the runner-up had.]
[Another example is on page 190 in the box discussing 2-2 vs. A-K. They say that it's a 50/50 proposition, but then contradict themselves by pointing out what most players know, namely that the deuces are a slight favorite head-up. Then they muddy these waters by saying, "The true odds vary from 50.3 percent versus 49.7 percent in favor of the pocket deuces to 53.2 percent versus 46.8 percent for the deuces, depending on the suits involved." Note that this is quote, unquote. It's a little unclear exactly what they are saying, but trust me the deuces are always the favorite. Their point (apparently) is that if the deuces are in the same suit as the aces, then, should four of either of those suits fall on the board, the deuces will always lose, thereby lessening their small advantage. However since one can never know until the hand is over just which suits the other player is holding, the proper way to figure the odds is to ignore the suits, since the distribution is not only unknown, but evens out over the long run. Furthermore, they are relying on the calculator at Card Player's Internet site, which is a Monte Carlo simulation, not an actual calculation of the odds. For most purposes, a simulation of a few thousand hands is sufficient. However, the real odds can only be figured out mathematically, which nobody these days, it appears, bothers to do. Well, I'm sure David Sklansky still figures his odds.]
These quibbles aside, Harlan and Derossi's book is well worth the investment, especially if you are a total newbie. They cover just about every aspect of the experience that a beginning online player would want to know about. Here's an example of their guidance under the subheading "Grappling with the Psychological Basics" on page 70: "From a psychological point of view, the biggest differences between online play and the brick-and-mortar world include the radical increase in the speed of play and a heavy (mental) disassociation from the money you put in play."
The plain fact of the matter is that when the dollars seem like virtual dollars (although they are not) there can be a tenancy to bluff too much, to play too loosely, and perhaps to play at a higher game than one can afford.
Another good (and very different) introductory book on cyberspace poker is John Vorhaus's Killer Poker Online, which I also recommend.
Incidentally, if you really are a beginner at poker, I recommend you buy a computer game and practice with that for a while, and then--as the authors recommend--play at the "play money" games that the online poker sites offer before you risk any real money.
Buy it to "burn-proof" your online poker debut.......2005-03-05
I started online poker before I had this book, and... call me a dummy... I managed to blow 50 bucks in appallingly short order. I'd failed to understand some fundamentals of how online poker is different from my neighborhood games, and got burned. If only I'd had this book earlier!
The best advice in the book has to do with the psychology of online poker relative to table games. Understanding this is critical for people like me who migrated from neighborhood games to online, because I was totally baffled by the style of play, and its a huge mistake to assume that what one is seeing has to do with an increase in players' skill. This alone can shred quite a few hard-earned bills. On top of that, there are some "gotchas" in the mechanics of internet game play that the book explains (like thinking you're calling $1 when in reality its $100, or playing like a video-game zombie). Buy this book BEFORE you waste your bucks.
Book Description
The glitter and excitement that tourists associate with casinos is only a facade. To the gaming industry's front-line employees, its dealers, the casino is a far less glamorous environment, a workplace full of emotional tension, physical and mental demands, humor and pathos. Author H. Lee Barnes, who spent many years as a dealer in some of Las Vegas's best-known casinos, shows us this world from the point of view of the table-games dealer.
Told in the voices of dozens of dealers, male and female, young and old, Dummy Up and Deal takes us to the dealer's side of the table. We observe the "breaking in" that constitutes a dealer's training, where the hands learn the balletic motions of the game while the mind undergoes the requisite hardening to endure long hours of concentration and the demands of often unreasonable and sometimes abusive players. We discover how dealers are hired and assigned to shifts and tables, how they interact with each other and with their supervisors, and how they deal with players - the winners and the losers, the "Sweethearts" and the "Dragon Lady," the tourists looking for a few thrills and the mobsters showing off their "juice." We observe cheaters on both sides of the table and witness the exploits of such high-rollers as Frank Sinatra and Colonel Parker, Elvis's manager. And we learn about the dealers' lives after-hours, how some juggle casino work with family responsibilities while others embrace the bohemian lifestyle of the Strip and sometimes lose themselves to drugs, drink, or wild sex. It's a life that invites cynicism and bitterness, that can erode the soul and deaden the spirit. But the dealer's life can also offer moments of humor, encounters with generous and kindly players, moments of pride or humanity or professional solidarity.
Barnes writes with the candor of a keen observer of his profession, someone who has seen it all-many times-but has never lost his capacity to wonder, to sympathize, or to laugh. Dummy Up and Deal is a vivid and colorful insider's view of the casino industry, a fascinating glimpse behind the glitter into the real world of the casino worker.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant writing and an insiders pov at gambling.......2002-11-04
This wonderful collection of non-fiction accounts on the other side of the table is a true and accurate look at what makes the casinos tick: not the people who come with the money, but the people who take it. Lee Barnes has a gift and it is to conjure so many voices into one cohesive book. It is funny, sad, and terrible. If you ever wanted to know who lives in Las Vegas, read this.
Talented author without heart.......2002-10-20
Though the writer is obviously gifted, and the stories are without a doubt amusing and accurately detailed, the author seems distant from his characters.
The author seems to stay un-involved and to coldly inspect his subjects as though they were fireflies in Mason jars, or butterflies on pins.
The writing is superb, but the lack of involvment in the characters inner workings and lives, leaves these stories sounding like a girlfriend repeating a soap opera in the office, to someone who missed an episode.
I'll lay off with these last words. The author should look into his own heart and write real, breathing characters, not try to bring to life cardboard cutouts. No matter how excellent it is, it must heart. This book does not have heart, though it does have plenty of good writing.
Average customer rating:
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Internet-poker Fur Dummies
Mark Harlan , and
Chris Derossi
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Card Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Blackjack
| Bridge
| Gambling
| General
| Poker
| Solitaire
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Internet
| Home Computing
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
| Internet & Education
| Online Searching
| Web Browsers
| Web for Kids
German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
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All German Books
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ASIN: 3527703322 |
Average customer rating:
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Das Grobetae Poker Buch Fur Dummies
Mark Harlan
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
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Entertainment
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Nonfiction
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ASIN: 3527703772 |
Product Description
Whether you're looking to join a friendly weekly poker game or aiming for the championship in a local tournament, this guide gets you started so you can play your way to the top.
Average customer rating:
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Poker Fur Dummies (Fur Dummies S.)
R.D. Harroch
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Card Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Blackjack
| Bridge
| Gambling
| General
| Poker
| Solitaire
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
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German
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
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Entertainment
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Nonfiction
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ASIN: 352770258X |
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