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By checkitdown | Published Dec 16 2005, 05:41 AM
Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1
by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie

I just recently finished volume 1 of Harrington on Hold 'em. Maybe it's because I am a better poker player than I was when I first read other poker books, but I feel like this is the best poker book out there right now for intermediate to advanced hold 'em players. Sample hands at the end of each chapter take the topic discussed and apply it in real game situations, which really helped me learn faster.

Harrington divides the book into seven sections, and I'll give you some of the highlights from each:

1. The game of no limit hold em - More or less an overview chapter, it touches on the elements of a hand. Eleven elements are mentioned, and the very last element reads, "what are your cards?" I think this shows that cards are a part of the game, but not as important as some people may think. He also touches on the "hidden luck factor" in hold em, good luck you may have without realizing it, such as a reraise from another player that makes you fold your JJ, saving you a lot of chips.

2. Playing Styles and Starting Requirements - Harrington discusses three types of play, conservative, aggressive, and super aggressive. He shows how to manage your tournament game with all three styles, but also notes that mixing up styles every once in awhile is a solid idea. Discussion of the different types of tournaments can be found in this section as well.

3. Reading the Table - At a live tournament it is possible to see physical tells, but as we all know, it is nearly impossible to get a good look at your opponent online. Harrington includes a subsection devoted to observing the betting patterns not only of your opponents, but yourself as well. Again Harrington advises mixing it up, always giving yourself the element of unpredictability.

4. Pot Odds and Hand Analysis - Harrington discusses pot, expressed, and implied odds in this chapter, and also gives tips on how to analyze a hand. Harrington gives percentages to all possibilities an opponent may be holding, for example, there's a %50 chance he's holding an overpair, 30% chance I'm in a coinflip, etc. He also mentions "Harrington's Law of Bluffing," which assigns a 10% value to an opponent bluffing, every hand.

5. Betting before the flop - I don't want to give away too much in these next 3 sections, but they are all full of very valuable information on how to approach your betting at different points in the hand. Harrington analyzes the Gap Concept, the Sandwich Concept, and the Squeeze play, three valuable concepts to understand in order to improve your No limit tournament play. Harrington also gives suggestions as to how to play certain hands by position. For example, how should you play 88 in middle position if you're the first one to enter the pot.

6. Betting on the flop - Harrington discusses different types of bets that can be made if you're the initial raiser or just a caller. Specific bets he discusses are value bets, continuation bets, and probe bets.

7. Betting after the flop - This is the last section, and Harrington does a good job of covering a multitude of scenarios, particularly how to handle someone that you feel is on a drawing hand. An excellent point that Harrington makes is that extracting the most money out of your opponents is often an overlooked factor. The small bets on the river that you get your opponent to call can really add up, and can be the difference between a final table appearance and a tournament victory.

The great detail Harrington goes into on each topic make this the absolute best book I've read on No-Limit Hold'em tounament play bar none. I'm really looking forward to reading Volume II, where Harrington will discuss making moves, inflection points, and playing at short-handed tables.

To buy this book on Amazon.com click here : Harrington on Hold'em Vol. 1