Poker Articles

Poker players aren't a group of people you would expect to get excited over a "workbook", but the buzz surrounding the upcoming release of Harrington on Hold'em Volume III is audible wherever people gather to talk poker. Reading poker books may not be for you, but if you haven't at least glanced at the Harrington series then you are leaving yourself short stacked in every NLHE tournament you play. I mean this for beginner, intermediate, advanced and pro alike because I think the books have something to offer everyone.

The first two installments of this series have probably done more to advance the level of discussion of poker as a game of strategy since Sklansky and Malmuth first began publishing. Even "the bible" Super System has gotten a bit dusty over time compared to Harrington's books. Don't get me wrong, I think Doyle is as sharp as ever, but if you are looking for the premier guide to No-Limit Hold'em tournament play I think most would agree that Harrington is the first, second and now third books you should buy.

I sent a few questions over to the gentlemen at 2+2 publishing and got a reply from Mason Malmuth. I tried to get a little inside info on the new Sklansky/Miller book No Limit Hold'em Theory and Practice, as well as Harrington on Hold'em Volume III: The Workbook but Malmuth is a man of few words, and doesn’t give anything away. Of course, I still appreciate him taking the time to reply:

How exactly does 2+2 work? Are you completely independent publishers?

We're a publishing company that specializes in poker/gambling. We're independent of any other publisher.
 
Do you do a set run of books, and then respond to demand or is it almost entirely publish-on-demand these days?

- Based on our estimates of demand and other factors we determine the number of books to print. We do no publish-on-demand.

Are NLHE Theory and Practice and Harrington Vol. 3 shipping on the same date? Is that date set, or still slightly in flux?

- Both books are now shipping. (note: they are still listed as on pre-order, but I suppose they are rolling off the shelves as we speak)

Will they also be available in retail stores on that date or some time shortly thereafter?

- They are already in a few stores, and will probably be in all stores by June 5.

Do you anticipate demand being so high that you will go on backorder for any extended period of time?

- While we anticipate very high demand, we can always reprint fairly quickly, so don't anticipate any backorders.

What is the balance of cash game to tourney content in Theory and Practice? Anything in particular to look forward to with this book?

- You'll need to read the book. It contains a great deal of theory that will apply to both tournaments and cash games but is a little more cash game oriented.

In HoH Vol. 3 is there any significant new content or is it strictly application of the previous volumes?

- It is strictly applications of the previous volumes.

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People often ask, "Do I have to read Vol. 1 before I read Vol. 2?" and the answer is not necessarily, but why wouldn't you? I have read a lot of poker books and I can honestly say I didn't read anything in either book that I felt was a waste of time. Even basic concepts were discussed in a way that made me think about them in new ways. I think when it comes to Volume three, however the first two books (or at the very least Vol. 2 for it's groundbreaking endgame strategies) will be required reading.

I was not able to get my hands on an advanced copy, as it is being kept under wraps until it goes out to the public, but I can make a few guesses on what to expect based on how the example hands were used in the previous books. I don't think this new book will waste a lot of time re-hashing the material covered in the previous books, but instead will plunge into specific situations and how all of the tools, tips and tricks apply in those hands. This will be a great learning tool for those who are "up to date" on their Harrington knowledge, but if you aren't you may get left behind.

For those who haven't read any of the books, the first two volumes are filled with example hands that apply the topic under discussion to real game situations and each chapter is followed by sever "Poker Problems" to reinforce the idea further. Volume 3 will consist entirely of situational analysis and problem hands like these. Also worth mentioning is the Harrington books use a simple graphic of the poker table to introduce each hand allowing you to easily see position and stack sizes, so you don't have to follow along in dense text. So you won’t be going blind reading plain text hand histories, it's more like using Mindwise's PokerXfactor hand re-player, only with Dan Harrington over your shoulder telling you what to pay attention to and what he would do in that situation.

My first reaction to hearing that Harrington’s third book was going to be “nothing more” than problems, I have to admit I was disappointed. I was hungry for more broad concepts and deep poker insight I have become accustomed to in the first two books. Then one day, I was talking to my brother about it and he pointed out, “But that’s exactly what I need. I think I know everything I am ever going to know about poker, now I just need to practice it. I don’t want to slog through another poker text, I want specific application and I want the ideas drilled into my skull!” I think he may be underestimating the breadth of the poker literature and the complexity of the game, but the basic concept I agree with. Sitting down with a book of poker puzzles, problems, quizzes and questions with Dan Harrington as my guide seems like a pretty +EV proposition to me.

Even if you never use an ounce of what Harrington has to offer (unlikely) I think it is profitable to recognize players who are trying to play "according to Harrington". If you are good enough to spot them you might be good enough to use it against them. Kind of like recognizing opening moves in chess, if you know what the opponent is thinking you can trap him twelve moves ahead. That’s only for the very advanced, for the vast majority of players the Harrington books are simply a great way to take your game up a notch.

Harrington on Hold'em Volume III: The Workbook is available for pre-order on Amazon right now, which is not a bad idea because I think the demand is going to be very high and the sooner you get your order in the sooner you can start sharpening your edge.

If you'd like to check out our reviews of Volumes I and II, click below:

Harrington Volume II : Book Review

Harrington on Hold'em Volume I : Book Review