Customer Reviews

The Complete Book Of Hold 'Em Poker: A Comprehensive Guide to Playing and Winning

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gary Carson offers ways to change your thinking about the game of Hold 'Em. I think the book a great buy for beginning and intermediate players.

Firstly, while he does provide a chart of suggested starting-hands as do other Hold 'Em book authors, Carson also provides an entire chapter on the the theory of starting-hand values. It gave me an entirely new view of hand values and position.

Secondly, he gives more new perspectives in the chapter on the theory of flop play. Again, not just directives but insight into defining your hand. His ideas on adjusting your thinking about poker hands from their poker ranking to their money-winning potential gave me a new way to evaluate my holdings.

Finally, I thought his chapter on betting theory alone worth more than the cost of the book in itself. I've certainly more than recouped my money on what I consider to be the clearest and most consise explantions of bet, pot and implied odds. Before this book, I had only bet to get more money into the pot. Carson's list of reasons to bet immediately changed me into a more flexible player.

You won't find a template of play in this book as you do in many others; you'll discover here ways to clarify your thinking that will allow you to make better playing decisions.

This book has several advantages over other hold'em books: readability, price, and usefulness for online poker. It is not, however, a book with loads of new info for the expert, and it does suffer from a few flaws.

Many of the best hold'em books in terms of juicy info are terribly written. Not only is the writing often amateurish, it is just as likely to be convoluted and poorly organized. Important concepts will be buried in the middle of paragraphs in the middle of long sections, while the lead of the section will give no hint that the jewel is buried within. This book is well written and accentuates its important points. While it doesn't contain the wealth of info of say Sklansky/Malmuth, it also doesn't have to be reread five times line by line to absorb.

The price part is obvious. This one's $10.50, its competitors are all over $20. If price matters, buy this one. None of the other books are twice as good if you are only going to read one. That said, if I win one extra pot because of a book I read, it has more than paid for itself, and the investment in hours spent reading is a greater cost than the purchase price.

Why is this so great for online poker? Tons of tables recommending starting hands in a variety of situations (loose, aggressive, early position, late, etc.). Other books provide similar info but there is usually only one table and then the text explains how to deviate (play more suited connectors in this situation, etc.). This one is gloriously redundant, often providing a table that crystallizes those conceptual recommendations. So you can just sit there on the computer with a couple of the tables tabbed and do what the chart tells you to. Do I agree 100% with these tables? No. But they are much closer to "right" than 95% of people would play without them, and keeping them in front of you while you play online will eventually help you learn to understand the theory behind them and deviate as conditions warrant.

As for whether this book is for beginners, intermediates, experts, I think it offers something for each group. For the reasons above, it's great for the first two groups. For experts (I'm not one, but I'm smart enough to know what they want), I found that it did not have as many useful concepts as other books. But it was littered with a few simple observations (that should have been obvious but that I've never seen elsewhere) that made me rethink several areas of my game. So buy it for the small ideas you've missed, not the next-level concepts.

As for the reviews that say he's wrong or contradictory, there is some truth to that. I'm pretty much always going to play AK, I don't care what his tables say. Another example (stated or implied more than once) is he says you shouldn't bet the probable best hand in a loose game when a great draw benefits more from the other loose callers than you do (say you have top pair but you think an opponent has both a flush draw and a straight draw, making him a favorite to beat you eventually). Just because one super draw wins 40% of the time, you only 30%, and the other two players only 10% each doesn't mean you shouldn't bet/raise. Yes the super draw is benefiting from your raises, but he is benefiting at the expense of the other two callers, not you. Don't let your envy of his 60% profit on bets keep you from sucking up your 20% profit. Only if the combined draws are so good that your odds are below the number of callers (here, 1 in 4) should you decline to bet/raise, and the truth is this is rare and you'll rarely know when this happens even if it does. (The one exception, which he did not note in support of his theory but should have, is if the player with the likely-great draw is also the best player at the table. In that case, you may want to begrudge him his profits because they are hard to get back from him. But if you think the worst player has the best draw, then by all means help him get more money to lose.)

Briefly, most of his seemingly contradictory statements are actually both true but he does a poor job of explaining the nuance of how that's possible. But overall I'd say this book is good enough to be worthwhile for everyone and is a definite bargain for beginners.

I've just finished Carson's "Complete Book of Hold'em Poker." And while it doesn't go into depth on each of the topics covered in the book, it really is a "complete" book, meaning it touches on all aspects of the game.

Unlike some other poker books, this one reads like it was written by a writer, rather than a poker player. It is very clear and concise -- even the mathematics (a subject I've always had trouble with) is very clearly explained.

Carson deals with the game on a much broader scale than most books I've read. Poker is a very situational game, requiring that play be constantly adapted to the changing conditions. Instead of Carson provides a rote-like "When the table's like this, play like this," he provides the reader with the tools to make those decisions on their own.

There is also an excellent chapter on playing in Brick & Mortar casios, that should shore up the confidence of even the meekest poker player.

His writing is very jargon-ish. There's a lot of talk about "theories" and "models" etc. But I personally like this type of teaching. It's teaching fundamentals rather than a continuous stream of "if ... then" statements.

An excellent beginners book.

Most books on Hold 'Em Poker focus on one of two types of games: the high limit, good player, tight games usually described as Vegas (or Bellagio) Hold 'Em; or the super-loose, usually low limit games played in your neighborhood card room. This book addresses both rather well. It focuses on the fact that a poker player is making a continuous series of bets on some of which the odds situation is clear and some speculative. That's what makes the game fascinating and also makes this a useful book.

The only reason for not having the fifth star is that one still doesn't get a notion of how much patience this all takes. But you can't have everything in one book, so this is highly recommended.

Love.

I have read "Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players", "The Theory of Poker", "Winner's Guide to Hold'em Poker", and "Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em" in addition to this book. After reading all those, I was consistantly making profit, and placing in the top 4 or 5 in tournaments. After reading this one on a flim (because of another review here, actually), I won my first tournament.

He teaches you how to think in Hold'em poker. The other books touch on that subject, especially "Ken Warren Teaches...", but its just not done in a way I was able to "get". I learn from books, not from being taught in a classroom, and this book is icredible in my opinion. At one point the author recommends reading some of the other books, but says you should finish his first: He couldn't have said it any better.

I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to learn how to play Texas Hold'em. To put in perspective, he only lightly touches no limit/pot limit games, or tournaments for that matter (although more than some of the other books), but yet the tournament I won was a no-limit. I think that speaks volumes!

EDIT: I wrote the following back in 2004, when virtually every poker book on the market was about limit poker (and I was learning to play LHE). Be advised that the above only pertains to limit hold-em; its NLHE coverage is scant. - 2008-07-25.
*****

I mostly want to reiterate what's already been said. This is a solid first poker book with enough "meat" in the form of both tabular data (starting hands, loose/tight and passive/aggressive tables rated for profitability, etc.) and in supporting text to explain the "why" behind the tables. Carson is a pretty good writer, and he's honest enough to say, "It depends," when that's the only good answer. E.g.:

"I can't give you any hard and fast rules for when to call, raise, or reraise [preflop]"

To his credit he doesn't leave it there (which would be useless for a beginner!) but develops some rules of thumb while stressing that they're never to be taken as gospel. His most important theme, that knowing and selecting your opponents is more important to profitability than memorizing how to play the cards, comes through clearly.

The downside is well documented here but I'll just confirm it: The book tries to do a little too much. Some of the "special topics" chapters are truly useful, like the table selection material already mentioned. But some of them, like "Women and Poker," or "Poker and the Internet" are such a cursory treatment of the topic as to be of questionable value. Better to stick to the fundamentals!

I didn't find the probability section quite as useful because I already knew the basics, but if you don't then count that a major plus. The two "Playing Some Hands" chapters are almost worth the price of the book themselves; I just wish there were more!

I recently entered the poker world after watching WSOP on ESPN. I read the reviews of several books and opened up my library with Sklansky's book. The reviews were accurate--good book but really tough to read.

Gary Carson's book is a really nice departure from the textbook, technically based poker books. It provides a solid foundation with guidelines and principles. It allows the read to understand the rationale of solid poker play and apply it.

I could see how some of the other reviewers found this book too simple. I did not, but I am an advocate of a strong strong foundation with additional concepts applied to that foundation. If you already have a strong foundation in poker, you may choose a different book. But even if that is the case, I would make the argument that everyone could benefit from the consistent and easily understood concept in this book.

Bottom line- Had I had everything to do again, this would have been my first book on Texas Hold'em. A really good book and solid value.

Carson's book is one of the more underrated and less well known of the good poker books. I feel compelled to write a review because of some of the other reviews on Amazon. This shouldn't be your first book on Hold'em (read and reread Lee Jones), because he only half-heartedly tries to teach you the basics (eg. starting hand requirements). He assumes you generally know what you're doing and tries to teach you to think like a poker player.

Page 204 was really important for me, where he discusses "book players." This really hit home and because I was guilty of everything he said about them. I don't think it was a coincidence that I went from an almost break-even player to a consistent winner after reading this. His discussion of other player stereotypes and a play-by-play analysis of two hands are also quite useful. While none of this is unique and you can find similar content elsewhere, I really like the way Carson explains his thinking - he's a much better poker writer than most and he really helped me to think about different situations. It's definitely worth $10!

In response to what "Card Player" said about not worrying about other bigger flushes: I don't believe he advocates blindly raising and reraising because no one ever has another flush. He simply points out that the odds that someone else has two cards of the same suit are reduced because five of the suited cards are accounted for (your two, plus three on the board). I've had weak flushes raised by a dead hand like pocket kings or trips FAR more often than I've lost to a bigger flush. True, you'll get beaten sometimes, but the situation is a winner in the long run.

I found this book while reading Matt Matros' "The Making of a Poker Player". Matros has this book as one of the seven he recommends unequivocally. Had it not been for Matros, I would not have known of Gary Carson's book.

This treasure of a book seems to be hidden from the general poker public. I play online exclusively, and I've asked various tablemates about the book. Almost no one seems to know about it. This is an absolute hidden gem, so superior to anything else out there.

The book is not for the complete beginner. In fact Carson himself recommends starting with Lee Jones' "Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em" or Ed Miller's "Getting Started in Hold 'Em". But, after having read and maybe reread one of those two, I'd suggest diving right into "The Complete Book of Hold 'Em" and staying with it for about a year or so. I don't see the need for any other book of poker instruction during that time, except perhaps Carson's own "Casino Poker" in which he introduces most of the different games of poker. (If you just have to read something else, I really like John Feeney's "Inside the Poker Mind" and Roy Cooke's "Real Poker II".)

Well, what about Sklansky, Malmouth, Ciaffone, Hellmuth, Krieger et al? Nope, you don't need any of them. For at least a year, Carson's book is plenty. In fact I would recommend strongly against them, since they could confuse the rock solid foundation you are building with Carson.

What makes this book so good? That is not easy to answer. Carson involves himself with the reality of playing poker; it's a situational approach. He does not fit the game into one single theory. He takes multipe perspectives. He admits it's not an easy, cookbook style (that's what Jones and Miller are for), but it is the only completely honest one. This is a new way of thinking that is levels above what the other poker authors are writing. Other reviewers who have liked the book say how it has changed their thinking, their approach to play; it does if the student puts in the time for study that is required. He will not be spoonfed. He will have to think. But what a difference it will make at the tables!

The book is revolutionary. Why it is not better known, why I had to find it by such a roundabout route, is beyond me. But when you find out it exists, Matusow (my hero) would call you a donkey not to buy it. One other plus which I don't think is trivial in poker literature; Carson knows how to write.

This book intelligently discusses limit hold'em in ring (cash) games. It
is not about no-limit or pot-limit. It is not about tournaments.

Instead of telling you exactly how to play, this book shows that there
is no single correct way to play. Which cards you play and how you
play them depends on many factors. This book discusses those factors
and why they should influence your play. It has important insights for
some game conditions, especially loose/aggressive games often seen
in low-limit.

The emphasis is on straightforward play, not deception. It is an
excellent book on tactics and strategy. It does not offer a single,
simple formula for play because that advise would be right sometimes
and wrong sometimes.

If this is the only book you'll ever get on poker, it's a good choice.
If you've read plenty of books on hold'em, this has excellent material
to digest.