No-Limit Texas Hold'em: A Complete Course [Paperback]

Angel Largay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Poker enthusiasts of all skill levels can learn how to improve their play by following the strategies and techniques of renowned poker educator Angel Largay—one of the world’s most consistent winners in maximum buy-in, no-limit games—in this effective distillation of his professional classroom instruction. A progressive system of learning that examines the intricacies of no-limit Texas Hold’em on a step-by-step basis, the lessons advance from absolute beginner to professional level while exploring common tips to determine rates of success and offering methods to get beyond the game’s most difficult concepts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Angel Largay, a native of Alaska, moved to Vegas to begin his professional poker career, where he studied the techniques of world-class players. He was soon hired as the chief instructor at Poker Boot Camp — Las Vegas’ biggest poker school — where he has taught over a thousand students. He lives in Las Vegas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550227424
• ISBN-13: 978-1550227420
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but..., January 5, 2007

By 

jeffnc "jeffnc" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No-Limit Texas Hold'em: A Complete Course (Paperback)

Books with titles like this annoy me. You have to read the first chapter to figure out what the book is really about. Why don't they just put it on the cover? This is NOT a "complete course" in NL Holdem. It does not cover tournament or SnG strategy, for example. What the book is about, very specifically, is:
- cash games only
- low limit games only (low blinds -$1/2 or $2/5 live, or lower online)
- low max buy in, such as $200 for a $1/2 game (not unlimited buyin like at some casinos such as Wynn). He makes a strong point that the distinction among the different types of games is important. So why pretend this is a complete book on NL?

Having said that, the book is very good if this is your game of choice. It covers how to play against different types of players, how to figure pot odds and when to draw and when to bet enough to discourage draws, and when to get involved in big pots vs small pots. Recommended.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hi-Grade Advice for Low Grade Hold'em., April 7, 2007

By 

Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No-Limit Texas Hold'em: A Complete Course (Paperback)

I really appreciated this book which surprised me because I had low expectations for it--mostly due to my never having heard of Angel Largay before. I should note though that it's not a "Complete Course." If someone is a novice and they're looking to learn No Limit then I would advise them to purchase the immaculate No Limit Theory and Practice by Miller and Sklansky before getting anything else. That's the definite work on the subject. However, this author describes a unique aspect of the game which is Low Limit No Limit and he does it quite well. Largay's entirely correct in saying it is an arena like few others. It certainly is and I say that as a person who frequents its obscure tables on a regular basis. The plays, moves, strategies and opponents he describes are exactly like the ones you will find at NL 100 and 200 tables all across the country. Largay's analysis is confined to this area and he does a spectacular job in illustrating the nature of lower limit play. His insight varies from being just average in some sections to absolutely outstanding. The strongest parts are his breakdown of the player types and how one should adjust to them. It starts with Schoonmaker and then becomes all Largay. I was very impressed. I also admired his filter for determining action which is who is more likely to go broke from a particular play--you or your opponent. That's always an important thing to bear in mind when you're in the nether limits as they yell "All In" as much as normal folks yell "Taxi" when hailing a cab. Largay's outlook on the low limit chaos will strike many people as being too conservative but I think his style is far more right than wrong. If you take a look at his angle on playing the double paired board you'll see what I mean. Overall, this is a most valuable work. Personally, my only complaint is the set-up. He could use some of the hand visuals that the 2 + 2 books feature, but that is just a minor issue.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight into "Low Limit No Limit" game strategy w/ excellent basic skill development tips, March 19, 2007

By 

Brian White - See all my reviews

This review is from: No-Limit Texas Hold'em: A Complete Course (Paperback)

As other reviewers have noted, this book addresses low-limit, no-limit games - meaning no-limit games where the buy-ins are capped. Typically these games allow you to buy in for 20 or 30 times the total of the big and small blinds. ($60 for a 1-1 game, $200 for a 3-5 game).

When you get to the table with your $200 you'll find 6 guys playing with $100 to $300, and 2 guys playing with $1000 each. How'd they get those big stacks? The small stacks kept rebuying as long as they could, and when one couldn't, he left to make room for you!

So to be clear, this book isn't about sitting around with Doyle and Phil and Dan with a $100k buy-in and $900 in total ante. If that's your game, parts of this book won't help you.

However, low-limit, no-limit IS the game that you will find most often and they are beatable. Players no (or not much) better than you bank almost every day in the card clubs and casinos near you. Angel's critical advice is that your goal is double through or bust the other player, as opposed to chipping away at their stacks in small bites. This strategy shift is caused by the problems caused by the many short stacks on the table - mainly that they can't pay you off adequately for many otherwise-sound risks you may want to run, and that they can afford to take a shot at drawing out because they are loss-limited by the size of their stack.

This point is made in other books, especially tournament strategy books, where it is dominant especially in late action, but this is the best explaination of it in live games that I have read and it really leads you to view the overall game differently.

The other parts of this book are also well and entertainingly presented and so I'm not going to quibble much with the "Complete Course" claim. He goes through the basic definitions (pot odds, implied odds, pot equity, etc.) throughly. I also found his psycological insights (how should you react to the crowing, "look-at-me" risk taker, for example) helpful, as well as fun to read.

This guy comes across as fun at the table, and he's written a good book that captures a breezy tone similar to the Phil Gordon books while providing a better review of the odds calculations and hand-reading involved in the decisions.

I'm confident it will improve my game, and hey - its only the cost of 3 big blinds!