The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em, 2nd Edition [Mass Market Paperback]

Carl Baldassarre (Author), Randy Burgess (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Pocket Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: September 5, 2006

Texas Hold’em, the game featured on the popular television programs and dealt at well-known tournaments, has quickly become the one to play — and the one to win. In the context of teaching readers the basics of Texas Hold’em, this revised edition covers "No Limit" strategies and tournaments, and the basics for winning bigger cash pots. Although the dynamics for this versionof the game are similar to its low-limit cousin, "No Limit" strategy is quite different. This revised book covers no-limit in much greater detail, as it relates to cash games, online games, and tournaments.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carl Baldassarre is the author of scores of articles, presentations, and essays on financial topics for clients including Fidelity Investments, UBS, Merrill Lynch, and Prudential Financial.
Randy Burgess is a professional writer and co-author of The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Texas Hold’em

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592575633
• ISBN-13: 978-1592575633
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Poker
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > General

More About the Author

Aside from a brief spell early in my 20s making and delivering pizza, I've always worked as a writer. For many years this was in newspapers, where I juggled suburban meeting coverage, investigative journalism, and front-page features. I've also been a contract technical writer and a magazine editor. For the past four years I've been doing non-fiction book doctoring, helping authors from proposal to finished manuscript.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best beginner book I've seen, January 31, 2005

By 

Aces Up (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em (Paperback)

I've watched some hold'em and played some with friends. But never had a clue what would be a good strategy -- so when I saw there was an Idiot's Guide, I thought it would be perfect. The chapter about odds gave me the math without making my eyes glaze over (a major plus, since I'm not a math guy). I'm gearing up to use some of the strategies here on my friends the next time we play.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ken Warren, move over, June 25, 2005

By 

Ben Stokes (Atlantic City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em (Paperback)

Super book - better in some ways than the Lee Jones classic, because it's so much more up to date. You'll get the latest concepts in play - stuff you find elsewhere in books by Sklansky, Malmuth, Ed Miller, etc. - but adapted to the level of a newbie. Plus very clearly written.

As for the nasty little review posted by the anonymous fellow who loves Ken Warren so much - two points. First, a friend of mine picked up the first edition a few months ago (he's the one who turned me on to the book, by the way), and yes, there were a few howling typos. However I picked up the second edition, and these have largely been corrected.

Second, the Ken Warren books belonged to an earlier era of hold'em education - and not a very good one. Beginners like the Warren books because they seem easy to understand, but what they don't realize is the tremendous amount of misinformation they're being given. Mason Malmuth, in his review of "Ken Warren Teaches Hold'em," puts it this way: "Even though this is a big book that covers many topics, much of it is quite confused once you get past the filler material.

In summary, for the new player, I'd recommend this book as number one, the Lee Jones book as number two. Once you get beyond beginner stage, try the Ed Miller book - absolute dynamite. An advantage to start with the "Pocket Idiot's Guide to Hold'em" is that many of the key concepts are the same as those further refined in the Miller book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Going from the home game to the casino, October 21, 2005

By 

Col. John Stingo (Aqueduct Race Track) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em (Paperback)

This book showed me how to play serious hold'em -- I've still got a long way to go, but at least now I know what I don't know. Like most Idiot's guides, it's great at giving you the nuts and bolts basics on the topic. I'm sure more experienced players have the odds nailed and know what "outs" are, but I didn't before I read this book. It's also useful for learning where to play, whether on the Internet and even for types of players to look out for. I've already reread it twice, and I'm sure I'll refer back lots more times.