Million Dollar Hold'em: Limit Cash Games (Paperback)

~ (Author), Mark Karowe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Chan, who regularly plays against and defeats the best players in the world, shows how to win money consistently at poker's most popular game-limit hold'em. Players get an opportunity to get into the mind of a champion, as Johnny picks out illustrative hands and shows how he thinks his way through the betting and the bluffing. No book so thoroughly details the thought process of how a hand is played, the alternative ways it could have been played, and the best way to win poker session after poker session.

About the Author

Johnny Chan has won nine World Series of Poker titles-tied for the most ever with Doyle Brunson. He shot to fame in the late 1980s, winning the main championship event of the World Series of Poker in 1987 and 1988 and almost winning an unprecedented third consecutive title in 1989, but finished in 2nd place to Phil Hellmuth. Chan, who was showcased in the movie, Rounders, which was loosely based on his life, is considered one of the all-time great legends of the game. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.

Mark Karowe is expert card player who has teamed up with Chan to write for a number of publications. He is also co-author of the self-published "Play Poker Like Johnny Chan-Book One: Casino Poker."

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Cardoza; illustrated edition edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580422004
• ISBN-13: 978-1580422000
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #239,556 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book written by a pro for aspiring pros., November 30, 2006

By	George Parker (Tolland, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I believe Johnny Chan's book "Million Dollar Hold'em Limit Cash Games" is destined to be a poker classic and is a must have book for the serious player looking to gain knowledge of limit cash games. The book offers practical lifestyle approaches; techniques and strategies to help make you a profitable cash game player and, perhaps, a wealthy player as well. The book is easy to read, written in a conversational tone, as if Chan is sitting next to you at the poker table giving you one-on-one advice and wisdom. The book combines well-written narrative and lots of hand examples to help clarify the points he is trying to get across. What Dan Harrington's books do for the tournament player, Johnny Chan's book does for the limit cash game player. The book does not have an index, and it is not a book you would buy to improve your no-limit cash play as it is, as titled, a limit cash game text. The book goes over money management very clearly and, if followed, will keep you from going broke and getting discouraged. Sacrifice one bet and buy this book with it. I think you will be very happy with your investment. Good luck.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather Delusional., January 14, 2007

By	Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I love Johnny Chan and think he's a great player and hero but this book was a serious disappointment. Million Dollar Hold'em is not the type of timeless work which will bolster his legacy. It will not make novices into average players nor average players into stars. Overall, it is a rather forgettable offering, and one that fails to enhance our cumulative knowledge of the game. Certainly though, it does possess some positive aspects. The tips concerning the specifics of a professional's life and career are illuminating. Some of its advice is quite practical such as the way it highlights all the major and minor things one should look for before selecting a card room. Game quality is mentioned along with which seat to occupy in relation to other players as are essential elements of casino safety and geographic proximity. His bankroll section is also helpful as Chan recommends having at least 500 big bets for whatever limit you play. The observation that one must play no lower than the 3-6 limit to have any chance of beating the house rake was excellent.

The biggest problem though is that there is little that is new here. Million Dollar Hold'em does not live up to its own hype. What's even worse is that many of its examples could actually prove detrimental for a novice's understanding of limit hold'em and his ensuing performance. Frankly, the overly optimistic results which are described in the individual limit scenarios proved baffling. The river outcomes will not remind readers of the games they actually play. They are more reminiscent of the way we would like to see the action go than of the action which we in fact witness. By the reviewer's count, forty-four out of the fifty-five hands not decided pre-flop end in victory for the hero. A ratio that skewed was alienating as it seemed like everything the player did worked out in the end. Is that limit hold'em? There were few surprises as his value bets and bluffs got continuously rewarded. Such a plot has more in common with a poker movie than with an actual limit poker game.

If the Orient Express really wanted to be of service to readers then he would magically transport us to whatever location which held the games depicted in these examples. Your average limit player would be most grateful as he would immensely profit from raising to death the lightweights who fold their way across these pages. Should the reader be new to the game or just starting out in limit hold'em, then they would be advised to spend their money elsewhere. Manuals like Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big with Expert Play, Winning Low Limit Hold'em, and How Good Is Your Limit Hold 'em? are all recommended over this one.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best poker books out there!, January 26, 2007

By	Nikki Brown - See all my reviews

This is one of the best poker books I have ever read. It is rather unconventional, in that it does not have a traditional table of contents or follow a step by step outline. In this way it is very much like how I learned to play poker at the tables.

The book is a series of hands with commentary about how you should consider playing each one. The types of things covered are playing from the blinds, the importance of blind structure, how to avoid traps, value betting and how to get max value, slowplaying big pairs, how to benefit from aggressive play, how to play weak hands, making tough folds and tough calls, how to get and avoid giving free cards, continuation bets, isolation plays, defensive play, semi-bluffing, playing middle pairs, and mixing up your play. There are a lot of other things covered as well, but the list is so long, it's too much to include in this review.

In addition to the commentary, there are graphics of almost all the hands which really helped me to visualize what was going on.

I especially liked all the discussion about how to get maximum value out of your hands. As I was learning to play, it took me a long time to understand how important getting max value out of my hands was. I notice that most of the losing players fail to get the value they should out of their hands. It makes sense, because limit poker is mostly about getting maximum value out of your hands over and over again. People who miss this don't have much of a way to accumulate profits.

In addition to all the hand examples, there is a lot of information about things you don't get from other poker books like where and when to play, the importance of playing your best game at all times, choosing your environment carefully, the importance of taking vacations, and the importance of having a stable home life.

The discussion of bankroll management is worth the price of the book alone. Many players don't understand how to manage their money. Methods to protect yourself from going broke and how to move up in limits are more clearly laid out than in any other poker book I have read.

One of the only drawbacks to this book is that it's true value will be lost on many of the readers because of it's unconventional layout and subtle but advanced concepts. Frankly, though, I don't mind that a bit, because that's why poker is such a great game to play.