Poker for Dummies (Paperback)

by Richard D. Harroch (Author), Lou Krieger (Author) "Poker is America's national card game, and its popularity continues to grow..." (more)
Key Phrases: Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold'em, World Series of Poker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“…full of sound thinking about how to approach the game….informed by someone who’s been there and done it.” (PC Format, April 2005)

"....a readable introduction to all poker formats..." (Micro Mart, April 2006)

Product Description
Poker is America’s national card game, and its popularity continues to grow. Nationwide, you can find a game in progress everywhere. If you want to play, you can find poker games on replicas of 19th century riverboats or on Native American tribal lands. You can play poker at home with the family or online with opponents from around the world. Like bowling and billiards before it, poker has moved out from under the seedier side of its roots and is flowering in the sunshine.

Maybe you’ve never played poker before and you don’t even know what a full house is. Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. If you’re a poker expert, you still can benefit – some of the suggestions may surprise you, and you can certainly learn from the anecdotes from professional players like T.J. Cloutier and Stu Unger.

Know what it takes to start winning hand after hand by exploring strategy; getting to know antes and betting structure; knowing your opponents, and understanding the odds. Poker For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:

Poker games such as Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, and Texas Hold'em

Setting up a game at home

Playing in a casino: Do's and don'ts

Improving your play with Internet and video poker

Deciphering poker sayings and slang

Ten ways to read your opponent's body language

Playing in poker tournaments

Money management and recordkeeping

Knowing when and how to bluff

Poker looks like such a simple game. Anyone, it seems, can play it well – but that's far from the truth. Learning the rules can be quick work, but becoming a winning player takes considerably longer. Still, anyone willing to make the effort can become a good player. You can succeed in poker the way you succeed in life: by facing it squarely, getting up earlier than the next person, and working harder and smarter than the competition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552325
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552328
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,008 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #62 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Poker
  #73 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Gambling

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for all skill levels!, June 26, 2000

By	Jason S. Giardino (Arvada, CO United States) - See all my reviews

At first, I felt a little sheepish putting this title between my copies of David Sklansky's "Theory of Poker" and Mike Caro's "Fundamentals of Winning Poker," but this is a very serious and very excellent poker title.

There are individual chapters on strategy for the most popular casino games (Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Stud, Seven Stud/8, Omaha/8), all of which were very clear and helpful. However, unlike any title I've seen before, this book is a COMPLETE reference, including chapters on poker tournaments, becoming a pro, Internet poker, and even video poker (which my mother found excessively useful).

Like all "Dummies" books, there are entertaining sidebars about great games, poker legends, etc. All in all, this is an entertaining book filled with invaulable information for all levels of play. Highly reccomended!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good info, but not good teaching, September 10, 2002

By A Customer

This book has its strengths, and I'm not sorry I bought it, but a few days later I had to buy another, more straightforward one to clear up some basic questions. That is not a strong selling point for a "Dummies" book.

I have two main criticisms (aside from the fact that it barely mentions draw poker at all): First, a complete and easy to find glossary is a must in a book for beginners, and the one in this book is neither (you'll need it for chapter 2, where you are unexectedly thrown into the deep end of the jargon pool). Second, the examples were few and somewhat hard for me to follow. I need to be led by the hand for a few games, so I can apply that slowly but thoroughly acquired knowledge at my own pace. I don't feel that "Poker For Dummies" offers me that opportunity.

A very useful thing I did get from this book was their recommendation of wilsonsw.com, whose software (with free demos) allows you to participate in thousands of hands of certain variants of the game in a pretty realistic manner...not tutorial exactly, but very helpful.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, September 20, 2004

By	Michael J. Felker (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before I read this great book, I had been playing poker a few times a week for about a year. I was pretty much gambling with little to no strategy. Like most beginners, I thought I knew what I was doing. After a few months of playing, poker quite honestly frustrated me. I would have some really lucky nights, and then a long streak of bad nights. I certainly lost more money than I put in. At this point, it was either give up, or get better.
I then found Poker for Dummies. Contrary to the opinions of others, I found this book to be the perfect beginners poker book. Much of the book shows how to play the most popular poker games, like stud, hold'em, Omaha, etc. There are also some sections for advanced strategies. I think any player can benefit from reading this. Was this book effective? Absolutely! After reading a few chapters, my game improved dramatically. Because of the easy reference format, I could find the specific areas I needed improving in. For example, if I needed some more info on starting hands, all I have to do is flip to the hold'em chapter and find the starting hands page. Since I have read this book, I have stopped gambling and started playing my odds. If you are tired of losing and want a good place to start improving your game, look no further.