Professional No-Limit Hold 'em Volume 1 Review Thread

[Sounded Simple]

My Review for Beginner-Intermediate / Microstakes Players

I play 25NL for 5-10 hours per week. Poker is a hobby but for me it is a serious hobby. I read and study a lot to get better.
The following are some thoughts for players at a similar stage to me who are wondering should they buy this book.

I liked -
- The first 1/3 of the book deals with the basics and explains them in a very easy to understand way. Most players have a grasp of these ideas but these chapters simplify and reinforce them in an easy to understand manner.
The first 1/3 could be helpful just about anyone, even rank beginners.
- The book is very clear and well written. Someone earlier in the tread (or maybe it was the FR thread) didnt like the layout but I find the 2+2 "standard" fonts easy on the eye.
- One tool the writers use that I really like is that they keep you on your toes when reading. When reading theory books its so easy to go into auto pilot and read 1/2 a page before you realise that you didnt take in what was said.
In this book the authors will ask "did you notice we left out the stack sizes" and you realise that you didnt notice that therefore you are not reading and thinking properly.
- A similar point to above, the writers give you information and then ask the question "what do you do next?". To get the most from these books you must stop and think.
- The maths is thorough but light enough to follow.
- Contrary to what a lot of people say the concepts and strategy given are very flexible. Exceptions to the SPR "rules" are outlined again and again both in footnotes and at the end of each chapter.
- Although its a cash game book SPR is applicable to low blind situations and therefore tournaments.
- I really like that the authors take the time to come on here and answer questions people have.

I didnt like -
- Well not really a criticism but the majority of the book is dedicated to a single concept SPR, I accept that its a pretty important concept but are the authors going to write half a book about every important concept? Actually I hope so but I cant see it since you would end up with 8 or 9 volumes - actually that wouldnt be a bad thing.
On the flip side to this point SPR addresses one of the biggest leaks I see at 25NL (and my own biggest leak) - planning hands like TPTK so you don't have difficult decisions. Therefore it needs a lot of space.
- A little more emphasis on the how live games (where you can raise 6-8bb no problem) differ from online (where >4bb+ 1bb per limper arouses suspicion)
- I would have liked more detail about what's coming in Vol 2 (and hopefully 3....)
- More hand examples would have been nice, perhaps at some stage a HOH3 style workbook?

Is this book better than NLTAP?
I have seen this question a lot but I cant think of a sensible answer.
A more sensible question would be "Given the cost of the book and the time required to read it will my winrate improve enough to justify reading it?". Answer - YES.

So who should buy this book?
Well IMO anyone who reads about poker. Total beginners would be better off with Ed Millers "Getting Started in Holdem", though this book would be a natural progression for a thinking player (note -beginners would still find the first few chapters helpful).
Anyone looking for a "quick fix" or easy "cookbook" formula should forget about reading books and just shortstack. This book is not "easy", if it were it would not be a good poker book, you will get out what you put in.

This book is fantasic and a must for any serious player. I cant wait for the next volume.

So to summarise, yes buy this book!

[jeffnc]

[ QUOTE ]
Or does the SPR not matter becasue I was never ahead of his range?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would tend to agree with threads13 and say your initial play was just bad, so SPR can't help you. You can't really hope for a better flop than this, unless you hit some miracle 2 pair or something. (As a general rule, whenever domination is a possibility, you're better off hitting your bottom card for a top-pair hand.) So you called a raise, got an excellent flop, got an excellent SPR, and you're thinking about folding (probably correctly). That tells me you actually did not plan the hand very well, and did not stand well against villain's range to begin with. I'm not pontificating - I think what I'm probably doing is mirroring back to you what you already know based on the info you've given.

And that is why we don't call EP raises with junky hands like KJo. But this has been conventional wisdom for quite some time :-)

[bread]

I realize that I am in the minority on the reviews of this book but I have to say that it is (possibly) good only in theory as in its actual application there are so many indeterminable variables that precise (or even close) approximations is unlikely and is further complicated with multiway pots and players we do not know. I think this book is greatly overrated. I look forward to the widespread application of what is printed in this book as I watch the dizzying, puzzled looks on the faces of those trying to apply it.

[Guitierez]

I LOLed hard at your other posts. Relax, Man.

I received my copy this week (thanks 2+2 bonus program) and I think after I'm done with it, I will convert from LHE for the monies. Great book!

[Shandrax]

I do not have the book yet, but judging from the excerpt in the 2+2 magazine I am wondering if the concept of "planning hands" by chosing a certain amount to raise pre-flop isn't giving away too much information. Basically a smart opponent who knows this book should be able to put me on a range based on the size of my raise. So how much info does the book contain about ballancing frequenzies?

[threads13]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not have the book yet, but judging from the excerpt in the 2+2 magazine I am wondering if the concept of "planning hands" by chosing a certain amount to raise pre-flop isn't giving away too much information. Basically a smart opponent who knows this book should be able to put me on a range based on the size of my raise. So how much info does the book contain about ballancing frequenzies?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you were following the books applications you would be making all sorts of different sized raises.

There is some info on mixing it up to avoid being able to be read by good hand readers.

[Sounded Simple]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I do not have the book yet, but judging from the excerpt in the 2+2 magazine I am wondering if the concept of "planning hands" by chosing a certain amount to raise pre-flop isn't giving away too much information. Basically a smart opponent who knows this book should be able to put me on a range based on the size of my raise. So how much info does the book contain about ballancing frequenzies?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you were following the books applications you would be making all sorts of different sized raises.

There is some info on mixing it up to avoid being able to be read by good hand readers.

[/ QUOTE ]

When I first finished the book I thought this would be a problem too.
However the problem solves itself in a way as long as you let your stack size vary naturally.

Say you start with 100bb, you will make certain size raises with certain groups of hands to aim for your target SPR.
If your stack increases to 150bb (and you are playing other 150bb stacks) then the required raises for the same hands.
If your stack (or the effective stack) drops to 70bb then your raises vary accordingly.

Now thats not to say that clever oppponents wont realise the situation and interperet your raise correctly - I have not played enough with SPR to know if this happens.
At the same time to a random player who doesnt know what you are doing your raises will look random - even strange.

[jeffnc]

[ QUOTE ]
in its actual application there are so many indeterminable variables that precise (or even close) approximations is unlikely and is further complicated with multiway pots and players we do not know. I think this book is greatly overrated.

[/ QUOTE ]

All poker is complicated by multiway pots and players we don't know. The only way one might overrate this book is if one views it as a silver bullet.

[joethepro]

just got the book yesterday and am nearly finished reading it. i must say i am happy that someone has put down in words, concretely, many things that i have been loosely, sometimes inconsistently, applying to my game.

there are a few things i wanted to ask about.

SPR and Multiway pots

first, although you do address this issue in the making adjustment section, what mathematical shortcut can you make to SPRs in multiway pots?

i'm not a math guy, but it would be nice to make a quick on-the-fly adjustment for number of players in the pot.

for example, regular SPRs divided by number of OTHER players in the pot. So if you're playing 1 player with Top Pair who plays neither tight nor loose it would be the suggested 4 or 4/1 = 4. but if it was a 3-way pot 4/2 = 2, which would change your target SPR to 2. Obviously the number 4 changes depending on the looseness of the players in the pot.

do you have a suggestion for a short-cut?

3-Bet Equity

you mentioned making bet sizes preflop to reach target SPRs and although this is great the closer you are to the button, i would think the closer you are to being UTG it gets increasingly difficult to predict how the SPR will turn out with so many people behind you.

in early position, do you not so much try to reach a target as just bet and see what the SPR is on the flop and then make the adjustments?

i find that sometimes in early position, with AA or KK it's better not to make preflop adjustments to target SPRs and instead bet EXACTLY the standard preflop raise of the table. This lowers the respect you get from your raise because they've seen that size so many times now (i play on short handed tables) and sometimes induces what i term 3-BET EQUITY. someone behind you may reraise you to which you can then 3-bet, when if you had made a large preflop raise to gun for your target SPR you would get ppl fold the hands they were going to make a move on you with.

this would be more true with an aggressive table, whichis important for 3-BET equity in general (betting standard or very small in order to induce a reraise).

Stack Size Position

you mentioned buying in short to make reaching target SPRs more easily achievable, but then you lose out on the benefits of a deep stack. one of the main points of SPRs, would you agree?, is to make simplier, those all in decisions and commitment thresholds. but i only usually find myself in those tough decisions when i'm out of position. so would it be more beneficial to find a table with short stacks to your immediate left.

so would it be best to buy in max, have shorts on your left and deeps on your right. this way you can minimize awkwardness for those on your left and manipulate awkward SPRs for the deep stacks on your right.

[Jeff76]

[ QUOTE ]
I realize that I am in the minority on the reviews of this book but I have to say that it is (possibly) good only in theory as in its actual application there are so many indeterminable variables that precise (or even close) approximations is unlikely and is further complicated with multiway pots and players we do not know. I think this book is greatly overrated. I look forward to the widespread application of what is printed in this book as I watch the dizzying, puzzled looks on the faces of those trying to apply it.

[/ QUOTE ]I've been applying it and have not been confused it at all. Using the tools in the book to plan my hand has greatly clarified where I am in the hand, even when it all goes wrong.

But I agree that there will be many people who misapply the tools and misunderstand them.