Weighing the Odds in Hold'em Poker - King Yao

[springb0ks]

Anyone read this, and wondering if it is any good, or helpful?

Cheers

[PJS]

It's thought of very highly on these forums. I remember it was also on Ed Miller's recommended reading list for Limit Hold'em.

If you run a search, you should find plenty of information on the book.

PJS

[SplawnDarts]

I sort of read about half of it because a buddy left it at the hotel room once. I didn't see anything I didn't already know, but I also didn't see any glaring errors. That may not seem like a ringing endorsement, but really it is.

If you're interested in the subject matter, I'd say go for it.

[Albert Silver]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone read this, and wondering if it is any good, or helpful?

Cheers

[/ QUOTE ]

It is excellent.

Albert

[jaVinci]

Agreed. I consider it one of the best for limit play, even better than SSHE, but a tougher read, requires more work.

[Dynasty]

King Yao writes sports betting articles for each issue of the Two Plus Two Internet Magazine. So, you can take a look at his writing there if you want.

[JJay1231]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone read this, and wondering if it is any good, or helpful?

Cheers

[/ QUOTE ]
excellent limit book. But I dont care for his "DIPO" method though

[SenecaJim]

I am sometimes amazed by the number of posts where the poster skims a book, states nice book or such, not anything I DIDN"T KNOW already.

I'm impressed. I will skim something like TOP AFTER I have already read it once and go huh? wow. I didnt' know that or light bulb hadn't gone off before anyway.

Then I see all these posts where no one is capable of learning anything new and it scares me about how tough of competition I must be up against. whew.

[jfk]

This is a copy and paste from another thread:

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Overall, the book is very solid. However, if you've read SSHE or HEFAP not a lot will be new as the successful approach to play limit hold 'em is somewhat monolithic.

Had Yao's book predated SSHE, it would've been seen as a revelation. A seasoned reader and experienced player won't find a lot that is groundbreaking but Yao gives good treatment to subjects like shorthanded play, internet play and puts some mathematical aspects of the game into a context not seen in other limit publications.

The cautionary tale he has of a blind skip exploit that he discovered was relived recently by players at WPX. His box on "Chapter 20, Inducing a Bluff", pops in my head every time I face that sort of river situation.

Yao's book is also quite valuable for games of varying conditions. His advice is not as cuatious as Ciaffone/Brier yet gives more credit to opponent play than SSHE. Yao is able to mix hard facts with playing options. This attention to situational dynamics done very well by Yao.

The great value is Yao's book is to hear another voice overlaying very solid advice and adding his own subtle variations for your consideration.

For instance Yao offers a differing way to play AQ than say, John Feeney. You get to consider and choose your own approach.

Solid limit hold 'em advice is somewhat monotonous. Yao does a very good job in organizing and presenting this advice in a way that is up to the standards of a typical 2+2 publication while doing it in a style and approach that is going to appeal to many readers. "Weighing the Odds" is very well written and edited. It may not be groundbreaking to those who've been steeped in the fundamentals of limit play but it is certainly a worthy and useful contribution to the body of work on the subject.