Overview

"Want to play — and win — poker's hottest game? Turn on the TV, drop by a newsstand, or just browse the checkout your local supermarket and you'll see firsthand that Texas Hold 'Em is the poker game everyone's playing. It's a game that's deceptively simple, yet within its easy framework you’ll find truth and trickery, boredom and fear, skill and misfortune—in other words, all the things that make life fun and worth living! Texas Hold'em For Dummies introduces you to the fundamental concepts and strategies of this wildly popular game. It covers the rules for playing and betting, odds, etiquette, Hold'em lingo, and offers sound advice to avoid mistakes. This handy reference guide gives new and even seasoned players winning strategies and tactics not just for playing the game, but for winning. You'll learn: Rules and strategies for limit, no-limit, tournament, and online play How to ""play"" the other players The importance of your bankroll—recommended sizes and more Hands you should and should not play How to camouflage your play and dodge traps When, who, and how to bluff How to maximize your win with check-raising and trapping The different approaches for playing in private games, casinos, card rooms, tournaments, and on the Internet How to use mathematics to your advantage Texas Hold 'Em is  a game of both skill and chance. But it's a game that can be beaten, and whether you want to make money, sharpen your game, or just have a good time, Texas Hold 'Em for Dummies will give you the winning edge."

Full Product Details

Author:   M Harlan
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 15.80cm , Height: 1.60cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.452kg
ISBN:  

9780470046043

ISBN 10:   047004604
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   29 September 2006
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Replaced By:   9781119873099
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Conventions Used in This Book 2 What You’re Not to Read 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 How This Book Is Organized 3 Part I: Everything’s Bigger in Texas:Welcome to Texas Hold’em! 3 Part II: Texas Hold’em: Play by Play 3 Part III: Movin’ On to Higher Stakes: Advanced Strategies of Hold’em 4 Part IV: Casinos, Card Rooms, and the Internet: Places to Play Hold’em 4 Part V: The Part of Tens 4 Glossary 4 Icons Used in This Book 5 Where to Go from Here 5 Part I: Everything’s Bigger in Texas: Welcome to Texas Hold’em! 7 Chapter 1: A Bird’s-Eye View of Texas Hold’em 9 Considering Why You Want to Play 10 Working with Game Dynamics 11 The importance of position 11 Playing move by move 11 Moving Up a Notch 14 Gleaning your opponents 14 Playing the roles 14 Figuring in math 16 Places You Can Play 16 Home games 16 Casinos and poker rooms 17 Online 17 Chapter 2: Ranking and Reading a Hand 19 Hand Rankings 19 High card only — no pairs 21 One pair 21 Two pair 21 Three-of-a-kind 21 Straight 21 Flush 22 Full house 22 Four-of-a-kind 22 Straight flush 22 Royal flush 22 Reading a Hand 23 Straightforward hands 23 Subtle hands 24 Counterfeiting 25 Paying a Hand 27 The winner 27 Tie hands 29 Chapter 3: Just Tell Me How to Play: Texas Hold’em Basics 31 The Order of Play 31 The Dealer Button 32 Dealing the Cards 33 The hole cards 33 The flop 34 The turn 34 The river 35 The showdown 35 Posting Blinds 37 Betting 39 Spread-Limit Hold’em 39 Limit Hold’em 40 Pot-Limit Hold’em 41 No-Limit Hold’em 41 The Importance of Your Bankroll 42 Recommended bankroll sizes 43 Moving up and moving down in limits 44 Poker Etiquette 46 Handling your cards 46 Handling your chips 47 Playing in turn 48 Tipping the dealer 48 Keeping an eye on the game 48 Watching your manners 49 Part II: Texas Hold’em: Play by Play 51 Chapter 4: Beginning with Two 53 The Importance of Position 53 Early position 54 Middle position 55 Late position 56 The Hands You Should Play, by Relative Position at a Table 56 Considering the Players in a Hand 59 Keeping track of the number of players 59 Watching the types of players 60 Hands You Should and Should Not Play 61 Probable winners 62 Quite possible losers 62 Borderline hands 63 Using “Fold or Raise” to Make a Call 64 Chapter 5: Flopping ’Til You’re Dropping 65 Fitting or Folding 65 Great flops 66 Good flops 66 Very borderline flops 67 Downright dangerous flops 67 Just plain bad flops 68 Betting the Flop 69 Sizing up the table for a bet 69 Making the bet 70 Calling a Bet 71 Raising the Dough 73 Check-Raising 73 Getting a Free Card 75 The free card setup 75 Defending against a free card 76 Chapter 6: Taking Your Turn 77 Watching a Hand Fill Out 77 To check-raise or bet: That is the question 78 Made flushes: The notable exception 78 Watching for “hidden” improvements 80 Keeping Track of the Action 81 Determining a hit 82 Comprehending the miss 83 Chapter 7: Dipping in the River 85 Final Betting 85 All-checking, no dancing 85 Walking through the firestorm 86 Betting in moderation 88 Deciding if you’re being bluffed 88 Showing a Hand or Not? 89 Watching for Mistakes 92 Part III: Movin’ On to Higher Stakes:Advanced Strategies of Hold’em 95 Chapter 8: Playing the Players 97 Classifying Players 97 Aggressive versus passive players 98 Deciding tight versus loose 99 Combining your evaluations 100 Looking for Tells 102 Watching the right place at the right time 102 Who’s acting and who isn’t? 103 Watching other people’s hands 103 Listening to what people say 105 Involuntary reactions 106 Failing all else 107 Zeroing In on Specifics 108 Figuring out the table in order 108 Looking at individuals 109 Chapter 9: Bluffing: When Everything Isn’t What It Appears to Be 111 Bluffing Basics 111 Your turn not to tell 112 Don’t bluff people worse than you 112 Making your bluff count 114 When to Bluff 114 Bluffing based on your image of “predictability” 114 Looking at your hand from the outside 115 Bluffing in the right game 116 Who to Bluff 118 Preying on weak personalities 118 Taking advantage of other situations 119 The Semi-Bluff 120 When to semi-bluff 120 Why semi-bluff? 121 Getting Caught — Now What? 121 Chapter 10: Maximizing Your Win: Check-Raising and Trapping 123 Check-Raising 123 Bluffing on a check-raise 123 Playing a good hand on a check-raise 124 Considering a check-raise 125 Check-raising round by round 125 Trapping through Slow Play 126 Timing a slow play 126 The Theory of Two and slow playing 127 The act of slow-playing 128 Maximizing Your Returns 129 Deciding when to sit back 129 Rafting the river: Check or bet? 129 Chapter 11: Camouflaging Your Play and Dodging Traps 131 Setting Expectations throughout a Game 131 Setting a style 132 Changing your style 134 Avoiding Pitfalls 134 When aggressive players merely call 135 Raising and reraising after rounds of checking in Limit 136 Judging when you’re dominated 136 Chapter 12: Considering Mathematics 139 Delving Fact from Fiction in Math and Poker 139 Close enough is good enough 140 Understanding players is better than understanding numbers 141 Taking a Shortcut with Math 142 Counting your “outs” 142 Calculating your pot odds 144 Taking a Shortcut with Math 145 Combining outs and pot odds 145 Using quick math tricks 145 Considering implied odds 146 Flipping a coin 147 Using Math to Your Advantage 150 Memorizing a little goes a long way 151 Calculating deeper 152 Chapter 13: Advancing Your Knowledge 155 Playing with Game Theory 156 What game theory means 156 Understanding how to use it 156 Cashing In on Equity Theory 158 Cross-breeding the animal of psychology with the beast of mathematics 158 Going back to square one 163 Part IV: Casinos, Card Rooms, and the Internet: Places to Play Hold’em 165 Chapter 14: There’s No Place Like Home: Playing in Private Games 167 Determining the Level and Type of Play 167 Identifying stakes and games 168 Playing with friends 168 Meeting strangers 170 What You Should Give 171 Skimming the pot 171 Bringing on the refreshments 172 What You Can Get 172 Enjoying the situation 172 Watching the action 173 Looking for the unusual 173 Chapter 15: Opting for the Internet: Online Games 177 Choosing a Site 177 Picking a site 178 Transferring money 179 Exploring the bonuses 180 Watching Your Back 182 Being wary of robots 182 Spotting collusion 183 Chapter 16: Harrah’s, Here I Come: Playing in Card Rooms 185 Playing in a Professional Card Room 185 Introducing the staff 185 Getting started 188 Exploring your possibilities 189 Avoiding Common Mistakes 191 Betting properly 191 Playing in turn 192 Raising properly 192 Minding your own money 192 Playing only your hand 193 Trying to Score a Jackpot 193 High-hand jackpots 193 Specific-hand jackpots 194 Bad-beat jackpots 194 Qualifying for jackpots 195 Chapter 17: Competing in Tournaments 197 Coming to Grips with the Differences 197 Tourney basics 198 Rebuying and adding on 201 Prize structures 204 Understanding Your Chip Position 205 Your position at your table 205 Your position in the tourney as a whole 206 Playing Your Way Through 206 Shifting tables 206 Maneuvering relative to the herd 207 Seating adjustments 210 Bursting the bubble 210 Adjusting Your Play for Prizes 211 Keeping your eyes on the prize 211 Splitting the prize money 211 Part V: The Part of Tens 215 Chapter 18: Ten Differences between Online and Real-World Play 217 Not Telling in Live Action 217 Adjusting to Speed 218 Understanding Position 218 Taking Up Space 219 Getting at Your Cash 219 Becoming “Serious” in the Real World 220 Adding Up Online Mathematics 220 Tipping the Dealer 220 Changing Your Venue 221 Keeping Track of Your Online Cash 221 Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Common Mistakes 223 Playing Too Many Starting Hands 223 Playing Tired 224 Playing Too Low or Too High of a Limit 224 Coin-Flipping Too Often in Tournaments 224 Ignoring What You Know about Players at Your Table 225 Becoming Impatient 225 Staying Too Long in a Tough Game 226 Letting Your Emotions Get the Best of You 226 Treating Your Internet Money Like It’s Fake 227 Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Improve Your Home Game 229 Upgrading Your Deck 229 Chipping Up 230 Chowing Down 230 Lighting Up 230 Venting It All 231 Trashing the Place 231 Wiping Out the Badness 231 Standardizing Chairs 231 Getting Tabled 232 Renting Your Game 232 Chapter 21: Ten Bad Beats 235 Red versus Spudnut 235 Woman Beaten by Madness 236 Hellmuth Yanks His Hair Out 236 Nuts about Flushes 236 Moneymaker 237 Moneymaker, Part Deux 237 When Wheels Go Flat 238 No-Limit Means No-Money 238 Mr. Aggressive versus Johnny Conservative 238 Not All Beats Are Bad 239 Chapter 22: Ten Things You Can Do to Improve Your Hold’em Game 241 Studying Your Way Up 241 Showing Off Your Game 242 Keeping Track of Your Bankroll 242 Exercising 242 Digging into the Math 243 Reading Poker Web Sites 243 Scoring a Free Magazine 244 Throwing in the Towel 244 Varying Your Opponents 245 Playing Other Games 245 Glossary 247 Index 255 

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Author Information

Mark “The Red” Harlan was born in Rawlins, Wyoming, and has lived exactly the life you’d expect as a result. Armed with a degree in Applied Mathematics (from a university he loathes so much that he refuses to even utter the name), he fell headlong into a 20-year stint in the Silicon Valley’s computer industry. Red’s professional experience includes human-interface work at Apple Computer, development of the bidding schema used by eBay, overseeing application development at Danger (makers of the T-Mobile Sidekick), as well as co-founding CyberArts Licensing (suppliers of the poker software seen on the MANSION and GamesGrid sites). At the tender age of 8, he won a pinewood derby competition in the Cub Scouts, giving him his first heavy swig of victory that would forever warp his oh-so-soft-and-pliable mind. Under the influence of this experience, he started playing poker that same year (“might as well win money if you’re going to win”) and became good enough by 2005 to be a net money winner in that year’s World Series of Poker. Red is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and has an extensive writing background ranging from penning InfoWorld’s Notes from the Fringe during the heyday of the Internet, to being lead author of the book he thinks everyone should own (his mom does): Winning at Internet Poker For Dummies (Wiley). Red maintains a Web site of poker articles at www.redsdeal.com and welcomes non-spam e-mail at RedsDeal+HEFD@gmail.com (be sure to include the +).

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