Skimming The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em

[uuDevil]

This is a review of The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Texas Hold'em by Randy Burgess and Carl Baldassarre.

Some background: Recently, one of the authors of this book posted a request for reviews in this thread. (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=1552216&page=&view=&s b=5&o=&vc=1) As I frequently walk across the street to hang out at the Barnes and Noble, I picked the book up off the shelf tonight and took a few notes. I wanted to do this partly because I felt a little guilty that I was first to pile on in this old thread on Randy's previous book. (http://archiveserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=691359&page=&view=&sb =5&o=&vc=1) Randy seems like a nice guy and as I recall he was always helpful and civil when discussing hands on these forums. (Randy's co-author Carl (MRBAA) also posts here but I'm not that familiar with his posts.)

This book is for very new players, of the sort we see only occasionally on these boards. Few 2+2ers would have much to gain from such a book, even if it was great for its intended audience. Of course many may have friends (as MRBAA pointed out) who may want to learn to play and who could benefit from such a book.

If it matters, I'm a recreational micro-stakes Hold'em player-- far from an expert. However, I have read most of the major books on Hold'em. I spent about an hour looking through the book while taking notes.

The good:

/images/graemlins/heart.gif It's written in a friendly, conversational tone. The authors are experienced, skilled writers (I believe one of the biographical blurbs mentioned Carl is a journalist).

/images/graemlins/heart.gif It dispels many potential misconceptions that a new player might have. (E.G. that poker is all about bluffing.)

/images/graemlins/heart.gif It covers the basics: the mechanics and rules of play, hand selection, evaluating hand strength, position, odds and outs, play on each street, recognizing and adjusting to opponent styles, bluffs, semibluffs, variance, bankrolls, expectation, etc.

/images/graemlins/heart.gif It includes a resource section that recommends TOP, HPFAP, SSH, and the 2+2 website.

In going through the book so quickly, I didn't expect to find many specific problems, but I did find a few (some of this may be nitpicking):

/images/graemlins/spade.gif The dreaded "fitting the flop" phrase. I didn't read this section in detail, so it may just be an unfortunate choice of words from a 2+2 point of view.

/images/graemlins/spade.gif Odds charts: The odds of flopping a set w/ AA are listed as 8.3:1. The odds of flopping a pair with AK are listed as 2.5:1. I believe these are correct if in the 2nd case you count the times the flop comes with an A or K and a pair of another rank, but it might be more useful to give the odds of flopping a set or better (7.5:1) and a pair or better (2.1:1).

/images/graemlins/spade.gif On the back of the book one of the claims is that this book will teach you something about "The stakes and strategies of the 3 kinds of betting." But I couldn't find this information in my quick look-through. I thought it might refer to betting structure, but the book actually mentions four structures: PL, NL, spread limit, and structured limit.

/images/graemlins/spade.gif In the chapter on tournaments, one subsection mentions the importance of knocking people out. Though I'm no tourney expert, this struck me as an odd point to emphasize.

/images/graemlins/spade.gif In the resources section it mentions Roy Cooke's "Real Poker: The Cooke Collection" but this book is hard to find. Perhaps they intended to recommend "Real Poker II: The Play of Hands."

Based on my quick look, I think this book would give a very new player a decent start in Hold'em. It covers much of what a newbie will eventually need to know. Though depth is missing and I doubt that any player could become a winner solely on the basis of the information in this book, it does a lot within the confines of a "pocket guide." Since I didn't read it thoroughly, some of my first impressions may be wrong, so at the moment I'd give it an overall rating of around 6-8 out of 10 given its intended audience and purpose.

Having gone through this little exercise, I'll be interested to see how Ed Miller's next book addresses the same audience.

[Randy Burgess]

uuDevil, thanks for taking the time to look at the book and post your thoughts.

I haven't even seen a copy yet myself - Carl got the promotional copies from the publisher and is going to be sending me one shortly. Even so, I'd like to clarify the points you've raised. My comments are based on the copyedited manuscript, not the published version, but there should be very little difference.

[ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/spade.gif The dreaded "fitting the flop" phrase. I didn't read this section in detail, so it may just be an unfortunate choice of words from a 2+2 point of view.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, "Fitting the flop" is indeed one of the subheads on the first page of the flop chapter. But within a page or so, we go on to say that in addition to evaluating how your hole cards have gone up or down in value in relation to the flop, "you also have to factor in the betting, your position at the table, the size of the pot, and the odds your hand will improve by catching a helping card on the turn."

We go on to amplify this with plenty of specific examples, plus we introduce concepts such as pot equity, tainted odds and redraws. Given that this is a beginner book, I'd say that's a fair amount of sophistication - hardly a "fit or fold" mentality.

[ QUOTE ]
/images/graemlins/spade.gif In the chapter on tournaments, one subsection mentions the importance of knocking people out. Though I'm no tourney expert, this struck me as an odd point to emphasize.

[/ QUOTE ]

We talk about it in the context of the late stages of the tournament. Here's some of what we say:

"Once you survive the opening stages of a tournament, the value of knocking out other players rises. Imagine you started out in a 25-dollar buy-in tournament with 100 players, and it's now down to just 30. Only the top 10 will finish in the money, so each player you can bust out puts you a step closer. It's even more important at the final table: if tenth place pays 40 dollars and ninth place pays 80 dollars, knocking out even a single player at least doubles your earnings!"

This compares pretty closely with what Bob Ciaffone says in the tournament chapter of "Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker":

"Those of you who compete regularly at tournament poker are aware of how important it is to knock opponents out of the event when you have reached the final table ... This applies to any event that pays more than one place."

To me, the main problem with our tournament chapter is that it's just one chapter, and so of necessity is quite brief. There's a lot we don't cover - we're mainly introducing the idea of tournaments, rather than giving the reader enough advice to truly have a shot at winning.

[ QUOTE ]
/images/graemlins/spade.gif In the resources section it mentions Roy Cooke's "Real Poker: The Cooke Collection" but this book is hard to find. Perhaps they intended to recommend "Real Poker II: The Play of Hands."

[/ QUOTE ]

No, the recommendation was deliberate as it stands. Amazon says you can order "The Cooke Collection" and get it shipped within two days, so there shouldn't be any problem with availability. And it's a much better value than "The Play of Hands," since it includes a wider range of material.

[ QUOTE ]
I doubt that any player could become a winner solely on the basis of the information in this book

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I have to say I don't doubt this at all. The beginner will need to study the book, not flip through it casually, but he will get a very solid grounding of playing winning poker - more than enough to win at micro and low-limits.

I may be stealing Carl's thunder here, but I don't think he's yet posted one of his latest $4/$8 hands at his favorite club in New York City. Normally there are some good players at the table such as bdk3clash and sfer, but on this occasion there was nobody there who was any good at all - and there were some real maniacs. In this multiway hand he flopped a set. The turn gave him a full house while putting a flush on board, and he nicely cold-called two bets to keep in the guy behind him - who had made the nut flush and raised, thereby giving Carl the chance to reraise. His hand was of course good on the river and he raked in an obscenely large pot. As a joke he then pulled out a copy of our book and pointedly began reading it. This got a lot of reaction, of course - however it soon developed that none of these terrible players felt they needed to read any books at all! They were happy with the way they played!

So yeah, reading our book should make you a winning player, given that most micro and low-limit players either a) don't read books at all, or b) do read books, but don't understand a word.

What this book won't do for the beginner is move him into advanced territory. In my opinion, an intelligent novice who studies hard and plays a ton of hours should be able to outgrow this book within the span of just a few months. That's why we list additional books and resources in Appendix C.

[Joe B.]

does this book, come with a starting chart for preflop for early, middle, late, small blinds and big blinds positions?

what limits does this book cover? micro limit .02/.04 to what level?

thanks

[Randy Burgess]

[ QUOTE ]
does this book, come with a starting chart for preflop for early, middle, late, small blinds and big blinds positions?

[/ QUOTE ]

It comes with a simplified chart of hand groups. It then discusses preflop play by position, including the blinds, referring back to the chart as needed.

[ QUOTE ]
what limits does this book cover? micro limit .02/.04 to what level?

[/ QUOTE ]

Micro to $5/$10, in my opinion. I don't know what Carl will say.

[Ed Miller]

Having gone through this little exercise, I'll be interested to see how Ed Miller's next book addresses the same audience.

I haven't read this book, but I'm relatively certain my book will be quite different. I have seen no other beginner book that takes the approach I do.

[uuDevil]

Hi Randy,

Glad to see you're still around. I admire your willingness to follow through on a discussion. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]

Yes, "Fitting the flop" is indeed one of the subheads on the first page of the flop chapter. But within a page or so, we go on to say that in addition to evaluating how your hole cards have gone up or down in value in relation to the flop, "you also have to factor in the betting, your position at the table, the size of the pot, and the odds your hand will improve by catching a helping card on the turn."

We go on to amplify this with plenty of specific examples, plus we introduce concepts such as pot equity, tainted odds and redraws. Given that this is a beginner book, I'd say that's a fair amount of sophistication - hardly a "fit or fold" mentality.


[/ QUOTE ]

I went back and had a closer look. The advice that follows seems fine to me. I suppose the hair on the back of my neck will stand up for the rest of my life whenever I see the word "fit" used in the same sentence with either "flop" or "fold." /images/graemlins/smile.gif Putting such a sentence into a post in the strategy forums here would be roughly the equivalent of dousing myself in gasoline before walking into a room full of pyromaniacs.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
In the chapter on tournaments, one subsection mentions the importance of knocking people out. Though I'm no tourney expert, this struck me as an odd point to emphasize.

[/ QUOTE ]


We talk about it in the context of the late stages of the tournament. Here's some of what we say:

"Once you survive the opening stages of a tournament, the value of knocking out other players rises. Imagine you started out in a 25-dollar buy-in tournament with 100 players, and it's now down to just 30. Only the top 10 will finish in the money, so each player you can bust out puts you a step closer. It's even more important at the final table: if tenth place pays 40 dollars and ninth place pays 80 dollars, knocking out even a single player at least doubles your earnings!"

This compares pretty closely with what Bob Ciaffone says in the tournament chapter of "Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker":

"Those of you who compete regularly at tournament poker are aware of how important it is to knock opponents out of the event when you have reached the final table ... This applies to any event that pays more than one place."

To me, the main problem with our tournament chapter is that it's just one chapter, and so of necessity is quite brief. There's a lot we don't cover - we're mainly introducing the idea of tournaments, rather than giving the reader enough advice to truly have a shot at winning.


[/ QUOTE ]

OK. MM also discusses this idea in GTAOT. He goes so far as to say you can sometimes overplay your hands against short stacks. In the case of calling to try to knock someone out (which you didn't explicitly mention in your book) he says you can "call liberally" if you have good chip position and it won't cost much to call.

On the other hand, David Sklansky says in TPFAP that you should almost never make sub-optimal plays simply because they might help eliminate a short stack. I have also seen Mike Caro and posters on these boards discount this idea.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

In the resources section it mentions Roy Cooke's "Real Poker: The Cooke Collection" but this book is hard to find. Perhaps they intended to recommend "Real Poker II: The Play of Hands."

[/ QUOTE ]

No, the recommendation was deliberate as it stands. Amazon says you can order "The Cooke Collection" and get it shipped within two days, so there shouldn't be any problem with availability. And it's a much better value than "The Play of Hands," since it includes a wider range of material.


[/ QUOTE ]
I may be missing it but the only purchase option I see is for a used copy at well over $100. I also cannot find it on Ebay or Half.com or the Mike Caro University site.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I doubt that any player could become a winner solely on the basis of the information in this book


[/ QUOTE ]


Well, I have to say I don't doubt this at all. The beginner will need to study the book, not flip through it casually, but he will get a very solid grounding of playing winning poker - more than enough to win at micro and low-limits.


[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps. I probably see the game as being somewhat tougher to win at than you do.

[ QUOTE ]

What this book won't do for the beginner is move him into advanced territory. In my opinion, an intelligent novice who studies hard and plays a ton of hours should be able to outgrow this book within the span of just a few months. That's why we list additional books and resources in Appendix C.

[/ QUOTE ]

"We are all apprentices of a craft where no one ever becomes a master." --E. Hemingway

I suppose EH was talking about writing, not poker. But the subset of players who are willing to become apprentices will move on to other resources pretty quickly, so it won't be easy to say how much of their progress is due to having read a particular book. However, I do think you are giving your readers who are raw beginners about as good a start as they can reasonably expect.

[uuDevil]

[ QUOTE ]
Having gone through this little exercise, I'll be interested to see how Ed Miller's next book addresses the same audience.

I haven't read this book, but I'm relatively certain my book will be quite different. I have seen no other beginner book that takes the approach I do.

[/ QUOTE ]I'm intrigued. Damn you. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Randy Burgess]

Hmm. Rereading Amazon's page for "The Cooke Collection" with a bit less of my usual attention deficit, it appears you're right. The book "ships in 1 to 2 days," yeah - but at phenomenal cost. A mistake on our part and even more on the part of whoever owns the rights and has decided not to reprint it.

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
I haven't read this book, but I'm relatively certain my book will be quite different. I have seen no other beginner book that takes the approach I do.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have not read this book, but I am capriciously certain my book will be quite different. No other beginner book, that I have ventured to check, takes the approach that I will.

^

[Ed Miller]

[ QUOTE ]
I have not read this book, but I am capriciously certain my book will be quite different. No other beginner book, that I have ventured to check, takes the approach that I will.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[steamboatin]

Well quit talking about it and GET ER DUN!

[Mason Malmuth]

You obviously didn't read this book. First it was the worse editing job I ever saw. You couldn't go five or ten words without there being some sort of gramatical or syntax error. Second, it was filled with much personal material that never should of been published and probably greatly irritated the people Cooke was talking about.

So it was correct to dump this book and come out with Cooke II.

MM

[Randy Burgess]

It's always possible to unintentionally irritate someone you write about - but on the whole, Cooke's columns strike me as humanistic and sympathetic, not nasty and vengeful. Here's my review of both books, from "Stepping Up":

"Real Poker: The Cooke Collection" and "Real Poker II: The Play of Hands," both by Roy Cooke with John Bond.

Both these books are collections of Cooke's columns from Card Player magazine, and both are worth owning.

The first time I picked up "The Cooke Collection," however, I was disappointed, and in fact didn't think much of the book. Cooke wrote only about hold'em, I saw by thumbing the pages, while I was strictly a stud player. "Why doesn't he write about anything else?" I thought, before putting the book aside.

Two years later I was a confirmed hold'em junkie. Dimly remembering Cooke, I picked him up again--and quickly got lost in the same pages I had previously dismissed as too limited. Cooke (as ghosted through the pen of John Bond) writes engagingly about the thought process of a top player--about, as he puts it, "flowcharting" his options as he plays a hand from beginning to end. If hold'em is your game, Cooke makes for a great role model, even if you'll probably never duplicate his depth of thinking.

Cooke is a great role model (and great reading) for still another reason: he's open about presenting his humiliations in print. Feeling discouraged, he folds on the turn where he should have called--and watches the river card fall that would have won him a monster pot. Trying to impress a pretty girl, he calls when he knows he should fold--and kicks himself for it afterwards, just as we all kick ourselves for dumb plays. Where so many poker writers pretend to be without blemish, Cooke offers himself up as a human being.

Speaking of human frailties, "The Cooke Collection" includes columns addressing the pitfalls of taking poker too seriously and letting it distort your life, while "The Play of Hands" is only about poker at the table. These extra columns are so interesting, and so valuable to the recreational player, that I'd recommend starting with "The Cooke Collection" first.

[MRBAA]

Thanks for the review -- I think it's very fair. It's really, really, really important to remember this a short "least you need to know" introduction for someone who either has NEVER played or who has played a little bit, casually and has no idea about strategy. So when we talk in terms of the flop changing everything, or of the value of knocking people out in late rounds of a tourney, it's to introduce those basic ideas, not to suggest an advanced strategy based on those observations. Randy and I both believe (and it was our goal in writing this book) that someone who played .50-$1 online or live $2-4 could become a modest winner if they read this book and applied themselves. Chances are, someone with the determination and ability to to do this will quickly move on to other material as well, of course.

The intended audience isn't bad players, but it was amazing sitting at a full table of regulars last week, all of whom I'd guess are losers for life, and seeing how none saw any need for this (or any other) book.