A complete PLO Omaha strategy for new players coming from Hold'em.  Also covers Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split and Pot Limit.
586496
If you are starting to learn Omaha, this is the book to start with!!  The book lays out the game and a complete strategy.  Pre-flop, Flop, Turn and River play is covered with objectives on each.  Many hand examples and situations to get you started.
Not bogged down with math and calculations.  Reasonably easy read and it is written well.
1262954
This book came highly recommended and looked to be well laid out for a beginner.  Author Kevin Gerard does a great job putting his how to play book together.  Im always pleased when a teaching or reference book has a good table of contents so I can come back later for specific bits if need be.

It has a very brief history and origin of the game but nothing too in depth  which I enjoyed so it didn't get boring.  There is a nice run down of the different types of poker, and general universal house rules. I found the Listing of terminology the most useful as it was laid out in a easy to follow glossary style.

The chapter on probabilities is very interesting, and a little over my head at this point. But it is amazing that it can be boiled down so mathematically. I can only assume it becomes very necessary the more serious you want to play.

Overall this is an extremely detailed book, and far too much information to touch on every point in this review. But it even gets into things like player styles, and casino etiquette. I am pleased to have gotten this book, it will get many reads from me as I try to absorb all of the info and put it to use.
3866640
This is a great book for LIMIT hold'em players.  If you play no-limit, the author has another version focused on no-limit,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Small-Stakes-No-Limit-Hold-em/dp/0984143491/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em</a>
1065312
Hellmuth's book was the first book I've read. Since then, I've read Brunson's and Slansky's. I took this strategy to a low limit game, and it worked well when I was playing GOOD players. I could bluff and take pots because my table image was tight. When I got into tables where people played loose and called everything down, it was over (i.e. low limit games). I got slaughtered. However, I really reccommend this book if you play tournaments. This book really will get you KILLED if you 1) play low limits, or if 2) you don't understand what is being said in this book.
It really pays to be aggressive. Betting is your most powerful tool, after folding. The key here though is SELECTIVE aggression. Being aggressive wins you your lions share of uncontested pots, and increases your odds of taking down pots because it increases the chances of going heads heads up in a pot with someone (by virtue of betting everyone out), where you can proceed to destroy them, or fold if you sense they're strong.
I think the reason why some players didn't like this book is because they're misinterpreting what agressive means. Its very EASY to learn how to be aggressive, but selective aggressiveness is DIFFICULT to learn. Being aggressive just means raising all the time. Being selective means knowing when to raise, and knowing when to FOLD and back off when sensing strength. The ability to know when to back off is a reading ability, but this can be learned, but is only learned through EXPERIENCE.
Like Hellmuth says, you NEED to play in order to make this book useful. Experience gives you the understanding of two key ingredients to winning poker: 1) selective aggressiveness and 2) understanding the importance of table image. Get the experience, and keep referring to this book, and it'll all make sense eventually.
282016
This is a great book. I have read the "Secrets of no limit holdem" books and been waiting for a rewrite (because poker keeps changing), or a book like like this - as a poker review for me - but as a great book for people who haven't read many other books yet.

One thing I liked is that Jonathan took time in several places to discuss how to play against the "maniacs". We do run into people like this, and the general advice in the past has been to wait until you have the nuts and then take them down. In this book Jonathan explains for many, many different situations how to play against both tight and loose opponents and also often includes how to play against the maniacs.

This book shows lots of ranges for your own play, and lots of ranges for what to expect your opponents to have. Everyone advises that thinking about ranges of hands, rather than just specific hands, is very important, but few books take the time to actually explain and visualize these ranges. By the use of charts for ranges we are better able to visualize them.

This book covers many, many situations and I find the repetition of the same good advice for various situations to be helpful.

The book is long, and you probably won't read it at one sitting, but it is worth the effort. And the organization makes it easy to return to sections you want to review.
1038859
The low cost you pay for this book will more than pay out in your winnings in the casino.  Most people play video poker intuitively or loosely based upon their own experience with playing 5 card stud.  This book helped me fine-tune my playing strategy and win more.

Don't be afraid that there's a lot of math in this book.  She goes into enough detail to prove what she needs to prove to the reader, but there's plenty of accompanying explanation, as well.  It's the right balance of detail and theory.  She's a retired math teacher, so she writes very clearly.

In my own home casino, I didn't know which games were good.  I thought they all paid out the same.  After reading this book, I figured out that I should really only be playing 99.17% Bonus Poker there and not bother with the other games.  The other day I hit 4 aces, and without her tips I'd never have known.  That's a $100 win on a $1.25 bet.
87838
This book is the absolute best poker book I have read to date. I find myself going back to it over and over again. It outlines everything you need to know to play small-stakes cash games, and if you treat it like a text book, you will make money playing after studying this book.
3767410
Jonathan Little has written a top notch book about the game of Texas Holdem. This is an in-depth book that goes into many specific details on how to play (or not play) the popular game of Texas Holdem. I have read a number of other books on the game by such luminaries as Doyle Brunson, Dan Harrington, and others. But none provide the wealth of info this one has. Little's focus on your opponent's range of hands is really the key to the game. He pounds the message home over and over-imagine what your opponent's range of hands is in any given situation. Sure, you can be a technical or math whiz but unless you apply the "range of hands" philosophy you will not be the winner you can be. Now, I speak from experience. After reading his book, my winning percentage has climbed up, up, up!
4294559
This is one of my favorite poker books of all time, however, not necessarily for its strategic value.  Granted, each and every section of this book has some very valuable insights from odds, to game theory, to various ways to approach different hands.  With that said, what I find particularly noteworthy are the little details and anecdotes from Brunson Himself.  From Broomcorns unkle to Old Blocky and the Beer Hand, it's the details and Doyles obvious passion for the game that really make this book a standout.
However, as I would advise the book only to advanced players with significant experience and the desire to vary their play.  The authors system really only works for a super agressive player who is not only extremely talented, but very disciplined.  Not many people can emulate this style, and most who try WILL LOSE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY!!!
With that said, at this price (I bought the hardcover version long ago for $50+), you really can't lose.  It's a great addition to any poker library.
505014
If you are new to poker or just playing occassionally with friends, this book will make you a better player.  An easy read with plenty of illustrations, this will take you from rank ameteur to advanced beginner status in a few days.  The book is a quick read however you'll want to slow down to absorb the concepts.

When you start playing on-line or in real tournaments, you'll begin to see how play differs from what Dan talks about in this book.  Note: he has volumes 2 through 4 that address more of what you will see as you advance your skills.

Of course, I would prefer you not read his books.  Makes you easy money.
2503158
This book is awesome!! Tried it with a poker crew and it works! You just need to practice a lot.
355524
best poker book I have ever read. Helped me win the second night I played. very complicated game made simple with Jeffs work
2771786
I own several poker books and this is the one that I reference most often.  Sklansky might be the best poker author of all time and his Theory of Poker is a must read for any serious player.  Limit, and particularly low limit poker, is an entirely different game from No-Limit and the techniques that work well in no-limit often fail miserably in Limit.  Don't buy the claim that you'll ever be able to earn a substantial income playing low limit, but diligently applying the concepts presented should result in + play.  Low limit is a chase game for many and you need to have a rather thick skin to endure the many bad beats that you'll endure by playing correctly.  Many players seem to have no clue that a three-flush after the flop should usually be thrown away if the only plausible out is to connect suited runner-runner.  You'll want to chew on the table when your flopped 2 pairs gets caught on the river by the runner-runner chaser, but you need to endure!  If you think that you'll be a successful player in low limit by using the bluff as your principal technique, think again.  Bluffing works on occasion, when timed correctly, but you can't depend on your opposition to make rational folds.  A recent example from one of my hands that pays off for the opposition:  I was playing 3-6 limit with a kill pot.  I was dealt pocket aces and raised.  There was a raise and re-raise capped making the bet $24 pre-flop.  Incredibly, 5 players stayed in.  The flop came Ace - 5 - 8 rainbow, giving me a monster set of aces.  An early position player bet, there was a raise and I re-raised.  4 players were still in the bloody pot!  The turn card was a 9.  More raising and the field was now down to 3, the pot was huge, but I didn't see how my pocket aces could lose.  The river comes up a 7.  You guessed it, I lost to a straight.  The bozo called pre-flop with J-6 offsuit all the way up to a $24 bet, calls raises to the river and hits runner-gutshot runner and he wins a $240 pot!  There's no justice in low-limit hold 'em.  You may as well learn to live with it!
4797459
This is a TEXTBOOK. Like when preparing for important exam, I underlined a lot of things I find helpful.  Unfortunately, I feel I'm not good enough in limit hold'em since I learned the game playing no limit, sometimes even thinking that limit hold'em is not as interesting. So, the best thing this book has given me was that it changed my perspective (which is always a good thing) and it has shown me how to see the game from different angles. Before, I thought that limit hold'em players don't have many weapons when playing (like, you can re-raise all you want with your pocket aces but you know you'll have a bunch of people calling you because of the incredible pot odds you're giving to them) and that no limit players have a lot more arsenal under their belt (the biggest being sizing  their bets or moving all in) but, again, proven I was wrong. Actually, people do let you steal their blinds even at low limit, and they can and do fold (occasionally) to a re-raise (which I thought impossible). After spending few days playing limit hold'em I was amazed to see some of the advices applied by myself (and seeing them work) and even more amazing, exactly knowing who at the table did read the book and who, on the other hand clicks on "call" or "raise" button with not much logic to it. I'm no way near being consistent enough in playing limit hold'em (bad beats can be so frustrating and happen more often, but at the same time, you're the one giving them to other a lot more often) and for now, it can be hard for me to sustain from limping EP with T9 of hearts but not brave enough to raise it. But, as I said, this book is a textbook example of a TEXTBOOK so there are a lot of pages to be re-read over and over again.
3346057
If you're ready to start playing Hold'em poker online or at the tables for real money then you need to read this FIRST.  In fact, let me give you some free advice that I learned from playing tournament level chess.
When I played chess I collected a vast collection of chess books.  After a couple of years I realized two things, 1. many of these books were saying the same things in different ways. And 2. My skill level would improve faster if I stuck to just one or 2 books and really studied them instead of reading many concepts from many different books.
So how does that relate to poker?  This book and Hold 'Em Poker by David Sklansky are the 2 books you want to buy and then REALLY study.  Sklansky's book is wonderfull but some concepts are presented in a general way which he then expects you to logically expand into a working poker strategy.  Jones's book breaks that logic down into very simple lines of tactics.
Sklansy's book tells you that your position in relation to the dealer button is important and gives a few examples.  Jones's book breaks this down into chapters like "Playing Before the Flop in the early position", "Playing Before the Flop in the middle position" and "Playing Before the Flop in the late position".  He's not saying anything that Sklansky doesn't, he's just presenting it in easier to understand chunks.
Another thing I like about Jones's book is the discussion of starting hands.  Sklansky gives a great table of starting hands and groups of hands.  But rather than trying to memorize 65 hands broken down into 8 groups Jones simply tells you "Here are the 12 hands you should play in this position".  As your position improves you can play hands that are less strong, and he shows you exactly which hands to add.  He even has a great chapter on "trash hands" and how to avoid them.
So does it work?  Well, I was doing well after reading Sklanskey's book, but my fluctuations were fairly large.  I'd win big, but then I'd lose big.  After reading Jones's book I had a clearer idea of what Sklasky was trying to teach.  On my next few sessions of poker when the cards were going against me I probably only played 12 hands out of 250 hands or so.  But I stayed even.  When the cards were on my side I knew how to maximize my hand.  My winnings fluctuated much less.  In fact, I was either holding even or winning.
So study both books.  Read them both cover to cover and then read them again.  Memorize Jones's starting hands and then go back to the book to refresh your memory.  When you feel you have the low limit games well understood then it's time to buy Sklansky and Malmuth's book "Advanced Hold'em Poker".  But buy, study, and use what you learn in this book first!
3529839
The reviews here that say this is just another hold 'em text book for beginners really don't do it justice. There is no way all of the information in this book could be ingested in a single read; it is extremely well structured, and doesn't patronize its readers (like, say Phil Hellmuth's lame excuse for an introduction to poker). I like the way it begins, not with starting hands and all that jazz, but with key concepts like hand reading, pot odds, bluffing and so on. While it's true that most of this is in familiar Sklansky territory, the real bonus comes in the thoroughness of the hand analyses and the test hands. Hilger covers a lot more ground than I've seen in other books of this sort, and needs rereading to get full appreciation. You really feel at the end that you could use this as a primer for internet (or live) poker, it's so complete. No, I'm not a friend of the author - I wouldn't know him if he sat opposite on the subway. As for the price - I think it's fair, compared to other poker books which deliver less value for about the same investment.
216971
Good for beginning to intermediate players. The book is well-written and -edited, with no-one off the typographical errors that often plague other poker books. Low on math,  but high on strategic value,  this is a book that is accessible and easy to understand.  Low stakes,  live game play is the focus and the book provides an overall strategy for beating these games. Highly recommended for those who are starting to get serious about their poker.