No Limit Texas Hold 'em Theory and Practice

by David Sklansky and Ed Miller

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Reviewer: Tiburon41

I really wanted to love this book. After all, I own Theory of Poker, and profess my love for Small Stakes Holdem all across the internet. I also am known as one of the most theoretical and mathematically inclined poker players you'll ever meet. When this book was released, I almost tripped over my own feet getting to the door to check out my copy.

I'm sorry to say that I was a little disappointed. As you would expect from a David Sklansky book, it is highly theoretical, and I can understand that. The problem is that most poker players either don't have the desire to think the game to the level that Sklansky preaches, or they'd prefer a more strategic-style book. This book, though it does deal with strategy (written mostly by Ed Miller, which is notable in the writing style), also deals with the trademark mathematics-spin to the game that David Sklansky is famous for.

However, it's very heavy in the "theory," and not-so-heavy in the "practice" part of NLHE. While I personally like reading the theory end of things, I understand that many players just don't. Beginners shouldn't really look at this book as a starting point--it will soar far over most beginners' heads. Even intermediate-level players may not benefit as much from it's theory-heavy leanings. For a mathematically advanced player, I would recommend this book fairly highly, but for your average No-Limit Holdem player, stick to the Little Green Book by Phil Gordon. You'll likely get far more out of it than out of this complex text.

By: BuyFerrari

No-Limit Hold’em: Theory and Practice is 310 pages profound text.

First come the fundamentals in no limit hold’em:

1) Manipulating the pot size: Good players win big pots and lose small ones.

2) Adjusting to stack sizes - yours and your opponents: Different stack sizes demand different plays.

3) Trading with mistakes: make smaller than your opponent. Gus Hansen’s play reminds me of this concept. His calls with trash that can be considered as mistakes but because of the great implied odds and his post flop play, he can make his trash hands to pay big enough to be profitable. The idea is to get in cheaply and avoid blunders in more expensive streets.

4) Reading hands by the way the hand has developed: Getting into your opponents head.

5) Manipulating opponents into playing badly.

Implied odds are far more important than pot odds in no limit. The book compares the differences in limit and no limit holdem. For example when blind stealing in late position is routine in limit, it’s small potatoes in NL. Of course you often raise in NL, but you should think what you are going to achieve with raising. In NL you get better implied odds by just limping. With a short stack the situation changes because there are no big implied odds available.

This is not a no brainier recipe book. It’s a book of concepts and numerous examples. The purpose to make you a better thinker and player. This is one of those books that need to be read and reread several times. The authors state that no limit hold’em is a very complex game and after finishing the book I can’t disagree. It seems that most of the players out there never get it, but perhaps you will if you are prepared to work and think hard.

The book offers concepts and examples for cash games and tournaments. Not forgetting the formulas a la Sklansky. Those formulas are by no means a must to know precisely and you don’t need them at the table. Mastering the concepts should be enough.

The book illustrates many situations where small plays are the best choices: fold, limp, check, call and make a modest bet. Raising reopens the betting – are you sure you want it? Even a small stack can have it’s advantages compared to deep stacks: Often deep stacks have weaker holdings relying on implied odds. In cash games they don’t usually check it down to the river when the small stack is all in. It benefits when some deep stacks are forced to fold.

20 and more pages about bluffing. Absolute and relative position: being on the button doesn’t guarantee that you are last to act after someone bets.

The Sklansky – Chukubov Rankings – never heard of this before? At the end of the book there are 169 different hands accompanied with which stack sizes (depending on blinds) it begins to be profitable to move all in heads up in SB against BB, as compared to folding - even if your opponent knew what you have. In practice often just calling or raising a smaller amount might be a better play. Sklansky has reasons to list all possible hands and the different stack sizes for this example. The idea is to put your opponent – not you – to make calling/folding mistakes. The concept is covered for the button, too. SC rankings illustrate the move-in power especially in tournaments (often with a relatively short stack).

At the end, the book also provides 60 concepts and weapons for faster recall of the contents of the book Among these concepts are also ideas not found from the previous pages.

I’ve scratched only a tiny fraction of thoughts which impressed me. 10/10 points.

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