No-Limit Hold'em Theory and Practice by Ed Miller and David Sklansky

Two Plus Two Publishing, 2006 ISBN: 188068537X 317pp paperbound, $29.95

If you're looking for a high-stakes theory book for no-limit hold'em, then look no further than this one produced by the tandem of Ed Miller and David Sklansky. It's likely to be the hottest poker title this year, since it covers the specifi c topic everyone seems to be looking for.

No Limit Hold'em Theory and Practice consists of two major sections One is Fundamentals and Concepts, or basically the bread and butter of the winning hold'em concepts, and the other is Weapons, or what you'll have to arm yourself with to go to the next level of expertise.. The authors emphasize that they are not going to tell you what to do if you have top pair and your opponent bets. What they will reveal are the factors you should consider when you are making your decisions. In short, they try to teach you to think about the game the way excellent players think about the game.

It almost goes without saying that this book isn't intended for beginners. The main focus is to prepare you to play cash games and tournaments intelligently, and it does a good deal of comparing limit play to nolimit play. Sections include bluff-sizing; bluffi ng on the turn and the river; playing the nuts on the river; value betting on the river; raising before the fl op; sizing your pre-fl op raises with a deep or short stack; call bluffs; check-raising; adjusting to loose games; weak tight games; and calling pre-fl op all-in raises.

One particular section that hould satisfy probability enthusiasts has to do with your chances of winning in specifi c situations. Titled The Sklansky- Chubukov Rankings, it is a 2005 update on the value of all starting hands, and it will act as a guide to help you decide how good a "move-in" hand you have.

(Chubukov, not yet a household name, is a games theorist from UC Berkeley.)

One small, but extremely vital section of the book is titled Manipulating Your Opponents. I'd love to have seen more on this and the authors agree since they flat out state they could have covered "

...ten times

this amount on

the topic and still not cover every technique available."

Perhaps we'll see a book solely on the subject soon. What I like about this book is the way it seems to anticipate player questions, much like a dance partner instinctively adjusting to a specifi c pace or rhythm. The book fl ows, with a potent mixture of mathematics, examples, analysis and summary.

So my advice is to get No Limit Hold'em by Sklansky and Miller now. Focus on their advice, learn how to use it and you'll eventually notice your game has improved quite a bit.

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