Professional No-Limit Hold 'em: Volume I

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I review poker books for Card Player magazine, and here's the piece I submitted about this excellent new book from Two Plus Two (in its November 7 issue):

A lot of amateur players seem to believe that no-limit hold'em is a game dominated by feel and aggression instead of mathematical rigor and brutal rationality, but this powerful new book dispels that notion in no uncertain terms. "It's not the one gut-wrenching decision for all the chips that counts most," the authors write. "It's the thousands of small strategic decisions that the pros get right and the amateurs don't."

Don't misunderstand. Feel and aggression are critical to success in no-limit hold'em. But the most consistent winners use analytical skill to complement their decision making, and in no-limit hold'em, the math is a lot more difficult than it is in the limit game. In limit, you're playing for one or two or three more bets; in no-limit, your entire stack may be on the line in every hand. And that makes the analytical aspects of no-limit hold'em a lot more complicated.

No surprise, then, that the book includes a lengthy discussion of stack sizes, which "are critical to most no-limit decisions." Stack size effectively determines your risk/reward possibilities, and that idea prompts a long and very valuable analysis of "commitment." "'Am I committed?' is the first question you should ask yourself on every street," write Flynn, Mehta, and Miller. If you understand the concepts in this book, you'll know how to answer that crucial question. But here's the real challenge: You have to make the all-in decision before you play a large pot. You must know if you're at the "commitment threshold" and how you're going to respond if you're facing an all-in bet. Those are the situations than can build--or destroy--your bankroll, and you have to be prepared for them.

The book is primarily about the analytical (i.e., mathematical) aspects of no-limit hold'em, but Flynn et al. do a good job of illuminating topics like hand reading. It's not mystical (unless your name is Kenny Tran), but it's not purely rational or logical either. In particular, the book points out the folly of putting someone on a specific hand instead of range of hands. And that leads directly into the meatiest concept of the book, "the REM Process": "Range, Equity, Maximize."

Range, of course, refers to the spectrum of hands your opponents could have (we all know players who only raise with AA or KK, but most raisers have a much wider range of potential hands). Observation of showdowns will help you assign a range to a specific player, and of course you'll add physical tells and intangibles (is someone on tilt? stuck big-time? flush with chips?) to your analysis.

Equity is the value of your hand compared to the range of hands your opponent has (Harrington fans will recognize this concept in his "Structured Hand Analysis" in Harrington on Hold'em, Volume II). Only a savant could perform these calculations at the table, but you'll learn some shortcuts to getting there.

Finally, maximize "means choosing the action or series of actions that makes you the most money in the long run." What's the optimum size of a value bet (which of course depends on the size of the pot and the size of the stacks behind)? Of a bluff?

If this makes no-limit hold'em sound complex, well, that's the reality. Get used to it or get used to going broke. The mantra of this book is "Plan your hands." But you can't plan effectively if you don't understand REM, if you don't understand the concept of relative stack sizes and the stack-to-pot ratio, if you don't understand when you've reached the commitment threshold. And that's why you need Professional No-Limit Hold'em--and the tenacity to learn what it has to offer.

Check out my other poker reviews at web.mac.com/tbpeters.

Overall, the best book on NL cash games in print.

The writing is very clear and direct. It is an "easy" read, even if some of the concepts require thought to digest. Kudos to Ed Miller, whom I am sure is at least partly responsible for the imminent readability.

The first half of the book breaks no new ground, but is an excellent primer for NLHE play. Basics, Fundamentals and REM (Range, Equity Maximize) should be nothing new to, but a good refresher for, experienced players. It will be excellent material for beginning players who don't think much beyond their own two cards. These sections account for pages 1-138.

Pages 140-295 include the Commitment Threshhold/Planning and Stack to Pot Ratio discussions. This is the groundbreaking material which I have never seen written about. Some of it is intuitive. Some of it is not. But it is explained in clear terms, and based on my limited experience employing the ideas, it provides an excellent framework to guide your actions at the table.

I was generally aware of building pots and exercising pot control and implied odds, but I had not thought explicitly of stack to pot ratios, nor what types of hands preferred what ratios for what purposes.

Same for "pot-committed." I generally knew when someone was pot-committed, but the commitment threshhold and planning hands around it is new to me.

I shudder to think how many bad spots I have put myself in by making the "standard" play.

This book will get you thinking about the right things. Which will make you money. Kudos to Matt and Sunny for the new ideas presented in the second half of the book.

Looking forward to Vol 2 in '08.

I am a long time poker player and play in real no limit games IN LAS VEGAS, not in the dreamland that these authors must inhabit.

This book must have been previously reviewed by either TV watching poker wannabees who have no clue or the authors' relatives. What a waste.

The authors want us to think that their idea of SPR (stack to pot ratios) is useful. It is not. This is because there are so many variables which are pure guesswork that this idea may only be good in some distant theory discussion not in everyday tough poker games. While playing to and managing pot size is important, what they suggest is unworkable in a regular game. Nobody would have an hour to do all the calculations considering all the changing players and variables which in many cases are just estimates anyway.

One cannot determine in advance how many callers there will be, how each of them plays which hands for how many multiples of big bets on preflop raises, what those yet to act may do, how they will play post flop, whether they will only call your pot sized bets when you are beaten, and a million other unknowable variables--not to mention the different stack sizes in multi player pots and their ratio to your stack and the pot. This is a mess.

This TRASH is unreliable, unworkable, and pure theoretical drivel. Save your money and do not waste your time. The Sklansky book on no limit holdem is much better.

I noticed that 10 out of the 11 reviews (all 5 star!) seem to be reviewed by those who have naver reviewed any other book than this. They also reviewed the book the same week. It would seem as if Mr. Flynn has a number of friends who are willing to shill for him. Having actually read the book, I find it to be merely adequate. Sorry, Matt.

Well, this is not No Limit: Theory and Practice which was a landmark masterpiece of poker literature; however, it is a solid book...and then some. One of the problems with these reviews on Amazon is that we can only give out star ratings from 1 to 5. That being said, I would rate NL: TAP a 10 on a scale from 1-10 and Professional No Limit Hold `em an 8.5. It's not perfect, but it is a solid addition to our overall knowledge base.

Of course, this text is not meant for beginners in any sense. The authors created it for players with a solid and developed skill base which enables them to appreciate their positions and then make use of their nuanced augmentations and insight. There are a multitude of valuable ideas here. The REM Process is deceptively simple--Range, Equity, and Maximize--but it is undeniably integral to solid, profitable play. There are several explanations here of current buzzwords such as "fold equity" as well. The author's main theme, "plan your hand," is invaluable as not doing so is what separates the losers from the winners. Yes, I do agree that the Stack-to-Pot Ratio segments went on a little too long, but one cannot pretend that their concepts are unimportant. This book does not reinvent the wheel but it does make a significant contribution. It certainly betters our understanding of the game.

It's amazing how all the positive reviews for this book have not been backed up by any real life sessions. I have been playing poker for 4 years now and I am a middle stakes NL Hold'em player (2-5;5-5;5-10 blinds). I have read just about every major poker book out there and have a good idea about what is what.

All in all this book provides a good and sound foundation in NL Hold'em theory cash games. The emphasis here is on theory. However, in practice what the authors preach in terms of creating Target SPRs between you and your opponents is not so easy to achieve. As well in most casinos outside of Las Vegas you are limited in the amount you can buy-in and most of the time you are either short stacked or middle stacked. This immediately affects your SPRs. I have tried the strategies in this book at the Bike Club in Bell Gardens, CA NL Hold'em games where the blins are 5-5 and 5-10 and your buy-in is limited to $500 and $1000 respectively.

I have had many many losing sessions using the concepts in this book with huge swings raising my variance quite high. I have been able to achieve SPRs of 3-6 at times with big pocket pairs (mainly Aces and Kings) and still lose when I get all my money in good on the flop. The draw out factor is so much larger than the authors in this book would like you to believe. And when I say I'm a big favorite I mean pre-flop I'm at least 70:30 to 90:10. On the flop I'm about 80:20 and get drawn out repeadtedly with 2-3 outers as well as runner runners.

And believe me this isn't just a bad run. This is very consistent in results with people who have some of the worst luck. I know many good players that lose a lot of money playing poker. The reason is because they get all their money in good as good poker players should and get sucked out repeatedly. I am sure anyone reading this will agree with me that the majority of times when they sit down at a poker table the player with the most chips is often times the biggest donkey, although it is rarely the same donkey that has all the chips the next time you sit down and play. The luck factor is huge and most professionals are not willing to admit that.

My gripe with this book and many others is that they assume the math will work out in the long run for everybody, which in real life is not the case. The authors of this book have been very fortunate to have had the math work out for them. In order for the concepts in this book to work you have to assume that the math will work out and that is just not the case in practice.

So take this book with a grain of salt. The concepts are very good but be sure to adjust your playing strategy to your particular game and style of play. Because what works in theory often times at the poker table does not work. You have to assume that the people you play with have a similar thought process for the concepts to work out properly. This is just not the case as 8 out of 9 or 10 players at any poker table have no clue how to really play.

So buyer beware if you apply these concepts too literally you'll either be the next donkey who wins the WPT or a solid player who is broke.

This book will do a good job of helping to turn marginal players into successful ones. The ideas presented of REM, commitment, and stack to pot ratios do an excellent job of describing how to eliminate some huge flaws I have seen in other players (and to some extent, myself). As a mid limit pro, I was already aware of these concepts in a vague form, but as described they really helped me understand them in theory and practice.

This book is really ground breaking as far as literature goes. It offers an interesting mix of insights of how to think about poker and how to plan a hand. It may take a while to work some of these ideas into my game but I think it will be well worth the effort. I've really started to focus on commitment thresholds as I play, and I really watch the pot and possible future bets in comparison to my stack. It definitely helps lessen the number of tough decisions I have to make at the table, though poker is a lot about tough decisions so I will never be rid of them entirely.

I'd have to say most of the materials in the book are geared towards play with "aggressive" or "tricky" opponents which as you move up limits you will find more of. But you will find benefit from this book no matter what blind level you play. You will just find more benefit from certain parts of the book when facing different types of opponents.

This book is very useful to me personally because of the opponents which this strategy is geared for. I don't have much trouble playing against a straightforward or passive opponent. I do however have issues against aggressive players. They seem to build huge stacks stealing (or appearing to steal) lots of medium size pots when people get too far in and then fold. I now make sure to either get out quick or commit to the pot (or have a plan).

I have little to add to P. Binion and Felson's thorough reviews, but here goes:

Although it's a gross simplification, for me the value of this book is primarily some new ideas about how to play good one-pair hands -- top-pair-good-kicker or an overpair. Anyone who's struggled a bit with postflop NLHE decisions probably knows what I mean. You bet your pocket aces on the flop. Call. You bet the pot on the turn. Call. Now your not-entirely-straightforward-but-not-maniacal opponent bets the pot from out of nowhere on the river. It could be a big bluff, but you're probably beat, right? Can you really lay your aces down and sleep at night? HELP!!!!

This book won't give you a magic recipe for what to do in this situation. That's ridiculous -- NLHE is far too complex for one-size-fits-all algorithms. But this book can help you plan so that you're less likely to GET to those tough one-pair situations. In particular, it's sobering to realize that with 100 BBL stacks, your "standard" preflop raise called by an opponent is getting the pot to exactly the *wrong* size for one pair. And as the authors point out -- what are you most likely to flop with AA, KK, or AK if it hits the board?

When you look at your cards and see a big pair or big ace, this book will help you start thinking about where you'd like the pot to be on the flop and beyond. (I've neglected small pairs or other drawing hands, because they're not as harrowing as one-pair hands to play correctly, but the book talks about their preferred pot size too.) Your planning won't always work out right -- sometimes five loose opponents decide to call your raise instead of one; sometimes you want to limp/reraise but no one raises. But if you've been planning, the big decision that puts you to the test won't catch you unawares. It's not a silver bullet, but it is an effective framework to help you start looking ahead from the moment you get your cards.

And that's the theme of this book: "Plan your hand."
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DISCLAIMER: Although I take part in 2+2's forums I'm hardly a personal acquaintance of the authors, and I would criticize any of their books that merited it. I'll never tell you that Sklansky can write or that his "Hemingway preface" is a reasonable attitude to take toward one's audience, for example. I praise Ed Miller's work only because it's really good.

I just completed reading this book, and I'm an active NL cash player. My overall impression: the book was absolutely worth the money, and worth the time spent reading. I'll get Vol II. I'd recommend the book to my poker playing friends.

Clearly, I think the book is overall pretty good. I don't, however, think the book deserves the level of praise it's getting here, because it does have it's flaws. Much of the core of the book revolves around SPR (simply: effective stack size / pre-flop pot size), and manipulating the pre-flop betting to get you the SPR that is ideal for your hand. But *why* are those SPRs desirable? He determines it based on how many pot-sized bets it takes to get you all in. That is a flaw, in my opinion - he builds into the math the assumption that bets and raises are the size of the pot. Sure, sometimes they are, but often they are not.

Don't get me wrong: your stack size absolutely effects how you play different types of hands. But he takes the idea of specific SPRs way further than it should really go; it's pretty core to his play style.

Another pet peeve I had was places where he recommended get pot committed / all-in "so that you don't have to face any tough decisions later in the hand". (He is not the only author that gives this advice, but it rankles me everywhere I see it). Basically he is saying, get your whole stack in, so that you don't have to make choices later. I think choices are a good thing, especially given that I'll see more cards and have a better basis for making decisions later - I don't want to self-limit my choices ahead of time! That advise is only worthwhile to someone who habitually gets bluffed off the best hand.

Over all, though, the book was good and I felt I got some valuable ideas from it. I like his ideas about planning out a whole hand early, and deciding if you will or will not get committed to a pot before you have put much into it. (I see so many players that call a few bets and suddenly realize on the turn that they already have 1/3 of their chips in).

Get it, read it, learn it, but in my opinion, take it with a (small) grain of salt.

I've read and re-read all the classics (i.e. Theory of Poker, Super System, Harrington on Hold em, etc etc etc) I cannot say for sure that this book is a classic, but I definitely feel that it stands out amongst all other poker books who have not yet acheived classic status but still want you to pay classic prices. Other reviews give specifics about SPR (stack to pot ratio), planning hands, and other topics in the book, I wont get in to that. I will say that they manner that these topics are presented in the book are innovative, straightforward, and an advantage to the strategy of a serious poker player. Will the use of planning your hand before the flop allow you to outplay your opponents and show a profit? Maybe - Maybe not, but the thought process of how to use this information is a definite advantage because I feel that many players think exploitively but not necessarily in the context that this book presents the material. Poker is the type of game where if you are static instead of dynamic, good opponents will exploit your tendencies. This book gives a different perspective on (i.e pot odds) ratios when discussing SPRs. This book is the type of reading that will truly improve your game because it causes you to think on a different level. When you think on a different level it always improves your game because it adds variables that you consider in making important decisions. The more information you have to make that decision, you will undoubtedly make better decisions. In my opinion, the method that they present some of the material is not discussed in any other book I've ever read, which to me indicates that they're doing something right.

Like most of the other reviewers, I feel like this should be considered one of the classics. Right up there with Sklanky's Theory of Poker.

I have played online, mostly single-table tournaments, for about 4 years. But have found that because of the time commitment necessary for those, I have been migrating to the ring/"cash" games. I dominated the $10 to $30 tournaments for a solid ROI, but found that even at the $2/1 cash games, I kept being "pushed around". It felt like I was always up against a group of pros, not knowing what to do on the flop or turn.

Now, after getting through this book a SECOND time in a month's worth of reading, I find that it feels like I'm playing against a bunch of children. It feels so easy. They key has been to plan the hands from before the flop.

This book is the first of about 20 NL or PL Hold-Em books I have read that really, really explains what is meant by planning your hand and manipulating the pot size to your advantage. You will find out how to position yourself in situations so that you'll know in advance what to do when the flop comes. It gives an excellent explanation of the target Stack-to-Pot ratio you need to aim for depending on your cards (are you going for top-pair, or is it a drawing hand: Suited ace, connectors, small pair...)

You'll find yourself constantly NOT CARING how your opponent acts on the flop. The play of the hand has already been established. You will either commit or fold. And rarely will there be a Turn decision.

If you pair this book with a decent online tool to track your opponents (so you can tell the set-farmers, from the action-kids, from the tight-rocks) you will find that you can easily play 3 or 4 tables at once and NOT be a predictable player yourself. After about 12,000 hands I'm showing that on average I play 1.8 tables at a time, and I'm making close to 10 BB/100. (Yes... yes... not enough hands... STD Dev is over 20... but it feels like it is not luck...)

If you are a NLHE cash player at the small stakes, you NEED this book. If you are a Limit player... WHY? Limit is so mechanical and technical. You can never hope to be THAT much better than the field. In No-Limit, 10 to 20 BB per 100 hands is achievable at the small stakes, and counter-intuitively with LESS variance.

I can't wait for Volume 2. Those $10/5 games look promising!

This book is an excellent and clear presentation of many of the core concepts around no-limit holdem. The first half of the book describes the fundamentals and the three-stage REM thought process required to maximize profit versus your opponent's range of possible hands.

The second half of the book is truly groundbreaking information that has never before seen in print. It provides a framework for answering the most difficult and critical question of no-limit: do I want to get all my money in with this hand?

PNLHE also describes how to plan the entire hand from the earliest streets of play. Most players fail to do this, which leads them to situations where they face big bets with marginal hands, not knowing whether to fold or shove. The authors describe how to avoid this so that your opponents make mistakes, not you.

The authors are friends of mine, and I reviewed an early draft of PNLHE prior to publication. (I have also read the published book.) Now, months later, the way that I approach a no-limit hand is very different, and I win more money.

This book puts into words what I and many other regular cash game players have been thinking subconciously for quite sometime: Cash games are played like running a business, not like playing cards.

The thought process behind every decision outlined in the book revolves around equity and making money. That makes playing some starting hands that one would normally think are automatic to raise or go to a flop with (Like AQ for example) actually bad to play in certain spots. "Say what?" you might say. Yes. Read the book and you'll see.

If you want to know the correct way to think in order to net you a consistant profit in cash games over the long run, much the same way you'd want to make decision to net your small business a profit, this is the book for you.

I don't give it 5 stars only because there are few examples using deep stacks (200+BB) in the section about Stack to Pot Ratio. The book says SPR plays a lesser role the deeper the game gets but I would have liked a little more elaboration and some more examples played through to really get it. Maybe in Vol. II?

Still, great, great book.

This book is extremely well written and easy to read. Very complicated subjects are explained very simply and in a manner that is easy to understand.

This is probably the best poker book I've ever read. I've never seen most of this information in print anywhere - particularly not in such a user friendly format. I play $1/2 and $2/5 no limit games, so I already knew some of the stuff in the first chapter, but it was still a pretty good refresher. And the rest of the book is gold. Anyone know how many volumes there are going to be?

This book is to no-limit hold'em what Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" was to zoology. There has been a permanent, dramatic, and final enhancement of understanding. Kudos to Flynn, Mehta, and Miller for this profound achievement.

I purchased this book with lot of expectations but after going through it...I was really disappointed. I feel like I was stolen. This book is clearly not worth [...] All that you read in this book can be found on articles published on twoplustwo forum. Even the articles published freely on twoplustwo are better than those written in this book.

Additionally the book lacks a whole lot of hand examples. So I'm vey dissapointed....I'm tempted to say....."Giveeeee me back my money!!!! I'll buy some other books"

After having played limit poker online for 3+ years, I recently made the switch to the much more popular no limit games. In the process of trying to learn the no limit game I found there was a great void in terms of available books and literature on no limit cash games. Sure there was a number of good books on tournament play, but outside of that the only decent book available on no limit was Doyle Brunson's Supersystem 2. Professional No Limit Hold 'em simply blows the doors off of Supersystem. To me the authors have some very revolutionary concepts in the book that are clearly and concisely explained. Let's hope not too many people purchase this book and implement their strategies or the no limit games will become as difficult as the limit games have become.

BOTTOM LINE -- GREAT BOOK AND EASY READ. THANKS A MILLION! CAN'T WAIT FOR VOLUME 2.

This book assembles an amazing amount of experience and success at NL, and it's unbelievable how clear it is. Finally we've got a math whiz who rocks at the game and can guide the rest of us through actually creating a strategy and tactics rather than trial-and-error. I highly recommend this book.

Very clear, excellent book that made me a lot of money right away! Truly fantastic as I was impotent for seven years before reading the introduction! Well, my chips stacks were impotent; now they are huge!

Seriously, this book is the next greatest book on how to beat No-Limit Hold'em! Very concise and easy to read!

As a professional NLHE player, I immediately recognized some fundamental flaws with this books advice, the most glaring being the recommended SPR's and the notion of trying to "commit" yourself to a pot based simply on preflop hand selection, while ignoring that your opponents will only commit themselves when the situation dictates. In essence, by trying to "plan your hand" preflop, you are forcing yourself into a mechanical playing style, and allowing your opponents to outplay you post-flop. In the following example, I will explain how their advice has a guaranteed negative expected value in the long run.

You have AA in middle position. Your opponent has 22 in late position. You both have stacks of 100BB.
With the recommended SPR of 6 for the hand AA (overpairs) you should raise to 7BB preflop assuming a single caller.
7BB + 7BB + 1.5BB dead blinds = 15.5BB
Remaining stacks = 93BB
93/15.5 = 6 (recommended SPR)

We will assume that you have already committed yourself to going all in with the hand AA, as committment is the purpose of target SPR's. We will likewise assume that your opponent will only go all in if he flops a set. The odds of your opponent flopping a set are roughly 7.5 to 1, or 11%. The odds of set over set is roughly 1%, which we will subtract from the original 11% odds.

Now let's calculate the expected value from a preflop perspective. 10% of the time, your opponent will flop a set and you will lose 100BB total. 90% of the time, your opponent will miss, and you will win his bet plus the dead blinds. The EV is as follows:

(10% X -100BB) = -10BB
(90% X +8.5BB) = +7.65BB
-10BB + 7.65BB = -2.35BB per hand

Telling your readers to play in a way which is provably unprofitable should simply relegate this book to the trash bin.
Likewise, the advice of aiming for very high SPR hands with deeper stacks by, for example, LIMPING premium hands preflop, is terrible advice. Skilled players will make the most money by playing the hand aggressively and knowing when to give up or release the hand as it develops.

Despite these flaws, I give the book 2 stars for being applicable to short stacks, and for the chapter on REM, which is still worth reading. For better advice on implied odds and deeper stacked play, I recommend Harrington on Cash Games.

I didn't really like this book. First off, I admit that it may be entirely my fault for expecting something different than what this book is. For some reason I thought that this book was designed to take skilled enthusiasts and show them professional level disciplines and analyses for reducing variance and increasing consistency.

Instead, I found that the book was really a primer to help beginniner level players approach the game in a systematic and analytical way (rather than taking an "I'll just call and see where this takes me" approach). In that regard, it's a pretty good book. It introduces the ideas of playing ranges, planning bet progression, using implied odds.

However, as far as teaching professional level analyses... I think that it falls far short. In my opinion, the book almost encourages volatility and a lack of metagame analysis. One example that had me a little confused was where they posed the problem of how to play pocket kings against someone who seems to be floating to a big river bluff. If you haven't improved by the river, it's hard to call a big bet. I agree. However, they seemed to say that the solution is to raise your pocket kings pre-flop to point where you will be committed to go all-in on the flop or the turn. Well... I think that that IS a counter-strategy to the float, but wouldn't that give you a lot of variance and leave you extremely vulnerable to counter-strategies? If I saw someone play kings that way even once, I would immediately consider playing hit-to-win with any pocket pair or suited connector type hands. If I earned my living player poker, I'd prefer a play that did a better job of securing my much needed rent money.

Anyhow, as I said, I think that this is a good book for taking beginners to the intermediate level, but rather useless for intermediate or advanced players. My dissapointment could be entirely my own fault... I honestly can't remember why I thought that this was a book for semi-pro type players... but it is what it is. This is my opinion; please take it with a grain of salt.

Raise your hand if this has ever happened before: you get dealt a nice pocket pair and the next thing you know you're facing Villain's pot raise on the turn with just two pair, but you have so much of your stack already in that you feel like you can't fold at this point. If you call and you don't hit on the river you're going to lose the hand, and your entire stack. But if you fold now, you've just taken a huge hit, which in a tournament can be potentially fatal. Face it, you're pot committed.

A detailed analysis of pot odds and probabilities can help you determine your next move, but the problem isn't figuring out what to do, it's figuring out how you got committed without realizing it, and how to better manage the situation so you can know when you're making the decision that is going to commit you later, the threshold to pot commitment, if you will. That's playing the game, instead of letting the game play you.

The detailed analysis of understanding pot commitment is one of the best parts of this book, with a number of other insights that are also helpful. It's true that a portion of this book feels a little retread, and the authors do feel it is necessary to really make you understand that poker is a complicated game (we get it, it takes a lot of analysis, we wouldn't be buying poker books like this if we didn't know that already)

Still, there is enough new content, and new perspectives on old content to make this a winner. Worth it.

This book is mostly about preflop bet sizing. It encourages you not to make standard raises, but to raise or call based on the ideal implied odds for various hands.

Most of the advice is pretty obvious. Look to play with a lot of money behind with drawing hands, and look to play with less relative to the pot with "big" hands like AA, QQ or AK. If this sounds obvious you don't really need this book. Still, they put some numbers to these concepts and provide a framework for thinking about this principle systematically, which is in itself useful.

The biggest problem with the book is that it doesn't give much guidance on postflop play (this is left to Vol. 2). But the sense I have is that the authors are assuming best case scenarios too often: they assume things will generally go right after you size your preflop bets. A lot of the book is devoted to making your postflop decisions easier by correctly sizing your raises preflop, but this often depends on a host of assumptions that don't really play out in practice, like getting a pot bet called on every street with the best hand.
Overall, an excellent book if you're one of those dummies that get themselves committed with T9s preflop, but for an experienced player that pays attention to stack sizes, not a great help.

A book that highlights the message "plan-the-hand" for NL play. Sounds simple. In reality it often isn't.
The authors take you through the planning proces and give advise that is very helpful, not just in theory but also in the heat of the battle. Key advise is, prior to making a pre-flop bet, to decide on which flops you do want to commit your stack and on which flops you don't, and to estimate for your starting hand the percentages of both types of flops. Subsequently bet/raise pre-flop such that you realise the right stack-to-pot ratio on the flop for the purpose of your planned post-flop play. The authors give practical advise for various classes of starting hands/flop combinations what is the optimal stack-to-pot ratio. Some of the analysis leads to pre-flop betting that - prior to reading the book - I would have classified as over-betting. However, the analysis in the book is sound, and it definitely helps keeping a robust rational approach to the game.

Don't get me wrong this book is great...If you are a math teacher. The reality learning some of the topics such as the Return on Investment, are just plain usless in my eyes. You just don't have the time to calculate all this while playing.

For good reasonable math based play try The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky.

This book covers a number of things I haven't seen properly identified in other NL books: specifically, 1) How stack size should affect your play, and 2) how to adjust particular types of hands (draws, monsters, middling hands) based on those that in live real world examples.

I was pretty impressed with it.

If you do well at tournaments, but can't seem to win consistently at a cash game this is the book for you.
Even though this is the first review I have ever written here I have no personal affiliation with any of the authors.
Other reviewers have listed more eloquently than I can the great points presented in this book. I found it very refreshing to finally get pointers that aren't all geared toward winning a tournament. As to the reviewer who doesn't believe in mathematical statistics, I can only pray to run into him. I've played at The Bike, so maybe I'll be fortunate enough to have him at my table. I'll get all my money in with 80:20 odds in my favor day in and day out. When I get sucked out on I will shrug and hope the same guy is in with me the next time I have those odds. As for Mr. Las Vegas, I look forward to players who don't think they have the time to make the best decision at the table. I am too math challenged to make all the calculations that may need to be made, but this book has helped me to get better, and hopefully with time and practice I will continue to improve.
Don't read this book and you do those of us who have a big favor.

When I started this book, after having read about 30 others, I felt as though I was being taken to school for the first time.

I'm still in the middle of the read, but there are many things to ponder, think about, and learn. Highly recommended.

This book is extremely clear. The ideas have changed changed my play and made me money. I highly recommend this book for anyone trying to improve their poker game.

Combine the concepts from this book with other lessons you have learned. I truly enjoyed the concepts of stack to pot ratios and pot commitment. The concepts allowed me to perceive profitability more clearly preflop and also aided greatly in tackling short and deep stack situations. Definitely one to read...not quite for the absolute beginner, though.

Professional No-Limit Hold'em: Volume I is the royal flush of poker books! It has outstanding descriptions of scenerios and strategies with clear explanations of the reasons for making the decisions that are detailed.

This book is a winner. I can't wait for Volume II.

I learned everything I know about poker from these guys, great clear way of explaining the essential concepts of winning NL hold 'em.

Poker knowledge is what you require --

Right now it may all seem like Greek --

From Amazon this book you may acquire --

And become a solid poker geek.

This is a great poker book. Easy to read and understand. I think it has taken my game to the next level. However, it is not a good book for beginners. This book assumes you all ready know how to play poker and teaches you how to think and play like a pro. There are some great books out for beginners, but this book is not one of them. However, This book is a must have for advanced players. It was worth every penny.

I used to be an avid poker player but had to slow down when I got married and had kids. Anyway ... this book is a good text on breaking down how one should/could approach thinking mathematically about the issues in no limit hold'em. One key concept for me was how buying in short kept me mathematically from getting burned so much, because I overplayed top pair top kicker when stakes are 100BB+. It is definitely not for the casual player and requires some study to understand the concepts. I've read this book as well as the Slanksy and Miller No Limit text. This one is better, but only marginally. In all honesty, both have not "done it" for me like the Small Stakes Limit Hold-em text or even Slansky's Hold'em for Experts, which are both clearer and very informative. Perhaps that is because no limit is a more complex game or the concepts in limit are easier to convey. I'm hoping that Harrington on Cash (which should be released any day now -03/08) is better in than these texts. Nonetheless, I fully intend to finish the series if they publish more. (What else would I buy with those pokerstars FPPs?)

A good book about odds and hand reading analysis. It could go more in depth about what 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 odds actually means to the mathematically impaired, but its a solid read. and if you cant comprehend ratios id recommend phil gordans little green book as a companion. he levels with the average joe. but none of the material really goes over your head.

if the people complaining about math being too hard, wahh wahh too complicated check out chens mathematics of poker itll make your eyes bleed. you have to have a little knowledge of college algebra to understand it.

i would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand the mathematical aspects, stack sizes, HAND READING DEVELOPMENT. i am currently reading this one, the harrington series, phil gordans collection, david sklanskys nlhe theory and practice, and the mathematics of poker...just to give you an idea of where my interests are.

awesome book, solid investment!!!

This is the NL book I have been waiting for. It will teach you how to think about the game correctly. Not for beginners, though. My profits increased immediately after reading this book. I'm certain that I will read it again and again, as I do with all my favorite poker books - Theory of Poker, Psychology of Poker, all Harrington books, etc.

This book have learned me how to analyze and play each hand since Preflop until River in order to obtain profits in the long run in no-limit cash games. It's highly recommended.

This is not a beginners book rather a book for the intermediate player or better looking to advance their game. You need to read the chapters a few times before it all sinks in but then anything with advanced poker would require the same reading .

It's pretty good. I've read a lot of books that cover some of this information, but not as detailed as this. It basically discusses how to size your bets, manage a pot, manipulate your opponents and when you are committed to a pot. I could see several things I wasn't taking into consideration or not doing very well. I hope it's helped plug some leaks and allows me to understand just where I stand on any street of a hand, how much to bet and why. Some of the information tends to be redundant, but it is a pretty good read overall and you should walk away with learning a few good things at minimum.

I did alot of research on which poker book i wanted to buy and was very satisfied.

It doesn't go over teaching you simple ideas, but more in depth theory and how to play to win in the long run and not just "gamble".

The book is well written and very understandable. DEFINITELY WORTH THE MONEY!

This is the best NL poker book out there.

Also 2 plus 2 has a dedicated forum section to discuss the book with the authors.

It help beginners and advance players with easy to understand descriptions.

I'm actually buying a second copy and sending it to a friend of mine.

I see that my stat tracking software says I've played 30,000 hands online in the last two years. I have over 50 poker books on my bookshelves. I'm placing this book on my top shelf with the other classics from Sklansky, Harrington, et al to reread over and over as I get better. There is no other book that concentrates so heavily on why a bet should be sized as it is strategically rather than just tactically. Other authors have admonished to plan your hand and control the size of the pot, but this is the first mathmatical treatment of how to concretely envision how that will be done all the way to showdown when you're still sitting at pre-flop.

I picked up this book because of enjoying Miller's previous work. It's easy to understand the theory presented but applying the concepts at the tables will be tough, not only for the math but having the experience and accuracy in anticipating your opponents' actions. That's definitely where the "Professional" in the title comes from. I think the authors gave short attention to the reactions of inattentive, inexperienced, or uncooperative opponents - particularly those playing at my low stakes.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the next volume. Meanwhile, I'll keep these concepts in mind. The best I can hope for at this stage in my game is to be aware that REM and stack-to-pot ratios exist. I think it will still give me an edge over my buddies. But I'll have to come back to this again as I improve.