Poker Book Review

The Illustrated Guide to No Limit Texas Hold'Em

Author: Dennis Purdy

This book is a great starting book for beginners. I think most intermediate and advanced players will already be applying the principles covered, though some of the Limit/No Limit differences may be subtle enough to peak your interest.

The main part of this book is the 150 real game situations, which are quite comprehensive in terms of coverage. For each situation, it details the win rate of the starting hand and lists the chip stacks and positions of your opponents. A question is then posed and a subsequent answer is given, often with a detailed explanation of what the options are, which is the best option and why.

There is quite a bit of continuity between the situations where the starting hand is taken through to the showdown and each succeeding situation covers what your options are at each stage.

Aside from a few illustrative errors (Page 148 where you have a Seven of Clubs in your hand as well as on the board for instance), it covers all of the things a beginner should be learning about. Starting hand strength and win rate, pot odds, assessing what your opponent has and most importantly, when to lay those killer starting hands down post flop.

It only covers tournament situations but the basic principles can be applied to cash games.
All in all, a quick and easy read for those wanting to gain some knowledge in some basic No Limit Hold'Em strategy.