Great book that presents ideas well

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!

A very good read -- a little simplistic, at times

I bought this book from Amazon on a Friday and finished it on Saturday. A very quick read, full of good solid hold'em advice. A lot of people sing the praises of Sklansky and Malmuth's book "Hold'em for Advanced Players", and while it is indeed required reading, do NOT start there; it's simply too complicated without a proper understanding of novice to intermediate strategy, which is in Lee Jones' book.

The most important tool you need to take full advantage of the advice herein is DISCIPLINE, especially pre-flop. You have to know what hands to throw away immediately. You may like to peek at a pair of fours or King/Jack offsuit in the pocket, but if the pot gets raised or re-raised in front of you, you've GOT to have the discipline to throw it away and live to play the next hand.

My only complaint with the book was that it didn't really go into much detail about the PSYCHOLOGY of poker, especially how to deal with an extended string of bad beats...the book makes it seem as though if you follow its advice to the letter, you'll automatically be a winning low-limit hold'em player, and all you've got to do is sit back and watch your chip stack grow. I wish it were that simple; alas, the poker gods will often strike you with weeks upon weeks of bad cards, and unless you can master your emotions ALONG with your playing strategy, you're in for some gloomy days -- admittedly, though, this is perhaps an advanced topic, and that's when you should look into Sklansky's books.

As Jones suggests, some of the online cardrooms are GREAT places to practice some of his tactics, since there are so many loose-passive games to be found, especially at places like Party Poker. Check it out, and if you sign up, use the bonus code "Bonus416" when you sign up, and you'll get $25 of free money just for making your first deposit. Can't beat that! That code is only good for June through the end of August 2004, so hurry. Good luck to all.

Beginner

An excellent book for hold'em beginners, primarily because it teaches you which hands to immediately muck before the flop (which will give you a mathematical advantage versus almost any typical hold'em player). The post flop advice is a mix of good, marginal, and bad, and there is zero advice for shorthanded or head-up situations... read Ciaffone and Brier's "Middle Limit Holdem" and/or Sklansky and Malmuth's "Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players" as an excellent followup.

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