– Customer review on 28/02/2007

When I was a relative new-comer to the hold 'em scene I was your typical player who thought it was all about the luck of your hand, bluffing, and experience that helped you read your opponents and the exact cards they had. Personally, I avoided buying poker books as I thought they would all be like your usual 'self-improvement' or 'how-to' books that are big on generalisations and basics, and little on good, relevant information about the actual topic. I thought that most poker books would be very basic showing hand rankings and describe how to play the game.

I was wrong. This book describes in depth - starting requirements, playing styles, betting strategies, pre-flop situations, post-flop situations, pot odds, and bluffing. It makes you realise there are other factors involved in a hand, not just your own cards.

The book is extremely well laid out. Each chapter goes over the basics, then more advanced material. At the end of each chapter are problems, mostly from real hands played, that challenge your comprehension of what to do at the tournament table, and starts making you think about how to play out a hand, whether or not the player has actually made the right move. Each problem has a diagram of the table, chip counts for each player, your knowledge of the opponents and even irrelevant information. A big part of the decision-making process is recognising and ignoring the irrelevant information. In addition, it brings you into Harrington's thought process and strategy, and how he compares all the factors and makes a recommendation.

The book also addresses the relative merits of various playing styles, how to play against each type of opponent, and even choosing one for yourself. It's very logical, as to win at this game you need to know how to play against all types of players, their tendencies, and what they are most likely to do in a given situation.

What I like about Dan Harrington is that he seems to be very open minded about poker strategy. He acknowledges that there are many styles of play and more than one correct action. However, there are basic rules and fundamentals you need to stick to regardless of your overall strategy to avoid losing out.

From my perspective, this isn't a book that should be read, it needs to be studied several times.

– Customer review on 25/08/2009

An excellent book that has something for both beginners and advanced players. The examples presented and the stories that accompany topics are top notch.

– Customer review on 04/05/2009

Excellent book, highly recommended for the serious student wanting to learning more about the game and how to move up the ranks

– Customer review on 03/05/2007

There’s a reason this guy made 2 straight World Series of Poker final tables (a feat most people rank as one of the most impressive in modern poker history – even more impressive than Johnny Chan’s back to back victories, because Harrington competed against a field of thousands each year.) He knows his stuff cold.

I had always been an above average fixed-limit hold’em player, but was the first to admit that I was absolutely CLUELESS when it came to no-limit (and no-limit tournaments). Harrington, however, explains VERY clearly how to approach the early and middle stages of NL tournaments (the 2nd volume to be released later this year will cover the late stages – I can’t wait). This book helped my tournament play more than ANY other book or friendly conversation I’ve ever had. I started off tackling the low-limit online sit and go NL tournies, and ended up in the money (top 3 out of 10) around 50% of the time. The examples from his book are priceless – taken from actual tournaments he has played in – and he always, always takes time to explain how his read on a player affected his decision. By FAR the best section, in my opinion, was the authors’ discussion of when to call what you suspect might be an opponent’s bluff. That’s probably the situation that gives me the most trouble, but Harrington clearly and explicitly discusses the considerations that you should run through, including assigning specific probabilities to the possibility that you’re facing a stone-cold bluff; it was utterly invaluable.

Perhaps what I appreciated most was that unlike nearly every other book I have read, Harrington doesn’t preach his style of play as the be all and end all. In fact, several times he goes out of his way to note that there are a number of different styles that could be adopted – and even praises many of his peers as masters of a looser/aggressive styles than he’s comfortable with. Whereas other books I have found leave you pretty much stranded if you don’t agree with something the author writes, Harrington explains the THOUGHT PROCESS so clearly that should you choose to deviate from his strategy, you have a good idea just how to do that.

Take all of my feedback with a grain of salt, because I really have stuck mostly to online tournaments, but I’m sure that his advice applies expertly to live casino tournies as well. Personally, I like online play better – I was a little hesitant at first, but after taking the plunge, I don’t understand what all the worry is about. Read some site reviews and get sign-up bonus codes at POKERCROAKER.com that will help you pick which poker site to try. Overall, I’m extraordinarily happy with this book, and eagerly look forward to the 2nd volume.

– Customer review on 11/03/2010

This book is the first installment in the authors’ excellent three volume ‘Harrington on Hold ‘em’ Tournaments series. Entitled ‘Strategic Play’, Vol. 1 provides an excellent reference on the early stages of tournaments and how to operate within them. The book is divided into seven parts: the game of No Limit; playing styles and starting requirements; reading the table; pot odds and hand analysis; betting before the flop; betting after the flop; and betting on fourth and fifth street. The authors have provided an easy-to-read, logical and interesting discussion on contemporary tournament play. There are many work-through problems and quizzes to help your learning of the concepts and tactics discussed. Harrington is known for his very conservative strategy, but for the beginner this advice to essential to stay out of trouble and stay in the action. There are a number of tournament specific elements that are not found anywhere else in print. When published, this book helped revolutionise the game, and it still is relevant today. The authors are professional, world-class players and have written an outstanding book. Take the time to buy, read and learn from this book. It is essential reading and a ‘must buy’ for any poker player, whatever your level or style of play.