«Harrington on Hold’em», Volume 1, Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie

Description

«Harrington on Hold’em». Volume 1: Strategic Play

Dan Harrington, author of the classic three-volume series «Harrington on Hold’em», is one of the most experienced tournament poker players. Dan Harrington’s achievements are truly unique. He entered the World Series of Poker Main Event thirteen times, reaching the final table four times. In addition to winning the World Championship in 1995, he finished third in 2003 and fourth in 2004. After his most recent final-table appearance, Dan Harrington coauthored this book with Bill Robertie, immediately causing a stir in the poker world. On the leading gaming website twoplustwo.com, «Harrington on Hold’em» held leading positions in the popularity rankings for over a year.

This book is rightly considered the best modern textbook on tournament no-limit hold’em. Many poker professionals acknowledge that reading Harrington’s book contributed greatly to their success.

The first volume describes the general principles and basic concepts of no-limit hold’em: playing styles, reading the table, hand analysis, and betting before the flop, on the flop, on the turn, and on the river. The emphasis here is on play in the early stages of a tournament.

Contents

About Dan Harrington ……………………………………………………… 7
About Bill Robertie ……………………………………………………………. 8

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………….. 9
Structure of the Book …………………………………………………………….10
Hands ……………………………………………………………………………12
Brief Glossary …………………………………………………………14

Part 1: Playing No-Limit Hold’em

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 18
The Cadillac of Poker …………………………………………………………… 19
Availability of Information …………………………………………….. 20
Analyzing Pot Odds ……………………………………………………. 21
What Is a Hand? …………………………………………………………….. 23
The Elements of a Hand …………………………………………………….. 24
A Sample Hand ……………………………………………… 30
The Hidden Luck Factor in No-Limit Hold’em ……………… 39

Part 2: Playing Styles and Starting Requirements

Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 42
Style 1: The Conservative Approach ………………………………… 43
Starting Requirements
for Conservative Play ………………………………………………… 44
Style 2: The Aggressive Approach ……………………………………… 46
Style 3: The Super-Aggressive Approach ……………………………… 48
Origins of Aggressive Styles…………………………….. 50
The Art of Defense ………………………………………………………… 51
«The Hammer» ………………………………………………………………………. 52
«Rope-a-Dope» ……………………………………………………………… 53
The Showdown …………………………………………………………………….. 54
Tournament Tactics ……………………………………………… 55
Switching Styles ………………………………………………………………… 55
A Balanced Strategy ……………………………………….. 56
Tournament Types: A Brief Overview …………………………………….. 58
Major Live Tournaments ……………………………………………. 58
Low-Stakes Online
Multi-Table Tournaments……………………………………. 61
High-Stakes Online
Multi-Table Tournaments ………………………………….. 63
Online Single-Table Tournaments
with Player Turnover ………………………………………………………. 64
Live Single-Table Satellite Tournaments ………………. 66
Exercises ……………………………………………………………….. 67

Part 3: Reading the Table

Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 90
Body Language ……………………………………………………………….. 91
Observing Opponents’ Bets ………………………….. 93
Some Practical Tips for Beginners ……………. 94
Self-Control …………………………………………………………… 104
Exercises ……………………………………………………………… 111

Part 4: Analyzing Pot Odds and Hands

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 128
Analyzing a Poker Bet: Two Parts …………………………… 129
Pot Odds ……………………………………………………………. 130
Expressed Odds and Implied Odds …………………….. 131
Hand Analysis ……………………………………………………………….. 132
Some Standard Preflop
Winning Probabilities ………………………………………………….. 133
Counting Outs ……………………………………………………………… 135
Exercises ……………………………………………………………… 153

Part 5: Play Before the Flop

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 186
Basic Strategy………………………………………………………. 187
Who Is in the Pot? ……………………………………………………………… 189
Situation 1: No Players Have Entered the Pot Yet. ………………………….. 190
The Gap Concept and the Sandwich Effect ……………… 200
Situation 2: The Player in Third Position Opens
the Pot with a Bet of Three Times
the Big Blind. You Are in Fifth Position …………………….. 202
Situation 3: A Caller in Third Position.
You Are in Fifth Position ……………………………………………….. 204
Situation 4: You Are on the Dealer Button.
The Player in Third Position Raises
to Three Times the Big Blind,
and the Player in Fifth Position Reraises
to Nine Times the Big
Blind ……………………………………………………………………. 206
Situation 5: You Are on the Dealer Button.
Three Limpers Are Ahead of You ………………………………………… 207
Adjustments for Real-World Play ………………………. 208
Responding to a Raise Behind You ………………………….. 210
Entering the Pot by Limping ……………….. 215
The Squeeze Play: Using the Sandwich Effect ………….. 217
All-In Before the Flop …………………………………………………….. 220
Exercises ……………………………………………………………. 224

Part 6: Play After the Flop

Introduction ……………………………………………………………….. 280
Flop Texture ……………………………………………………… 280
Analyzing Flops for Typical Hands ……………………………. 284
Value Bets …………………………………………………… 290
Continuation Bets ……………………………………………… 291
Probe Bets …………………………………………………….. 296
More Complex Scenarios ………………………………………… 298
Good Play Before the Flop Compared
with Good Play After the Flop ………………………………….. 298
Exercises…………………………………………………………….. 299

Part 7: Play on Fourth and Fifth Streets

Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. 356
Playing to Win as Much Money as Possible………. 356
The Continuation Bet on Fourth Street ………………….. 360
Playing Drawing Hands……………………………………….. 361
Playing Against Drawing Hands ………………………………………. 363
When a Bad Card Arrives …………………………………….. 365
Don’t Make a Bet That Won’t Make You Money………. 365
All-In on Fourth and Fifth Streets …………………………. 367
Exercises ……………………………………………………………… 369
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………. 395
Index ………………………………………………………. 397