Anonymous says:

I thought this book was pretty good. The strategies in no limit and pot limit differ greatly between those employed by limit poker players. Therefore, if you want to play big bet poker..you need to break away from all of the mainstream stuff. Thisone is as good as any.
Rating: 5 / 5

2DollarBets says:

I’d posted this review before but it is no longer available for some reason. I’ve received MANY thanks via email from people who chose not to buy the bookand agreed with my advice. I’ve received a few responses saying I’m wrong. Havign played much more since I origianally wrote it, I decided to review it and see if perhaps I was wrong before. Nope. I stand by every word of it. There is of course MUCH more to the game than what I’ve posted here. This is just a basic response to the bad advice in this book… my actual game functions at a much higher level. I’m making more money than I’m losing, and enjoying playing at the same time. Here’s the original review:

I’ve been playing no limit Texas Hold ‘em online and have found a fairly successfull system, by applying what I knew about limit Hold ‘em. I thought this book would help to take my no-limit game to the next level. After reading the little bit that it offers on Hold ‘em, I am so angry about the type of advise that they give, that I could SPIT! I hate to think how much money this book has cost people who’ve followed its advise.

For example, they suggest that you shouldn’t be afraid to bet or raise J-J-3 when you have no outs. What!? RAISE against a pair you can’t beat, let alone the possible trips and full house that are out there? The only time this is advisable is if you are on the button and everyone else ahead of you has checked. Even then, you maybe be getting slow played. Beware the pair!

As for slow playing, this book says if you have a great hand, don’t do it! It says your objective is to win as much of the opponents stack as possible, so start betting outright. Wrong! From my experience, Betting even a modest bet at a scary flop in no limit is enough to scare people off and they fold if they’ve hit nothing or don’t have top pair. I say check and let the opponent try to BLUFF YOU out. Just call their bet as if you’re waiting for something else. They may bet even bigger on the next street to try to get you out. Call again. If they don’t bet there and you’re after them, THEN you bet, but make it enough that they’ll stay with you. Then on the river, if you’re first, go all in. If they bet or check to you, raise them all in. The only time you vary this is if if looks like allowing them to continue will bring a hand that will beat you. It’s pretty safe to let them stay if you have a high pocket pair and one on the board to make trips. But if you see a threat of a str8 or a flush out there, then bet big so they can not make their hand. I’ve found this type of slow play to be VERY lucrative on those hands. Betting out only makes the other players fold. This book assumes people stay and bluff and chase draws more often than they do!

Surprisingly, the book also suggests that you go all in on draws to make the other players think twice about continuing with their hand. It says “At Hold ‘em, unless it is some kind of freak hand, the player’s money is going to hyave to go in when he is a sustansial underdog” (p. 71). HELLO!?!? In this situation, YOU are the one that needs help. The opponent may already be beating you with even the lowest pair on the board. Granted, they’d probably fold that. But they may have top pair, two pair, pockets for trips, or be one card to a nut flush and they’re going to call you! You might get away with going all in like this once or twice. But it doesn’t matter. The one time you do it and get called and lose because you hadn’t made a hand before doing it, ALL of your money is gone!!!

Here’s another bit of BAD advise: “If the opponent chooses to raise you on the flop, you come back over the top and set him all-in. His position would now be worthless and you would have two cards to come if he called, giving you a fine chance to make your draw” (p. 73). He is talking about the action you should take if you’re on a draw! If your opponent just RAISED you, he is most often telling you you’re beat. LISTEN TO HIM!!! FOLD! He has probably already made a hand. (You can’t continue to fold if he does this to you repeatedly, because then he’s bluffing. So know your opponent.)

First of all, DON’T buy this book for advise on no-limit Hold ‘em. If you do, and if you play by the advise contained in its pages, then you come play me! You can find me at Pokerroom.com on most nights playing at the unlimitted Hold ‘em tables. My screen name there is 2DollarBets. I’ll be happy to let you raise against my trips or full house… and I’ll be happy to see your all in on a drawing hand when I have my top pair. And if you want to go all in after I’ve raised you, thus TELLING you you’re beat at this point in the game, then by all means look me up!

If you’re starting out, get a different book. Get one that talks about pot odds and what you should to preflop, flop, turn and river. When to bluff, depending on your position and what others have done, when to FOLD. By the way, I’ve found that FOLDING when you’re supposed to is the best way to make money playing no limit. Don’t be bullied, but don’t be dumb! Slow play those high pockets and especially trips and better, UNLESS no one else is doing the betting for you. And don’t bet too much into higher threats on the board because someone is likely to have that hand. And beware the pair!

Anyone who wrote a positive review on this book concerning Hold ‘em, was either paid, works for the book or the publisher, or doesn’t understand the game.

Have an opinion on what I had to say? You can tell me so at ESW325@aol.com.
Rating: 1 / 5

Anonymous says:

This book gives great information on big bet poker and will need to be read and re-read in order for it all to sink in. Though the tournament discussion is limited, the big bet ring game information is plentiful. Reuben and Ciaffone are old school but they definitely know big bet poker.
Rating: 4 / 5