Quick And Easy Texas Hold ‘Em, by Neil D. Myers

In reading books about Texas Hold ‘Em, one gets the understanding that there are different kinds of games.  This particular book is aimed at someone who wishes to play Texas Hold ‘Em at low bid levels at casinos, someone who has some experience playing in private poker parties who wants to move up to the lower level ranks of casino gambling.  The author speaks as someone who has made a significant living as a poker player and who seeks to ensure that someone can earn money through sound play that mixes bluffs with a lot of position-based gambling.  The author assumes, rightly, I think, that the reader is interested in seriously improving their game and shows a fondness for complex closings and the sort of situation where there are three or more people contesting hands all the way to the river, which is something you tend to see in low-bid poker more than you see at the higher cost tables.  The author is even cautious about the need to avoid going on tilt and the need to control one’s bidding so that one ends up having fun and not engaging in problem gambling.

The book is about 200 pages long and begins with acknowledgements and an introduction that states who this book is for and what it is meant to do.  After that the author begins with some basic concepts (I), including chapters on why one should play Texas Hold ‘Em, an explanation of the low-limit cash game, and some basics on the nature of play in Texas Hold ‘Em.  After that the author focuses on ways for the reader to win hands from deal to showdown (II),  starting with some key concepts on how to profit from the mistakes of others, pre-flop play based on position, and playing on the flop based on how the cards turn out, with smaller chapters on playing on the turn and the river.  After this the author writes some on reading the game and the opponents (III), looking at game selection as well as the identification of player types.  The book then concludes with a discussion of various miscellaneous concepts, including chapters on unusual formats, money, and other tidbits as well as moving up to bigger games and some books suggested for further study on the understanding of poker as a whole, along with a glossary, index, and information about the author.

All in all this is a very good book.  It has a narrow purpose, an author with credibility, and a great deal to say about the psychology of different games.  As someone whose poker playing tends to be in private but generally serious poker parties, I found this book dealt pretty well with the sort of low-cost, low-stakes games that I play where people end up being calling stations which keeps bluffing down and where it is important that the cards speak and not people.  The author does a good job as well in urging players to maintain a strong sense of etiquette where life is made easier for everyone else and where a friendly atmosphere is maintained that is fun for everyone involved. The author also talks about a phenomenon that one sees at casinos, and that is the fact that sometimes the casino hires people to play poker, either with their own money or with house money, as a way of ensuring that the games go on and that there is enough action.  I find this to be interesting, as there are different attitudes towards professional gamblers depending on where one goes to gamble, which is good to know.