Harrington on Hold 'em
Encyclopedia
Harrington on Hold 'em is a series of poker books about poker strategy
, particularly for Texas hold 'em
poker tournament
s. They were all written by Dan Harrington
and Bill Robertie
and published by Two Plus Two Publishing
.
s, including one from the 1995 World Series of Poker
Main Event, and he has made it to four final tables in total at the World Series of Poker (in 1987, 1995, 2003, and 2004).
, and hand analysis. CardPlayer felt that Harrington, a former chess master
, wrote the book like a chess guide, noting, "He poses situations, asks the relevant questions, and then provides solutions. A simple diagram depicts position, blinds, and chip stacks, and then a specific challenge is articulated."
Volume 2: The Endgame (ISBN 978-1880685358) focuses on strategies used in poker tournaments, particularly on how to change playing styles depending on how large a chipstack is compared to the blinds. It also introduces related concepts such as the M-ratio
and the Q-ratio
.
Volume 3: The Workbook (ISBN 978-1880685365) is essentially a workbook containing many example scenarios for readers to apply concepts learned from the first two volumes in the series.
considers the series to be "required reading" for anyone interested in participating in high-stakes tournament poker. The level of play in major poker tournaments have gotten significantly tougher and more competitive since the release of the first book in the series, according to several experts on poker tournaments, including poker professional Blair Rodman
and Mason Malmuth
, the owner of the books' publishing company. Harrington himself is sometimes the victim of the strategies that he suggests in his books. In addition, players have thanked him afterward for teaching them the new moves. "I find people are using a lot of the techniques I wrote about in the books against me," said Harrington.
Poker strategy
Poker is a popular card game that combines elements of chance and strategy. There are various styles of poker, all of which share an objective of presenting the least probable or highest-scoring hand. A poker hand is a configuration of five cards, either held entirely by a player or drawn partly...
, particularly for Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
s. They were all written by Dan Harrington
Dan Harrington
Dan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...
and Bill Robertie
Bill Robertie
Bill Robertie is a backgammon, chess, and poker player and author. He is one of three backgammon players to have won the Monte Carlo World Backgammon Championship twice . Robertie also won the Pro-Am in the Bahamas in the year 1993 and the Istanbul World Cup in 1994. In chess, Robertie won the 1970...
and published by Two Plus Two Publishing
Two Plus Two Publishing
Two Plus Two Publishing is a private company established and owned by statistician and poker player Mason Malmuth. The company publishes books on poker and gambling written by professionals in the field such as David Sklansky, Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie, Collin Moshman, Ed Miller, Ray Zee, Sunny...
.
Background
The Harrington on Hold 'em series of books were written by Bill Robertie and Dan Harrington, a professional poker player who has earned over US$4.5 million during his poker career. He has won two World Series of Poker braceletWorld Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
s, including one from the 1995 World Series of Poker
1995 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
Main Event, and he has made it to four final tables in total at the World Series of Poker (in 1987, 1995, 2003, and 2004).
Synopsis
Volume 1: Strategic Play (ISBN 978-1880685334), which contains seven key sections, begins by introducing the reader to poker and its history, along with a glossary of poker terms. The book is not written for novices to the game, therefore it does not include some of the more basic information about the game, such as poker hands, the game's mechanics, betting, etc. This entry in the series focuses on the basics of poker, such as playing styles, starting hands, pot oddsPot odds
In poker, pot odds are the ratio of the current size of the pot to the cost of a contemplated call. Pot odds are often compared to the probability of winning a hand with a future card in order to estimate the call's expected value....
, and hand analysis. CardPlayer felt that Harrington, a former chess master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
, wrote the book like a chess guide, noting, "He poses situations, asks the relevant questions, and then provides solutions. A simple diagram depicts position, blinds, and chip stacks, and then a specific challenge is articulated."
Volume 2: The Endgame (ISBN 978-1880685358) focuses on strategies used in poker tournaments, particularly on how to change playing styles depending on how large a chipstack is compared to the blinds. It also introduces related concepts such as the M-ratio
M-ratio
In no-limit or pot-limit poker, a player's M-ratio is a measure of the health of his chip stack as a function of the cost to play each round. In simple terms, a player can sit passively in the game, making only compulsory bets, for M laps of the dealer button before running out of chips...
and the Q-ratio
Q-ratio
The Q-ratio is used in poker tournament strategy. It is also known as the "weak force." The Q-ratio describes the relation of the player's stack to the tournament players' average stack. A low Q-ratio — less than 1 — indicates a below-average chip stack, implying disadvantage against opponents...
.
Volume 3: The Workbook (ISBN 978-1880685365) is essentially a workbook containing many example scenarios for readers to apply concepts learned from the first two volumes in the series.
Reception
Greg Hill of the website Poker News noted that since Volume 1 does not include some of the more basic information about poker, it potentially discriminates against novice players and therefore could possibly be restricting the book's audience to a more limited audience. However, Hill noted that the book is "well written and well structured", making it easy to pick up the book and begin reading from any section of interest. Tim Peters of poker magazine CardPlayer felt that the books are essential in helping players prepare for poker tournaments. Jeff Haney of the Las Vegas SunLas Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
considers the series to be "required reading" for anyone interested in participating in high-stakes tournament poker. The level of play in major poker tournaments have gotten significantly tougher and more competitive since the release of the first book in the series, according to several experts on poker tournaments, including poker professional Blair Rodman
Blair Rodman
Blair Rodman is an American professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada.Rodman has been playing poker professionally since 1985, when he quit his job dealing craps....
and Mason Malmuth
Mason Malmuth
Mason Malmuth is an American poker player, and author of books on both poker and gambling. He is the owner of Two Plus Two Publishing, which publishes books and runs an online gambling discussion forum.Malmuth was born and grew up in Coral Gables, Florida...
, the owner of the books' publishing company. Harrington himself is sometimes the victim of the strategies that he suggests in his books. In addition, players have thanked him afterward for teaching them the new moves. "I find people are using a lot of the techniques I wrote about in the books against me," said Harrington.