Hold'em Excellence : From Beginner to Winner

by Krieger, Lou

• ISBN13: 9781886070141
• ISBN10: 1886070148
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-01
• Publisher: Conjelco

Author Biography

Lou Krieger learned poker at the tender age of seven, while standing at his father's side during the weekly Thursday night game held at the Krieger kitchen table in the blue-collar Brooklyn neighborhood where they resided. Always adept at sports and games, Lou's natural abilities enabled him to keep his head above water during the high school and college poker games he frequently played in. But it wasn't until his first visit to Las Vegas that Lou took poker seriously. "I didn't like Las Vegas at first. Blackjack was boring, and I knew the odds were against the players shooting dice or playing any of the other table games. Then I discovered a poker table tucked into a small corner of the Desert Inn where we were staying. I bought into a low-limit seven-card stud game and managed - with a good deal of luck - to break even. While playing stud, I noticed out of the corner of my eye another game that looked to be a lot more fun. It was Texas hold'em. "I left the stud game, watched the hold'em game for about thirty minutes, and sat down to play. One hour and $100 later, I was hooked. I didn't mind losing. It was the first time I played the game. I expected to lose. But I didn't like feeling like a dummy, so I bought every book on poker I could find. "I studied. I played. I studied and played some more. Before long I was playing and winning regularly, and I haven't had a losing year since I began keeping records." In the early '90s Lou Krieger began writing a column called On Strategy for Card Player. Aimed squarely at hold'em players, the column is chock full of advice for beginners, low-limit, and even experienced mid-limit hold'em players. When not writing about poker, Lou - who resides in Long Beach - can be found playing Texas hold'em in the card casinos of Southern California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents	iii
Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	xi
You Can Learn to Play a Top-Notch Game of Texas Hold'em	xi
Poker Skills Can be Taught --- and Learned	xi
Preface	xv
Public Poker	1	(9)
Playing in a Casino	1	(1)
Table Stakes --- Cards Speak	2	(3)
How to Get in a Game	5	(1)
What Will Your Opponents Be Like?	6	(1)
Casual Recreational Players	6	(1)
Cardroom Regulars	6	(1)
Professionals	7	(1)
Proposition Players	7	(1)
Public Poker Is Different Than Home Games	8	(2)
The Game of Texas Hold'em	10	(3)
Why Play Hold'em?	10	(1)
If You've Never Played Hold'em Before	10	(2)
Continuous Improvement is the Key	12	(1)
Essential Strategic Considerations	13	(12)
First Learn the Basics	13	(1)
Don't Get Discouraged. Even Big-Time Pros Make Mistakes	14	(2)
You Have to Know Your Opponents	16	(2)
Strategy and Situational Dependency	18	(1)
Preparing to Win	18	(1)
Be Responsible for Yourself	18	(1)
If the Shoe Fits, Steal It!	19	(1)
Build Relationships You Can Trust	19	(1)
Ask the Right Questions	19	(1)
Dealing With Luck	20	(1)
A Lifetime of Poker	21	(1)
A Little Probability	21	(1)
How Many Bad Players Does it Take to Make a Good Game?	22	(1)
Game Selection is Critical	22	(3)
The First Two Cards: Play Before the Flop	25	(14)
The Most Important Decision You'll Make	25	(1)
Some Decisions Are More Important Than Others	25	(1)
Poker's Essential Decision	26	(1)
Playing a Big Pair With a Raise in Front of You	26	(1)
Jackpot Games Can be Different	27	(1)
How to Play Your Starting Cards	27	(2)
Sklansky's Card Rankings	29	(1)
Modifying Your Strategy in Early Position	29	(1)
Be Selective	30	(1)
Be Aggressive!	30	(1)
Complex Situations in Early Position	30	(1)
Playing Medium Pairs	31	(1)
Playing Smaller Pairs	32	(1)
Disadvantages of Early Position	33	(1)
Good Early Position Hands	33	(1)
Middle-Position Play and Late-Position Play	34	(1)
Thinking About Your Opponent's Hand	35	(1)
Playing Small Pairs in Late Position	36	(1)
Playing Big Pairs	36	(1)
Playing a Big Pair Against Many Opponents	37	(1)
How to Play Smaller Connectors	37	(1)
Selectivity---The Key to Preflop Play	38	(1)
Power Ratings	39	(5)
Playing the Blinds	44	(4)
When the Pot Has Not Been Raised	44	(1)
Holding a Big Hand in the Blind	44	(1)
Marginal Hands in the Blind	45	(1)
Considerations in the Small Blind	46	(1)
Raising in the Small Blind	47	(1)
Summary	47	(1)
Playing Big Slick	48	(5)
Big Slick	48	(1)
Is Conventional Wisdom Correct?	48	(1)
What About Limping In With A-K?	49	(1)
Reasons to Raise With Big Slick	50	(1)
How Should You Play Big Slick?	51	(2)
Playing the Flop	53	(11)
The Flop: A Defining Moment	53	(1)
Flops You're Going to Love	54	(2)
Terrific Flops	56	(1)
Flopping Three-of-a-Kind	56	(1)
Good Flops	57	(1)
Dangerous Flops	58	(2)
Overcards	60	(1)
Flopping a Draw	60	(2)
Multiway Possibilities	62	(1)
Summary	63	(1)
The Turn	64	(9)
What to Do When You Improve	64	(2)
When You Don't Improve	66	(1)
Should I Continue With My Draw?	67	(2)
Should I Check-raise or Should I Lead?	69	(1)
Bluffing On the Turn	70	(2)
Summary	72	(1)
The River	73	(12)
Realized Versus Potential Value	73	(1)
What Should I Do if I Make My Draw?	73	(3)
Making Two Pair On the River	76	(1)
Top Pair On the River	77	(2)
Big Pots On the River	79	(1)
Overcalling On the River	80	(1)
Summary	81	(4)
Raising	85	(6)
Why Raise?	85	(1)
Raising to Get More Money in the Pot	85	(1)
Raising to Eliminate Opponents	86	(1)
Raising to Get a Free Card on a More Expensive Street	87	(1)
Raising to Define Your Hand	87	(1)
Raising to Prevent a Free Card	88	(2)
Summary	90	(1)
Analysis at the Table	91	(6)
I'm a Poker Player. How Much Thinking Does My Job Require?	91	(1)
Poker Requires a Reservoir of Know-How	92	(1)
Decision Making at the Table	92	(1)
Categorizing Your Opponents	93	(1)
Always be Aware of Pot Odds	94	(1)
Putting Your Opponents on Hands	94	(2)
Summary	96	(1)
But They Were Suited	97	(8)
How to Play in Jackpot Games	105	(4)
Does it Cost More to Play in a Jackpot Game?	105	(1)
Your Opponents Will Probably Play Much Looser	105	(1)
Making Adjustments	106	(1)
Limit the Field With Big Pairs	106	(1)
Good Draws are More Valuable	107	(1)
Expect Big Swings	107	(1)
Overcoming the Jackpot Drop	108	(1)
Starting Standards	109	(3)
All About Money Management	112	(4)
Money Management: What is it?	112	(1)
Does it Really Make Sense to Quit While You're Ahead?	113	(1)
What About Stop-Loss Limits?	113	(1)
All You Need to Know About Money Management	113	(1)
Game Selection and Money Management	114	(1)
Summary	114	(2)
A Wholly Unremarkable Hand	116	(3)
Big Hands and Big Payoffs	119	(3)
Mystery Chips	122	(3)
Instant Excellence	125	(4)
Commit to it	125	(1)
Zero Tilt Factor	125	(1)
Do it Now!	126	(1)
It's All or Nothing	127	(2)
Poker Mastery in Minutes	129	(3)
Cards and Cultures	132	(3)
The Desperate Hours	135	(3)
Computers and Hold'em	138	(5)
How Well Does Poker Software Play?	138	(1)
Surfing the Internet for Poker Information	139	(1)
Practicing Poker With Your Computer	140	(1)
Turbo Texas Hold'em: State of the Art Software	140	(1)
How To Improve the State of the Art	141	(1)
The Internet Casino: A 21st Century Phenomenon	141	(2)
Are You Ready to Play Professionally?	143	(5)
The Thinnest of Lines	148	(4)
For the Record	152	(7)
Keeping Records	152	(1)
What Kind of Records Should I Keep?	152	(2)
How Does the Standard Deviation Work?	154	(1)
How to Calculate the Standard Deviation	154	(2)
Using the Standard Deviation to Analyze Poker Results	156	(1)
Life on the Edge: What's My Risk Tolerance?	157	(1)
How Should You Balance Your Win Rate Against the Standard Deviation?	158	(1)
Keeping Up With Record Keeping	158	(1)
How Lessons From Poker Apply to Everyday Life	159	(4)
Be Selective, But Be Aggressive	159	(1)
Always Observe Your Opponents	159	(1)
Do the Pot Odds Offset the Odds Against Making Your Hand?	160	(1)
Have a Plan	160	(1)
Do You Have an Out?	161	(2)
Where Do You Go From Here	163	(6)
Basic Reading For All Players	163	(1)
For Stud Players	164	(1)
For Hold'em Players	164	(1)
For All Players	164	(5)
Index	169	(5)
About the Author	174	(1)
About the Publisher	175	(1)
The Lou Krieger Start Chart	176