No Limit Hold 'em

by Sklansky, David

• ISBN13: 9781880685372
• ISBN10: 188068537X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-30
• Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub

Summary

No limit hold 'em is exploding in popularity. Before 2000, it could be difficult to find a game. In 2006, it is played everywhere - in casino cardrooms, in backrooms and homes, and on the Internet.

Table of Contents

About David Sklansky	vii
About Ed Miller	ix
Introduction	1	(4)
About This Book by David Sklansky	5	(2)
Some Notes About the Examples	7	(2)
Part One: Fundamentals	9	(232)
The Skills for Success	11	(6)
Manipulating the Pot Size	12	(1)
Adjusting Correctly to Stack Sizes	13	(1)
Winning the Battle of Mistakes	14	(1)
Reading Hands	15	(1)
Manipulating Opponents into Playing Badly	15	(1)
From Skills to Success	16	(1)
No Limit and the Fundamental Theorem of Poker	17	(4)
Thinking In Terms of Expectation - Playing the Nuts on the River	21	(4)
Final Thoughts	23	(2)
The Pot Size Philosophy	25	(3)
The Pot Size Philosophy — An Example	28	(5)
The Importance of Implied Odds	33	(7)
Imperfect Information and Implied Odds	35	(5)
Don't Justify Their Optimistic Calls	40	(5)
Final Thoughts	44	(1)
Bet-Sizing	45	(13)
The Basic Rule	45	(2)
When Your Opponent Could Have One of Several Draws	47	(1)
Don't Bet Too Much	48	(1)
How Big Do You Want Their Mistake to Be?	48	(3)
Expectation and Multiple Possible Hands	51	(2)
Don't Take Away Their Rope	53	(1)
Your Opponent Thinks He May Have the Best Hand	54	(1)
You Might Not Have the Best Hand	55	(1)
Final Thoughts	56	(2)
The Hammer of Future Bets	58	(3)
Final Thoughts	60	(1)
Bluff-Sizing	61	(5)
The Basic Rule	61	(2)
A Little More About Getting the Job Done	63	(1)
An Exception to the Basic Rule	63	(1)
When Bigger Bluff Sizes Will Fold More Hands	64	(2)
Bluffing on the Turn and River	66	(9)
An Example of the Play	66	(2)
Two Principles for Turn and River Bluffs	68	(6)
Save Enough on the Turn for a Credible River Bluff	69	(1)
Bet as Much as You Can on the Turn While Still Retaining a Credible River Bluff	70	(4)
Final Thoughts	74	(1)
Bet-Sizing for Information	75	(7)
Quantifying the Value of Information	76	(1)
Paying for Information	77	(2)
An Example	79	(1)
Another Opportunity to Gather Information	80	(1)
Final Thoughts	81	(1)
Playing the Nuts on the River — More Examples	82	(5)
Another Example	83	(1)
Two Other "Big Bet" Situations	84	(3)
Value Betting on the River	87	(4)
Final Thoughts	89	(2)
Absolute and Relative Position	91	(7)
Position and Hand Reading	93	(2)
The Corollary	95	(2)
Final Thoughts	97	(1)
Raising Before the Flop	98	(13)
Reasons to Raise	99	(11)
Raising for Value	100	(1)
Raising for Isolation	101	(2)
Raising to Steal the Blinds	103	(1)
Raising as a Semi-Bluff	104	(2)
Raising for Deception	106	(2)
Raising to Manipulate the Pot Size	108	(2)
Final Thoughts	110	(1)
Sizing Your Preflop Raises	111	(11)
Deep Stack Raise Sizing	112	(5)
Make Bigger Value Raises Against Straightforward Players	115	(1)
Make Bigger Raises Against Players Who Fold Too Much Postflop	115	(1)
Make Smaller Raises Against Players Who Call Too Much Postflop	116	(1)
Short Stack Raise Sizing	117	(4)
If You Want Action	117	(1)
If You Don't Want Action	118	(3)
Final Thoughts	121	(1)
A Preflop Strategy	122	(9)
No Limit Hand Values	123	(2)
Bread and Butter Hands	124	(1)
Often Playable Hands	124	(1)
Sometimes Playable Hands	125	(1)
Rarely Playable Hands	125	(1)
The Strategy	125	(5)
You are First to Enter the Pot	127	(1)
Exactly One Player Has Limped in Front of You	128	(1)
Two or More Players Have Limped in Front of You	128	(1)
Someone Has Opened for a Raise, No Callers Yet	129	(1)
Someone Has Opened for a Raise, One or More Callers	129	(1)
Someone Has Opened for a Raise, and Another Player Reraised	129	(1)
From the Blinds	130	(1)
Final Thoughts	130	(1)
Adjusting to Stack Sizes — An Example	131	(4)
The Effect of Stack Size	133	(1)
Final Thoughts	134	(1)
Blocking Bets	135	(8)
Blocking on the River	138	(2)
Downsides to the Blocking Bet	140	(1)
Defending Against the Blocking Bet	141	(1)
Final Thoughts	142	(1)
The Call Bluff	143	(5)
Defending Against the Call Bluff	146	(1)
Final Thoughts	147	(1)
Check-Raising	148	(6)
Don't Do It Just Because You Can	148	(1)
When to Check-Raise	149	(3)
Final Thoughts	152	(2)
Betting Yourself Off a Hand	154	(4)
Bluffing With a Fairly Good Hand	158	(5)
A Wrench in the Works	160	(1)
Another Angle	161	(1)
Final Thoughts	162	(1)
Playing Strong Draws on the Flop	163	(5)
Final Thoughts	167	(1)
Multiple Level Thinking	168	(8)
When Shallow Thinking is Best	170	(1)
When You Need to Think More Deeply	171	(3)
Final Thoughts	174	(2)
Swapping Mistakes	176	(7)
You Can't Win Them All	179	(1)
Be Vigilant	180	(3)
Adjusting to Loose Games and Players	183	(8)
The Adjustments	185	(5)
Loosen Up	186	(1)
Big Preflop Pots for Big Pairs	187	(2)
Value Bet Top Pair	189	(1)
Bluff Less Often	189	(1)
Final Thoughts	190	(1)
Adjusting to Weak Tight Games	191	(8)
Defining the Game	191	(3)
The Adjustments	194	(4)
Final Thoughts	198	(1)
The Advantage to Being Short Stacked	199	(7)
Definition of a Short Stack	199	(1)
Dispelling the Myths	199	(1)
The Advantages	200	(2)
Why Play Deep Then?	202	(1)
When Should You Play Short?	203	(1)
Playing a Short Stack	204	(1)
Final Thoughts	205	(1)
Calling Preflop All-in Raises	206	(8)
Some Qualifications	211	(2)
Final Thoughts	213	(1)
The Sklansky-Chubukov Rankings	214	(8)
Final Thoughts	221	(1)
When to (and When Not to) Use the Sklansky-Chubukov Rankings	222	(6)
Adjusting for an Ante	222	(1)
The Best Hands for Moving In	223	(1)
An Exception to Moving In	224	(1)
Moving In With "Too Many" Chips	225	(1)
Moving In May Not Be Best with Hands that Play Well	226	(2)
Some Preflop Heads-Up All-In Matchups	228	(3)
Final Thoughts	230	(1)
Manipulating Your Opponents	231	(7)
Get Pigeonholed	231	(2)
Make Obvious Errors to Induce Costly Errors	233	(4)
Final Thoughts	237	(1)
Tells	238	(3)
It's OK to Pretend	238	(1)
Think	238	(1)
Throw Off Fake Tells	239	(1)
Be Aware	239	(1)
Spotting and Using a Tell	240	(1)
Part Two: Concepts and Weapons	241	(56)
Quick Comment	243	(1)
The Concepts	244	(53)
Conclusion	297	(2)
The Sklansky-Chubukov Rankings	299	(12)
Index	311