# I'm looking for information on Texas Hold 'Em **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264 "2005-02-15T21:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/1 "2005-02-15T21:58:52Z")
The title pretty much says it. I’m looking for one or more good books or web sites on Texas Hold 'Em. I’m familiar with poker, but pretty new to Hold 'Em. I’ve played it twice now with friends (10 people, $25 buy in per game). The first lesson cost me $50 and I never won a hand. A friend was paying attention to my hands and did say that I had incredibly bad luck. The second time I felt like I got a bit more out of it. I finished 5th and 4th in the two games we played. Still, I could tell there was a big difference between my skill and that of a few of the players. Some of it will be practice and reading people, but I think some of it is just plain knowledge of the game. I would like to brush up since we are talking about going to a casino to play at a $2/4 table. I do realize that the game differs between $2/4 and no limit play, but at this point I think basics would help me. I don’t mind buying books, so if you think several are needed for complete information, that’s fine. I know there have been some Hold 'Em threads, but I couldn’t find one that recommended anything specifically on game play, just books about tells. Any recommendations for a good home PC game would be appreciated too. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/2 "2005-02-15T23:13:15Z")
Winning Low-Linmit Hold 'em by Lee Jones comes highly recommended although I haven’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/3 "2005-02-15T23:24:14Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Winning Low-Linmit Hold 'em by Lee Jones comes highly recommended although I haven’t read it. I have read it and it’s what got me started. It’s a great book. Having read that book first saved me countless dollars and hours of frustration. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/4 "2005-02-16T00:14:59Z")
I’d say The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky and Super System by Doyle Brunson. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/5 "2005-02-16T01:19:17Z")
My husband and I have registered with [www.pokerroom.com](http://www.pokerroom.com) - we both played there last night, and it was fun. I lost about $350, and Jim won around $78. My handle there is featherlou (surprisingly enough) and Jim’s is calgaryjimbo. We were in the play money tables - there are also real money games. We won’t be going there for a long time. It’s good practical experience with no risk. You wanna make a date to play some poker with my husband and I? How about tomorrow (Wednesday) night? Anyone else wanna come play? We can take over a whole room of ten players. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/6 "2005-02-16T02:42:55Z")
I also got started on Lee Jones’ book. It certainly doesn’t teach you everything you need to know, but it is a good introduction to limit. For no-limit tournament play I recommend _No-Limit Texas Hold’em: The New Player’s Guide to Winning Poker’s Biggest Game_ by Tom McEvoy and Brad Daugherty. It goes through the fundamentals and then challenges the reader with tons of sample hands. They cover many common situations and types of opponents you are likely to encounter. It is a good refresher even for experienced players. I’m not sure I would read _Theory of Poker_ or _Super/System_ first. They are a bit advanced for someone who hasn’t played much. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/7 "2005-02-16T03:41:47Z")
**Lou** , you might want to talk to **x-ray vision** about it, but a number of dopers (myself and **Otto** included) are just beginning play in a [Thursday night game in pokerroom](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300208), and if there’s spots open (last week there were. Even if we counted Otto, who was unfortunately on a different server than the rest of us), I’m sure you’d be welcome. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/8 "2005-02-16T04:06:53Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > I’d say The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky and Super System by Doyle Brunson. Sklansky’s bood is a bit advanced. Super System is a must for a complete poker library but is very out of date. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/9 "2005-02-16T04:59:19Z")
Okay, poker night is Thursday. Cool. I might even get good enough to stop losing so much at some point. 😃 What I read in the other thread is way confusing, though. I may need a tutorial - not on the poker, but how to get in on the Straight Dope Texas Hold 'Em game. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/10 "2005-02-16T12:26:21Z")
We abandoned most of the confusion in the post. Simply put, pokerroom has a strange way of automatically playing blinds. So we were looking for convoluted ways to make it more realistic, but then realized it doesn’t detract in any great way from playing, so we just play by their rules. Once the games started last week, there was none of the confusion that the thread would imply. Just play. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/11 "2005-02-16T14:13:20Z")
I wouldn’t just “start playing” because you will most likely become accustomed to playing too many starting hands and find it disappointingly slow if you ever decide to become a winning player. I would find a good starting hand chart. The best one is easily Matt Hilger’s in “Internet Texas Hold’em.” Shoot me an email and I’ll send you a PDF copy. His forums are also pretty good and so is his book: > **[Homepage](https://www.internettexasholdem.com/)** > > Internet Texas Holdem offers free poker strategy advice, articles, and discussion forum! For now, play the starting hands religiously and learn how to read the board for the best possible hand ([http://www.poker-beginner.com/readtheboard.htm](http://www.poker-beginner.com/readtheboard.htm)). You can break the rules on starting hands once you’ve learned something. The great thing about rote starting hands, besides making more/losing less money, is that you can concentrate your time on learning post-flop play. I read Sklansky’s “Hold em for Advanced Players” first but don’t recommend it because he doesn’t always explain why plays are good or bad. Later you’ll be able to figure out what he means, but not as a rank beginner. Besides the the forum/site I linked to above, be sure to check out the 2+2 forums; they are the best on the web: [http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/ubbthreads.php?Cat=](http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/ubbthreads.php?Cat=) There is a software prog called Texas Turbo Hold’em that I recommend - it is designed towards people trying to improve their game. Do a search. Be sure to take advantage of the best account opening bonuses because there are some great ones. They are monitored here: [http://www.talkingpoker.com/](http://www.talkingpoker.com/) I’ve got a huge bookmark file on hold’em. A quick google search will net you the same. Here is a site on really basic strategy: [http://www.lowlimitholdem.com/](http://www.lowlimitholdem.com/) Good luck and ask questions. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/12 "2005-02-16T15:05:59Z")
I started with the aforementioned Lee Jones book. From there, I went on to read _Theory of Poker_ by Sklansky. Horribly organized and a bit dry to read, but the information is well worth it. On top of either of those, my first pick now would be the recently released _Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big with Expert Play_ by Sklansky, Miller, and Malmuth. It talks about playing low limit games and adjusting your play against folks who lack basic poker skills and play ‘no fold’em hold’em’. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/13 "2005-02-16T15:07:29Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > **Lou** , you might want to talk to **x-ray vision** about it, but a number of dopers (myself and **Otto** included) are just beginning play in a [Thursday night game in pokerroom](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300208), and if there’s spots open (last week there were. Even if we counted Otto, who was unfortunately on a different server than the rest of us), I’m sure you’d be welcome. Hijack warning: On [pokerroom.com](http://pokerroom.com) if you are on a different server, just log off and log back on, it will usually put you on a different server. Me and a buddy were trying to find each other, and the rooms he saw in his lobby were totally different. He logged off and logged back on, and we had the same rooms (same server). It’s maddening, you can do a search for a player and it says ther are online then peek in every room and never find them. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/14 "2005-02-16T15:29:13Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > We abandoned most of the confusion in the post. Simply put, pokerroom has a strange way of automatically playing blinds. So we were looking for convoluted ways to make it more realistic, but then realized it doesn’t detract in any great way from playing, so we just play by their rules. Once the games started last week, there was none of the confusion that the thread would imply. Just play. Here’s what I understand so far: Go to [pokerroom.com](http://pokerroom.com) Click on “Texas Hold’Em - Omaha” Click on “Private Tables” tab Look for table called “Straight Dope” Am I headed in the right direction? ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/15 "2005-02-16T16:16:46Z")
Thanks for all of the replies everyone! I was worried this post was in the wrong place or something and it would fade into obscurity. I was thinking about buying the Super System book by Brunson, but now I think I might wait a bit on that one. I’ll have to sift through these posts again and find the selections at Amazon to decide what to start with. > [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > I wouldn’t just “start playing” because you will most likely become accustomed to playing too many starting hands and find it disappointingly slow if you ever decide to become a winning player. I guess it’s too late, since I have already played. 😉 I’m not too worried about this though, as I’m pretty conservative when it comes to cards. I’m more worried about not being aggressive enough. > [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Shoot me an email and I’ll send you a PDF copy. Done. > [@featherlou](#): > > You wanna make a date to play some poker with my husband and I? How about tomorrow (Wednesday) night? Anyone else wanna come play? We can take over a whole room of ten players. Thanks for the invite! This week isn’t looking good, but maybe I’ll shoot for next Thursday with the [sd.com](http://sd.com) bunch. I don’t mind losing some play money (although I hate losing in general). I’ll follow the Thursday night thread for that. If that doesn’t work out, maybe we can get something going there with you and your husband and me and my GF? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/16 "2005-02-16T17:01:31Z")
Sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/17 "2005-02-16T20:34:23Z")
**Lou** and **Rouge** : shoot **x-ray vision** an email to make sure there’s space. It hasn’t happened in the past two weeks, but if there’s more interest than one table’s worth, we’re gonna split up the players between two tables (as I understand the contingency). Also, get AIM. It’s better for the social interaction than the pokerroom in-game chat screen, and it allows us to coordinate when not at a table. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/18 "2005-02-16T20:52:22Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > **Lou** and **Rouge** : shoot **x-ray vision** an email to make sure there’s space. It hasn’t happened in the past two weeks, but if there’s more interest than one table’s worth, we’re gonna split up the players between two tables (as I understand the contingency). > > Also, get AIM. It’s better for the social interaction than the pokerroom in-game chat screen, and it allows us to coordinate when not at a table. AIM is a problem for me. I don’t allow AOL products on my computers. The last time I had AIM on a computer, it was a mini ad server. I’m sure when the time comes something can be figured out though. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/19 "2005-02-16T21:19:47Z")
[Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big with Expert Play by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth]([http://www.twoplustwo.com/books.html#Small](http://www.twoplustwo.com/books.html#Small) Stakes Hold’em) This book is geared especially for low stakes limit poker and to make the optimum return from it, considering your opponents and their tendancies at this level of play. An intermediate level read. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264/20 "2005-02-16T22:33:16Z")
This site has some tips and videos and reviews poker books and DVDs: [http://beta.pokerstreams.com/](http://beta.pokerstreams.com/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-looking-for-information-on-texas-hold-em/290264.md?page=2)