Poker for dummies
Book - 2000
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
Foster City, CA :
IDG Books Worldwide
c2000.
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Other Authors
- Physical Description
- xxvi, 298 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Bibliography: p. 237-240.
Includes index. - ISBN
- 9780764552328
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Why You Need This Book
- What We Assume about You
- How to Use This Book
- How This Book Is Organized
- Icons Used in This Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Part I. How to Play the Games
- Chapter 1. Poker Basics
- Poker and the American Dream
- Where Did It All Come From?
- Poker is Good for You
- Before You Put on Your Poker Face
- Planning and discipline
- The object of the game
- Number of players
- The deck
- Poker chips
- The Basics of Play
- Hand Rankings
- Straight flush; royal flush
- Four-of-a-kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three-of-a-kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- No pair
- Low hands
- Betting
- Rules of the Road
- Going all-in
- The forbidden string-raise
- How to raise
- No splashing
- Protecting your hand; cards speak
- Table stakes
- Time out
- Decks and dealing
- The finer points: Etiquette
- What Will Your Opponents Be Like?
- Casual recreational players
- Cardroom regulars
- Professionals
- Proposition players
- Playing in a Casino
- How to get in a game
- Buying chips
- Shuffling and dealing
- How Casino Poker Differs from Home Games
- Tighter than home games
- Players are more selective
- Games are faster
- Chapter 2. Essential Strategic Considerations
- What Poker Is and Isn't
- We Were All Beginners Once
- Build a foundation first
- ... Then you can improvise
- Basic Poker Concepts
- Understand blinds and antes
- Know your opponents
- Prepare to win
- A Little Probability
- A short-term simulation
- A long-term simulation
- How many bad players does it take to make a good game?
- Some Poker Perspective
- Why some tactics are important in poker and others aren't
- Frequent decisions
- Costly decisions
- Decisions and subsequent actions
- Poker's single most important decision
- Starting standards
- Hand selectivity
- Be aggressive, but be selective
- Patience
- Position
- Coping When All Goes Wrong
- Gear down
- Narrow the target
- Chapter 3. Seven-Card Stud
- If You've Never Played Seven-Card Stud Poker
- A sample hand
- Antes, the Deal, and the Betting Structure
- Betting
- Raising
- Double bets
- Showdown
- Spread-limit games
- Know When to Hold 'em and Know When to Fold 'em
- What Kind of Hands Are Likely To Win?
- The Importance of Lives Cards
- The first three cards are critical
- Position
- Subsequent betting rounds
- Seven-Card Stud in Depth
- Starting hands
- Starting with three-of-a-kind
- Big pairs
- Small or medium pairs
- Playing a draw
- Beyond third street
- When all the cards have been dealt
- Chapter 4. Texas Hold'em
- Basic Rules
- Blind Bets
- Hold'em in General
- Hold'em only looks like Stud; it plays differently
- The first two cards are critical
- Position, position, and position
- The flop should fit your hand
- Beyond the flop
- Hold'em in Depth
- Small gaps make more straights
- Gapped cards
- Acting last is a big advantage
- Starting Hands
- The Art of Raising
- You've been raised
- When someone's raised after you've called
- When should you raise?
- Playing the Flop
- Fit or fold
- Flops you're going to love, flops to fold on
- Overcards
- Flopping a draw
- Multiway possibilities
- Playing the Turn
- What to do when you improve on the turn
- What to do when you don't improve on the turn
- Should you continue with a draw?
- Should you checkraise or come out betting?
- Bluffing on the turn
- Playing the River
- Realized versus potential value
- What do I do when I make my draw?
- Top pair on the river
- When the Pot Gets Big
- Chapter 5. Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better, High-Low Split (Seven-Stud/8)
- If You've Never Played Seven-Stud/8 Before
- Antes, the Deal, and the Betting Structure
- Betting
- Betting order
- Raising
- Position
- Double bets
- Showdown
- Know When to Hold 'em and Know When to Fold 'em
- What Kind of Hands Are Likely To Win?
- The importance of live cards
- Starting Standards: The first three cards are critical
- Playable Hands
- Seven-Stud/8 in Depth
- Beyond third street
- When everyone has low cards showing
- Do big hands equal big profits? Not always
- Jamming the pot
- When you hold the only low hand
- How Seven-Stud/8 Differs From Seven-Card Stud
- Hidden Hands
- Driving and Braking
- When All the Cards Have Been Dealt
- Chapter 6. Omaha
- Playing Omaha/8 for the First Time
- Blind bets
- The deal and betting structure
- A sample hand
- Knowing When to Hold 'em and When to Fold 'em
- Position, position, and position
- The flop should fit your hand
- Omaha/8 in Depth
- Starting hands
- Getting good at hand selection
- Acting last is a big advantage
- Looking for a flop
- The unpleasant experience of being quartered
- Beyond the flop
- What to Do When You've Been Raised
- Flopping a draw
- Playing the Turn
- How do my opponents play?
- What in the world could my opponent be holding?
- Where do I sit in relation to the other bettors?
- How much will it cost to see the hand through to its conclusion?
- Playing the River
- When you make the best high hand
- When you have the best low hand
- Exploring Omaha High-Only
- Chapter 7. Home Poker Games
- Setting Up a Home Game
- Rules
- Dealer's choice
- Betting stakes
- Wild cards
- Time limit
- Food and drinks
- Paying up
- Game Options
- Seven-Card Stud
- Texas Hold'em
- Omaha High
- Omaha High-Low, 8-or-Better
- Pineapple
- Five-Card Draw
- Lowball
- Five-Card Stud
- Baseball
- Black Mariah
- Indian Poker
- Razz
- Crisscross (or Iron Cross)
- Poker Etiquette in Home Games
- Do...
- Don't...
- More Information on Home Games
- Part II. Advanced Strategy
- Chapter 8. Bluffing
- What Is Bluffing, Anyway?
- Different Kinds Of Bluffs
- The Importance of Bluffing
- Keep 'em guessing
- The threat of bluffing
- The Bluffing Paradox
- Not All Bluffs Are Created Equal
- Bluffing on the end with a hopeless hand
- Bluffing with more cards to come
- Bluffing and Position
- Bluffing More Than One Opponent
- Bluffing Strategies
- Chapter 9. Money Management and Recordkeeping
- What Is Money Management Anyway?
- Does money management make sense?
- Should you quit while you're ahead?
- Should you quit when you reach a stop-loss limit?
- The Truth About Money Management
- Having a positive expectation
- Game selection and money management
- The Importance of Keeping Records
- What kind of records should I keep?
- How to keep records
- Keeping up with recordkeeping
- How to Figure Your Win Rate
- All averages are not created equal
- Standard deviation for the mathematically challenged
- How the standard deviation works
- Using standard deviation to analyze your poker results
- How to Reduce Fluctuations in a Poker Game
- How Big Should Your Poker Bankroll Be?
- A fool and his money...
- How professional players maintain their bankrolls
- Moving Up to Bigger Limits
- Part III. Computers, Casinos, and Cardrooms
- Chapter 10. Poker Tournaments
- Why Play Poker Tournaments?
- The thrill of victory
- Learn new games inexpensively
- The game is "pure"
- Take on the champs
- Poker Tournament Basics
- Buy-ins and fees
- Betting structures
- The prize pool
- Satellite tournaments
- The Relationship Between Blinds and Betting Structure
- The escalating blinds
- The end game
- Be extremely selective; be very aggressive
- Key Mistakes Made in Poker Tournaments
- Trying to win too early
- Defending your blind too much
- Playing too tight
- Playing a marginal hand after the flop
- Being unaware of other players' chip stacks
- Tournament Tips from a World Champion
- Cutting a Deal at the Final Table
- The fairest way to cut a deal
- When the chip count is identical
- Issues with Payoff Structures
- The ethics of deal making
- Expanded payoff structures
- Where to Find Information about Tournaments
- Chapter 11. Video Poker
- The Basics of Video Poker
- Getting started
- Playing hands
- Video Poker versus Regular Poker
- Jacks-or-Better Video Poker
- Deuces Wild: The Best Game for Beginners
- Tips for Becoming a Better Video Poker Player
- Seven Mistakes to Avoid in Video Poker
- Further Readings
- Chapter 12. The World Series of Poker
- How It All Got Started
- 1970: The First World Series of Poker
- High-Roller Tournaments Made Affordable
- No-Limit Texas Hold'em--the Cadillac of Card Games
- Let's Get Ready to Rumble: The Latest Battles at the World Series of Poker
- Stu Ungar: The Comeback Kid
- Scotty Nguyen: An American dreamer
- Chapter 13. The Computer: Your Shortcut to Poker Mastery
- Choosing the Right Computer for Poker Study
- Getting by with a used computer
- Using a Computer for Interactive Poker Practice
- An Interactive Self-Study Course
- Interactive Poker Software Programs
- Finding the best software
- Using the offerings from Wilson Software
- Chapter 14. Internet Poker
- Internet Play-Money Games
- But it isn't real poker, is it?
- What the games are like
- How these games help you to improve
- The Best Internet Play-Money Sites: Internet Poker Casinos
- Getting started
- Finding games
- Looking for serious play-money games
- Participating in the Future of Poker at rec.gambling.poker (RGP)
- Finding RGP
- Benefiting from RGP
- Virtual Poker for Real Money: Internet Cash Stakes Games
- But is it legal?
- Our advice to you
- Part IV. More Poker Fun
- Chapter 15. What's Behind the Sayings, Terms, and Myths
- Poker Sayings
- Poker Slang
- Poker Myths
- Chapter 16. Learning More about Poker
- The Zen Poker Process
- A Learning Plan
- Read beginner-level books
- Read the magazines
- Use your computer
- Play poker
- Think about the game
- All Kinds of Poker Books
- Books for beginners
- Books for advanced players
- Other recommended books
- Beyond the Written Word
- Part V. The Part of Tens
- Chapter 17. Ten Ways to Read Your Opponent
- Shaking Hand
- Jittering
- Shrugs and Sad Voices
- Changes in Breathing
- Misdirected Bets
- Extra Emphasis
- Looking Away
- Staring at You
- Reactions after Looking at Their Cards
- Reaching for Chips
- A Final Word
- Chapter 18. Ten Poker Legends
- Stu Ungar
- Johnny Moss
- Jack "Treetop" Straus
- Benny Binion
- "Amarillo Slim" Preston
- Doyle Brunson
- Johnny Chan
- Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
- Scotty Nguyen
- Huck Seed
- Honorable Mentions
- Chapter 19. Ten Keys to Success
- Be Aware of Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- Act Responsibly
- Think
- Have a Plan
- Set Deadlines
- Be Realistic
- Expect Difficulties
- Build on Small Accomplishments
- Persist
- Have Fun
- Chapter 20. (Almost) Ten Things to Consider Before Going Pro
- Poker Isn't Like Most Jobs
- Considering Your Own Results
- Playing When You're Not at Your Best
- Keeping Good Records
- Deciding Where to Play
- Using Statistics to Predict Your Expectations
- Assessing Your Risk Tolerance
- No Licensing Required
- Following Good Examples
- Asking the Right Questions
- Chapter 21. Ten Ways to Improve Your Poker Today
- Know Your Numbers
- Know Your Opponents
- Keep Your Ego Out of the Game
- Keep Records--Even When It Hurts
- Choose the Best Game
- Commit to Excellence
- Practice with Computerized Software
- Read the Newsgroup
- Analyze Your Game--and Your Opponents'
- Concentrate on Things That Matter
- Read All the Books
- Chapter 22. Ten Real-Life Poker Lessons
- Being Selective and Aggressive
- Safety at All Costs Can Be Costly
- Knowing Your Opponent
- Timing Can Be Everything
- Deciding If the Prize Is Worth the Game
- Reaching for Objectives
- Being Responsible
- Painting Yourself into a Corner
- Thinking Outside the Box
- Realizing When Discretion Is the Better Part of Valor
- Index
- Back of Book