"Harrington on Hold'em" Review

"Harrington on Hold'em" was originally released back in 2004. Just recently I decided to finally give it a read because I had heard such great things about it. I'm glad I did because it was a fun read.

Harrington covers everything about the early stages of a poker tournament in this book. He goes over position, starting hands, pot odds, reading the table, betting before and after the flop, and how to bet on the turn and river. He really goes into great depth on all these subjects.

He does a hand analysis for all these subjects. Most of the book consists of the hand analysis. Harrington lays out the situation for you, asks the reader how they would play it and then explains what you should do in the situation. He really does a great job and the hand analysis is very realistic. Harrington goes over countless situations and he really makes you think about why you make certain plays in different types of situations.

"Harrington on Hold'em" is a very good book on tournament poker. This is a very good book for the intermediate player looking to up their game to the next level. If you're a beginner I might check out something else to start you off but if you have a little experience and understand the game and terms get this book. For the advanced player you probably won't learn a ton from this book but you'll pick up a few things here and there and the hand analysis makes it worth purchasing.

The Value of Suited Cards

"But they were suited!" I hear people say this phrase all the time. I just laugh and am happy they don't know what they're doing so I can easily take their chips. In the following video Phil Gordon explains why suited cards aren't as good as you might think.

Phil Hellmuth's New Video Blog

Phil Hellmuth has started a new video blog that he will be doing throughout the World Series. Here he talks about how his WSOP is going so far.

Phil Hellmuth's Online Poker Tips

Phil Hellmuth on online poker strategy. This video isn't cheesy at all.

Steve Billirakis Becomes Youngest Bracelet Winner Ever

The first bracelet event of the 2007 World Series of Poker has concluded and the winner of the 5k Mixed Hold'em is Steve Billirakis. Billirakis becomes the youngest bracelet winner ever breaking the record Jeff Madsen set at last years World Series. Billirakis took home the bracelet at 21 years and 10 days of age. This is the fourth straight year the record has been broken and it's going to be pretty hard for someone to break it again.

PokerNews.com caught up with him after the win.

Continuation Bets

A continuation bet is when you raise preflop but the flop doesn't do anything to improve your hand so you bet again on the flop. You need to be careful when you make continuation bets. Just don't make some random continuation bet without knowing why you're making it.

When making a continuation bet you want to make sure the flop is good for making the bet. Pay attention to the suits. If the flop comes all different suits that's good for making a continuation bet. If the flop comes low or middle cards that's also a good flop for a continuation bet. An example would be a flop that comes 9-7-2. Firing out a continuation bet here is a good idea. A flop that comes A-Q-10 is not a spot to make a continuation bet.

An important thing to take into consideration when making your continuation bet is how many others players are in the hand. Generally you don't want to make a continuation bet against more than 1 or 2 players. The more people in the hand, the less chance your bet will be effective.

Calculating Odds

Phil Gordon goes over calculating odds.

Card Controversy at the WSOP

New cards are being used at this years WSOP and the players are not big fans of them. Apparently they are extremely hard to read and many players have been complaining, including Mike Matusow. Pokernews.com interviewed Daniel Negreanu and got his opinion on the new cards.

The Gap Concept

The "Gap Concept" was introduced by David Sklanksy. In the video below, Phil Gordon explains what the "Gap Concept" is.

The WSOP Begins Today

The 2007 World Series of Poker is here. The 38th World Series of Poker begins today with a $5,000 buy-in mixed hold'em (limit/no limit) event. There is also a dealers event. This year there are 55 events with coveted bracelets going to the winner of each.

At last years World Series, Phil Hellmuth won his 10th bracelet. Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, and Doyle Brunson all have 10 each and will try to be the first player to claim an 11th bracelet. If I had to take a guess which player will get their 11th first I'd go with Hellmuth. Brunson and Chan have not played as many events as Hellmuth this year and Hellmuth seems to be near the top of his game. Hellmuth made 4 final tables last year and I expect him to see some more this year.

The big surprise at the 2006 WSOP was 21 year old, Jeff Madsen. Madsen won 2 bracelets and made 4 final tables. Will he come close to repeating last years success? We'll find out soon and perhaps another 21 year old will make the same sort of impact at this years WSOP?

Jamie Gold will look to defend his Main Event title. Gold has not cashed in any major tournaments since winning last years Main Event. This years WSOP will have a huge impact on how people view Jamie Gold as a poker player. Will he prove the doubters wrong or will people be calling him the second coming of Robert Varkonyi?

All of these questions will be answered soon. The World Series of Poker is finally here.