The Complete Book Of Hold 'Em Poker: A Comprehensive Guide to Playing and Winning

Firstly, while he does provide a chart of suggested starting-hands as do other Hold 'Em book authors, Carson also provides an entire chapter on the the theory of starting-hand values. It gave me an entirely new view of hand values and position.

Secondly, he gives more new perspectives in the chapter on the theory of flop play. Again, not just directives but insight into defining your hand. His ideas on adjusting your thinking about poker hands from their poker ranking to their money-winning potential gave me a new way to evaluate my holdings.

Finally, I thought his chapter on betting theory alone worth more than the cost of the book in itself. I've certainly more than recouped my money on what I consider to be the clearest and most consise explantions of bet, pot and implied odds. Before this book, I had only bet to get more money into the pot. Carson's list of reasons to bet immediately changed me into a more flexible player.

You won't find a template of play in this book as you do in many others; you'll discover here ways to clarify your thinking that will allow you to make better playing decisions.


Clear and Concise   October 7, 2003
Stuart Venable Jr (La Mirada, CA United States)
36 out of 39 found this review helpful

I've just finished Carson's "Complete Book of Hold'em Poker." And while it doesn't go into depth on each of the topics covered in the book, it really is a "complete" book, meaning it touches on all aspects of the game.

Unlike some other poker books, this one reads like it was written by a writer, rather than a poker player. It is very clear and concise -- even the mathematics (a subject I've always had trouble with) is very clearly explained.

Carson deals with the game on a much broader scale than most books I've read. Poker is a very situational game, requiring that play be constantly adapted to the changing conditions. Instead of Carson provides a rote-like "When the table's like this, play like this," he provides the reader with the tools to make those decisions on their own.

There is also an excellent chapter on playing in Brick & Mortar casios, that should shore up the confidence of even the meekest poker player.

His writing is very jargon-ish. There's a lot of talk about "theories" and "models" etc. But I personally like this type of teaching. It's teaching fundamentals rather than a continuous stream of "if ... then" statements.

An excellent beginners book.


This is the one   June 20, 2003
57 out of 67 found this review helpful

I have read "Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players", "The Theory of Poker", "Winner's Guide to Hold'em Poker", and "Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold'em" in addition to this book. After reading all those, I was consistantly making profit, and placing in the top 4 or 5 in tournaments. After reading this one on a flim (because of another review here, actually), I won my first tournament.

He teaches you how to think in Hold'em poker. The other books touch on that subject, especially "Ken Warren Teaches...", but its just not done in a way I was able to "get". I learn from books, not from being taught in a classroom, and this book is icredible in my opinion. At one point the author recommends reading some of the other books, but says you should finish his first: He couldn't have said it any better.

I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to learn how to play Texas Hold'em. To put in perspective, he only lightly touches no limit/pot limit games, or tournaments for that matter (although more than some of the other books), but yet the tournament I won was a no-limit. I think that speaks volumes!


Helps to think like a poker player, not a good first book   April 4, 2005
S. Bank (Austin, TX)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Carson's book is one of the more underrated and less well known of the good poker books. I feel compelled to write a review because of some of the other reviews on Amazon. This shouldn't be your first book on Hold'em (read and reread Lee Jones), because he only half-heartedly tries to teach you the basics (eg. starting hand requirements). He assumes you generally know what you're doing and tries to teach you to think like a poker player.

Page 204 was really important for me, where he discusses "book players." This really hit home and because I was guilty of everything he said about them. I don't think it was a coincidence that I went from an almost break-even player to a consistent winner after reading this. His discussion of other player stereotypes and a play-by-play analysis of two hands are also quite useful. While none of this is unique and you can find similar content elsewhere, I really like the way Carson explains his thinking - he's a much better poker writer than most and he really helped me to think about different situations. It's definitely worth $10!

In response to what "Card Player" said about not worrying about other bigger flushes: I don't believe he advocates blindly raising and reraising because no one ever has another flush. He simply points out that the odds that someone else has two cards of the same suit are reduced because five of the suited cards are accounted for (your two, plus three on the board). I've had weak flushes raised by a dead hand like pocket kings or trips FAR more often than I've lost to a bigger flush. True, you'll get beaten sometimes, but the situation is a winner in the long run.



How To Think About Limit Hold'Em Ring Games   August 13, 2004
darrelv (North Carolina)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

This book intelligently discusses limit hold'em in ring (cash) games. It
is not about no-limit or pot-limit. It is not about tournaments.

Instead of telling you exactly how to play, this book shows that there
is no single correct way to play. Which cards you play and how you
play them depends on many factors. This book discusses those factors
and why they should influence your play. It has important insights for
some game conditions, especially loose/aggressive games often seen
in low-limit.

The emphasis is on straightforward play, not deception. It is an
excellent book on tactics and strategy. It does not offer a single,
simple formula for play because that advise would be right sometimes
and wrong sometimes.

If this is the only book you'll ever get on poker, it's a good choice.
If you've read plenty of books on hold'em, this has excellent material
to digest.