Volumes I and II are a must-read for anyone who plays No-limit tournaments with any regularity.

The most important factor to consider in any gambling book is: will I make more money after mastering its material? Sadly, 95% of the books out there are pure rubbish. These books are not just instructional, but extremely well written.

You can see the mix of the two authors combining to make this text. First, you have Harrington, a well-known no-limit player. More importantly, you have Robertie, an author with amazing talent for teaching gambling techniques with many problems and solutions. Robertie has written a two volume set on Backgammon that uses a similar style: a rule is given, and 10-20 real-life scenarios are given with actual solutions.

The combination of a Harrington with Robertie is very effective at teaching you how to win at No-limit Hold'em poker. Before reading this, I was already a winning player. After studying these texts, my hourly win-rate went up about 50%. Even solid players will read this and say "Hmmm. I never thought of that, but it makes sense!" You will follow the offered strategies, and even though you're not sure quite where things went right, you'll play longer and win more money.

When you consider these books, you should really consider both volumes as one large text. The materials are geared towards an intermediate or higher player. A beginner will learn from this,
but it is a nasty learning curve for beginners, and there are no good books out for scrubs.

No-limit hold'em poker is still a relatively ripe market, despite the press it gets. If you are serious about making money at it, this 2-volume set is mandatory.

Seems like everyone loves this book!

I bought it because I had just started playing a weekly tournament where I live and wanted to improve my game. Why do something if you can't be good at it, and why learn from your own mistakes (at cost) when you can learn from someone else's (free)?

This book paid for itself immediately. Some of the fundamental concepts in this book seem extremely obvious once they've been pointed out to you, but cost real money until you grasp them. Others I already been using somewhat intuitively, but by examining them I apply them better.

His tight pre-flop play, for example, was a sea change. Throwing away cards that I don't even want to get hit on the river instead of limping in to see the flop not only save me the blind when I miss the flop, but also the subsequent bets trying to defend the second-best hand when my 9 pairs up. Basic stuff, but how many hands/rounds/sessions of losing would it have taken me to figure out that mediocre hands cost more than trash hands? At $20, Harrington's book was the cheaper choice. How much money would it have cost me to discover the connection between an opponents stack size relative to the blinds and his playable hands? A lot more than $20, that's for sure!

Furthermore, the book deals very well with the concept of pot odds -- something I as a beginner had a hard time grasping and calculating under pressure, but which is helping transform my game from purely intuitive towards odds-based -- a good thing when one's lack of experience makes one's intuition suspect.

Obviously, there are tricks and stratagems in the book for the advanced player (which I'm studying furiously as well), but it's the solid presentation of the fundamentals that make this book and it's follow-up volume.

The problems at the end of the chapters are also extremely valuable, if for no other reason than because they keep you from just skimming through the chapters and recognizing concepts instead of actually learning them. Many times I found myself challenged by the problems and having to go back and review -- again, a lesson that would have cost me cash only cost me time.

I've already transformed my game and am a noticeably stronger player than before. While it's been hard to make the style adjustment, the returns are making up for it: I'm no shark yet, but I'm making money in the cash games as well as the tournaments, and against people who have been playing much, much longer than I.

If you play hold-em for any kind of money at all, invest a few dollars and by this and the second book in the series.

Harrington has gotten a bunch of well-earned good reviews, but most of them just tell you to buy his books, as though they were written by the publisher's sales force rather that real readers, real gamblers and people who have benefited from heeding Dan's advice. Let me tell you why you really should read, and heed, Dan Harrington.

First, he tells you which hands are worth playing; that is, which hands have the best prospects for bringing home the bacon. Do you know the value of a suited 9-10? Dan does. Next, he tells you how to size your bets to maximize your profits and minimize your losses. Do you know how to extract the most money from your opponent when you have the nuts? Dan does. In general, he covers the details, in detail, that others merely wave their arms at. He doesn't promise magical results without effort on your part. He does explain that doing your homework, knowing the probabilities and going with the odds will win for you more consistently than guessing.

Gambling books, like Harrington's, that give you real information are worth reading and re-reading. Anyone who is serious about gambling should own:
"The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic",
"Doyle Brunson's Super System",
"Professional Blackjack"
and
"How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken"

Put quite simply, no other books have been written on the subject of no-limit tourneys, thats what makes this book critical for the aspiring poker player. Much of the advice applies to cash games as well so dont be completely discouraged. He provides plenty of examples and solid tactical advice that I've never accounted for in my nine years experience. After seeing Dan make it twice to the final tables in 03 and 04, I was dying for him to write a book. Well folks, here it is...and it's as good as I thought it would be. Be patient however, it's slightly tough to follow for the beginner but yields great results. No fat, just the meat here.

Harringtons book is about the sixth book i have read on No Limit hold em. I found that after a certain amount of understanding of the game, information becomes somewhat repetative to the advanced player. I had read about pot and implied odds quite a bit before but i always seemed to find myself making quick calls without really speculating the hand. Harringtons book talks about these concepts with great detail while making them simple to understand. If you implement these strategies into live poker as well as online, results will be seen quickly and often. Definetely the best read on No Limit hold em i have come across. I recommend this book for the player that has a decent grasp of most concepts already, but i don't think it should be the first book you read on hold em. Definetely a must read for anyone trying to succeed at poker.