Poker for Dummies

Maybe you’ve never played poker before and you don’t even know what a full house is. Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. If you’re a poker expert, you still can benefit – some of the suggestions may surprise you, and you can certainly learn from the anecdotes from professional players like T.J. Cloutier and Stu Unger.

Know what it takes to start winning hand after hand by exploring strategy; getting to know antes and betting structure; knowing your opponents, and understanding the odds. Poker For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:

There are individual chapters on strategy for the most popular casino games (Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Stud, Seven Stud/8, Omaha/8), all of which were very clear and helpful. However, unlike any title I've seen before, this book is a COMPLETE reference, including chapters on poker tournaments, becoming a pro, Internet poker, and even video poker (which my mother found excessively useful).

Like all "Dummies" books, there are entertaining sidebars about great games, poker legends, etc. All in all, this is an entertaining book filled with invaulable information for all levels of play. Highly reccomended!


Highly recommended   September 20, 2004
Michael J. Felker (Atlanta, GA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

Before I read this great book, I had been playing poker a few times a week for about a year. I was pretty much gambling with little to no strategy. Like most beginners, I thought I knew what I was doing. After a few months of playing, poker quite honestly frustrated me. I would have some really lucky nights, and then a long streak of bad nights. I certainly lost more money than I put in. At this point, it was either give up, or get better.
I then found Poker for Dummies. Contrary to the opinions of others, I found this book to be the perfect beginners poker book. Much of the book shows how to play the most popular poker games, like stud, hold'em, Omaha, etc. There are also some sections for advanced strategies. I think any player can benefit from reading this. Was this book effective? Absolutely! After reading a few chapters, my game improved dramatically. Because of the easy reference format, I could find the specific areas I needed improving in. For example, if I needed some more info on starting hands, all I have to do is flip to the hold'em chapter and find the starting hands page. Since I have read this book, I have stopped gambling and started playing my odds. If you are tired of losing and want a good place to start improving your game, look no further.


Lou Krieger knows poker   July 11, 2005
Pokah Gurl (California, USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

it's great that this book assumes that you know nothing about poker, because i knew nothing.

this book is great in helping you think of all the considerations in poker, what the odds are, the groupings of hands, what other players are playing etc, but with a bit of practise, you can make these decisions in a matter of seconds. and practise i did. when i found that lou krieger was host of royal vegas poker, i practised there.

the only aspect that put me off a bit, but was my own shortcoming, not the book's, was the issue of calculating the standard deviations, outs etc. being mathematically challenged, puts me at a disadvantage.

but this is a great book, which is comprehensively basic - as it should be. i'd recommend it to anyone.


Beginners start here   January 4, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I bought this book with "Fundamentals of Poker." This was a better buy for the information. As a true beginner, I wanted the biggest bang for the buck, and I got it here. For the beginner/novice, start here. A good read offering a sound foundation for the neophyte, I hope!


My first book but a great one   February 22, 2001
John W. Barth (Mountain View, CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Besides teaching me the bare basics of winning poker, this book seriously jump-started my interest in Poker. I just picked up this book when I saw it and thought I might get an edge over the people in my poker group. Already I am cleaning out their pockets. Now I'm looking to get more advanced books so I can head up to the Taj for some Hold 'em action. I used to think all poker was bluffing like in the wild west... I never would have thought playing a computer could be valuable to my poker game. I couldn't have been more wrong. Get this book; it will improve your poker game if you've never read a poker book before.