Internet Texas Hold ’em: Winning Strategies From An Internet Pro |
Author: Matthew Hilger Publisher: Dimat Enterprises, Inc Pages: 304 Pub. Date: July 2003 Price: $4.97 |
Book Review
Mathew Hilger’s book: “Internet Texas Hold ’em: Winning Strategies From An Internet Pro”, is a very useful and informative guide which seeks to address the now wildly popular game of Texas hold ’em as played on the internet. But even though the title indicates that the book is designed just for that specific way to play poker, most of the insights offered in the book by Hilger are quite useful whether you are playing the game live or on your computer.
Hilger is an accomplished hold ‘em player, not just on the internet but in live games as well. He is a past winner of the New Zealand Poker Open and has also reached the final table twice at the fabled Aussie Millions tournament. He has had great success playing online, including a win in a big money tournament in 2008.
“Internet Texas Hold ’em: Winning Strategies From An Internet Pro” is not only for use by those just learning the game, but also offers a great deal of insight for those who already have a great deal of experience playing hold ’em. Perhaps the most useful part of the book is Hilger’s acclaimed starting hand chart. He goes into great detail explaining the strengths and weaknesses of all opening hands. He also takes this information an extra step, changing the basic strategy depending on how many and how much other players have raised. His strategies are also different if you are in the blinds. He also changes the chart depending on the type of player you are-loose or tight-and the type of players you are competing against.
The author also goes into great detail about the flops, making it clear that each player should not just know how it impacts his own hand, but should also examine the cards closely to see all the possibilities for straights, flushes and full houses which the other players might hold. He then goes into great detail about the proper strategy to take depending on the flop. The turn and river cards receive the same thorough analysis.
Hilger backs up all his theories with numerous examples, all explained in great detail. He also offers the player a chance to test out the strategies learned in the book by providing over 200 actual internet hands.
While most of the book is dedicated to playing poker, Hilger does go into some detail about other considerations that need to be address when gambling online. Since you can’t see players stacking their chips or making facial expressions, you need to find other ways to try to find tells. Also, most online games are played with time limits much tighter than enforced by most casinos, so that is another consideration. Hilger looks at these matters, but the primary focus of his book is on the winning strategies of the cards.
