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Acknowledgments | |
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Introduction | |
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Who This Book Is For | |
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How to Use This Book and What It Will Do for You | |
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Basic Concepts | |
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Why Play Texas Hold'em? | |
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The Low-Limit Cash Game | |
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What Is "Low-Limit" Poker? | |
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A Profile of a Typical Low-Limit Game | |
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How Casino Poker Differs from Your Home Game | |
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Why Cash Games Are Better Than Tournaments for New Players | |
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Internet Card Rooms: Should You Play Poker Online? | |
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The Advantages of Playing Online Poker | |
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The Disadvantages of Playing Online Poker | |
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Conclusion | |
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Texas Hold'em Basics | |
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Fixed Limit Hold'em: The Basic Rules of Play | |
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The Ranking of Poker Hands | |
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Split Pots | |
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Hold'em and Community Cards | |
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Betting Limits | |
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Poker Actions | |
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Fold | |
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Call | |
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Raise | |
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Re-raise | |
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Check | |
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The Big Blind and the Small Blind | |
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Table Stakes | |
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The Dealer | |
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Number of Players | |
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Play of a Hold'em Hand and the Sequence of Betting | |
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The Shuffle | |
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The Pre-Flop: The First Two Cards | |
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The Flop | |
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The Turn | |
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The River | |
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Position: What It Means and Why It Is Important in Hold'em | |
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Early, Middle, and Late | |
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Position in Relation to Other Players | |
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Position and Seat Selection | |
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Reading the Board: Know the Nuts | |
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Odds and Ends: Odds, Pot Odds, and Implied Odds | |
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Probability and Odds | |
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Pot Odds | |
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Implied Pot Odds | |
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Money in the Pot Belongs to the Pot | |
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Why You Do Not Have to Be Constantly Figuring Odds to Play Good Poker | |
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How to Compute Odds for Draws | |
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How to Play Winning Hold'em from Deal to Showdown | |
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Key Concepts | |
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Winning by Folding: Avoiding Trouble Right from the Start | |
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Becoming a "Solid" Player | |
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Losing Your Cool and How to Avoid It | |
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Making Money from Players' Mistakes | |
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Bluffing: Why You Should Hardly Ever Bluff in a Low-Limit Game | |
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Bluffing and "Implicit Collusion" | |
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Pre-Flop Play | |
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Hands You Can Play from Early Position | |
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Hands You Can Play from Middle Position | |
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Hands You Can Play from Late Position | |
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Playing Starting Hands from the Big and Small Blinds | |
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Taking Out the Trash | |
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Two Categories of Trash to Especially Avoid | |
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Play on the Flop | |
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Why Is the Flop So Crucial? | |
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Key Concepts for Play on the Flop | |
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The Importance of the "Check-Raise" in Low-Limit Hold'em | |
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How the Check-Raise Can Win You a Free Card | |
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The Place of the Check-Raise | |
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A Way to Look at Flop Play | |
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How to Play When You Hold a Pair on the Flop | |
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Top Pair with a Poor Kicker | |
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Playing When You Have an Overpair on the Flop | |
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How to Play When You Hold Second Pair or Botton Pair on the Flop | |
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How to Play When You Make Two Pair on the Flop | |
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How to Play When You Flop Top and Bottom or Bottom Two Pair | |
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How to Play When You Have Trips on the Flop | |
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How to Play When You Have Four to a Straight or Flush on the Flop | |
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Combined Flush and Straight Draws | |
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Should You Draw to Inside (Gutshot) Straights? | |
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Situations Where You Should Be Cautious In Drawing | |
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The Value of Draws | |
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How to Play When You Flop a Complete Hand | |
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Flopping a Full House | |
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What to Do When the Flop Misses You | |
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Play on the Turn | |
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Avoid Fancy Plays in Low-Limit Hold'em | |
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Should You Stay with Drawing Hands? | |
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When to Play Aggressively on the Turn | |
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What to Do If You Are Raised on the Turn | |
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Play on the River | |
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How to Play When You Believe You Have the Best Hand or a Very Strong Hand on the River | |
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How to Play Marginal Hands in Big Pots | |
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Raising Wars at the River | |
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Maximizing Your Winnings in Multiway Pots on the River | |
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Reading the Game and Reading Your Opponents | |
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Game Selection and Reading the Game | |
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Game Selection: Why Some Games Are Far Better Than Others | |
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Characteristics of the Ideal Game and Games to Avoid | |
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Game Selection: Practical Realities | |
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The Ebb and Flow of a Session | |
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When to End a Session | |
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Why You Should Play in a Casino or Public Card Room | |
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Player Types: How to Identify and Handle Them | |
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Observing Your Opponents | |
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Loose-Passive Players | |
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Loose-Aggressive Players | |
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Tight-Passive Players | |
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Tight-Aggressive Players | |
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Miscellaneous Concepts | |
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Unusual Formats, Money, and Other Useful Tidbits | |
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How Much Money Do I Need to Play? | |
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No Bankroll Is Large Enough If You Are a Losing Player | |
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You Won't Win Every Session | |
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Record Keeping | |
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Unusual Game Formats | |
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Pot-Limit and No-Limit | |
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Spread-Limit Games | |
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Moving Up to Bigger Games and Further Study | |
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Must-Reads | |
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Books You Should Read | |
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Worth a Read | |
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Glossary of Poker Terms, Phrases, and Jargon | |
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Index | |
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About the Author | |