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Largay's "Complete Course" Offers Thorough Education
Product
No Limit Texas Hold'Em: A Complete Course by Angel Largay
Hits
- Offers tools that even the most experienced players can use
- Quizzes that push the reader to use the information presented
- Appendixes filled with useful odds and hand-ranking information
Misses
- Not a well-known pro so many may not trust his advice
- Only deals with a very specific form of No-Limit Hold'em (low-limit no-limit)
Review
One of the best ways to learn about the game of poker, as well as the most cost effective, is to read some of the multitude of books on the game. Angel Largay is a professional poker player who has also taught the game in Las Vegas for almost two decades at the Las Vegas Poker Boot Camp and excels in what is perhaps the acid test of a "professional," the cash game situation.
In his book No Limit Texas Hold 'Em: A Complete Course, Largay has condensed the information that he presented over those many years to provide deep insight into Hold'em and offer tools that even the most experienced player can assimilate into her game.
While some may be tempted to storm past the early chapters, it's advisable to read the book in its entirety. Although the early chapters focus on the basics, the information that Largay provides there is excellent material for exercising the poker mind.
Largay analyzes many aspects of the game and offers quizzes that push the reader to implement the information presented. These quizzes are definitely one of the better features of the book.
Later, he delves into more advanced play with a particular emphasis on playing after the flop. Largay ably explains how to play the differing hands a player can have and how to maximize your wins or minimize your losses.
The key question that Largay asks in these segments is, "Who is more likely to go broke?" This seems to be the question that, along with the proper considerations of the intricacies of the hand, will determine the outcome in most cases and is critical to your personal poker success.
In the appendices, Largay also adds crucial pieces of information that any poker player should review and put into practice. With Appendix B, Largay breaks out the likely winning percentages of every hand possible against random hands from two to 10 players and also shows what equity you need for it to be advisable to continue to play a given hand. This is where everyone can make mistakes; against a random hand heads-up, of course, pocket aces are a huge favorite.
Add in even four players, however, and the odds of winning against random hands diminish almost 30%, barely making the 55% win rate mark. The lesson quickly demonstrates how valuable it is to make appropriate raises with large hands rather than the "cute" play.
In Appendix C, Largay shows the ranking of all hands depending on how many players are in the hand. This table shows, for example, that in a multi-way pot, big slick suited is better than high pocket pairs (jacks through eights), but heads-up, the same big slick is not as highly prized as even pocket eights are.
The information provided in these tables is invaluable and can definitely help any player to make accurate decisions.
No Limit Texas Hold 'Em: A Complete Course gives you what you need to be able to advance your game. The quizzes, the tables and Angel Largay's own personal (and successful) experiences will help you learn more about the game and will augment anyone's knowledge, whether newcomer or experienced player.
While he may not be the biggest name in the game, Largay's book is worthy of a lengthy and thoughtful read and a spot in any player's poker library.
Details:
- $24.95
ECW Press
