Harrington on Online Cash Games: 6-Max No-Limit Hold 'em (Harrington Cash Game Series)
G**S
Excellent Book for Beginners
I am a big fan of Harrington's thought process and have read all of his other books. One criticism that these other books receive now when people try to apply their lessons in today's online games is that they are outdated. Today's online games, especially 6-max are far more aggressive than full-ring live games of 3-4 years ago. As a result, adjustments need to be made, and Harrington does a good job outlining a basic foundation for solid yet aggressive play. I have played 100k+ hands at the small-stakes and have still found this a useful book for certain of its sections. For instance, the thought process behind creating and balancing 3-, 4- and 5-bet ranges was excellent in my opinion.That being said, I wish this book covered more advanced topics in more detail and had a larger section of hands with explanations of the thought process (he does have ~ 20 at the end). If you are just starting online play or if you are struggling at the micro-stakes or trying to move up from the micro-stakes to the small-stakes, this book will give you an excellent foundation. If you are an experienced small-stakes player or better, you might get an idea or two but that's about it.
H**L
Focused and well written
I'm not a poker expert and I was looking at introductory level texts to advance in the game and learn how to think about hands and strategy. This book is exactly what I was looking for.It assumes only that you know the rules of the game and starts teaching basic analytical skills (odds, bet sizing, pre flop ranges, etc.). It then progressess to a more detailed break down of the game and talks about board textures, range equity calculations, types of players, etc. This is all basic and probably present in all good introductory poker books but I found Harrington to be very able at making concepts clear and at teaching not just the numbers but what they mean and how to get at them, in essence how to think and reason about poker, which is what the success in the game's about.The later parts of the book tackle the online aspect: a good rundown of how to use HUDs and an in depth exploration of the type of game and players in different stakes levels (micro, small, medium, high), which I found very useful. I also loved the section with practical problems and hand situations to analyze based on play and HUD statistics.I fully recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve online poker playing.
I**G
Comparable to Small Stakes No-limit
I found this book to be especially reliable in beating short-handed games. Harrington does an extensive job at researching and covering all the elements of short-handed cash games. It is definitely better than his previous works on cash games because he covers the more commonly played games that you should play against most people in the online world. I do credit his approach because it works in my own game. Harrington may seem like a tight, nitty player, but he is actually raising lots of pots when the players are down to short-handed, and he is fighting for lots of pots. This book optimizes that approach and teaches the reader how to handle most of the given scenarios you will run into at the tables. One last thing I would like to mention as that this book is very similar to Harrington on Modern Tournaments because the outline is generally the same on which hands to play, although this book goes into more coverage of how you should handle specific situations.
S**Y
Essential
I've read a number of poker books since I started learning to play. None taught me more than the Harrington books. The tournament strategy books are the best there are for learning the fundamentals of tournament play. This book does for cash games what those do for tournaments.I've heard many poker players say that, since the Harrington books are so widely read, the strategy is no longer effective. While that may or may not be true, the concepts outlined in the books are fundamental to understanding how to play. While the tournament books do emphasize the tight aggressive style, he does acknowledge other styles, and understanding the basics taught in the books makes it easier to make adjustments in one's personal playing style.It's also interesting to note that, while the tournament books emphasize playing tight, the cash game books emphasize playing loose. It's important to understand the reasoning behind this, and the books do a very good job of explaining it.
A**K
Don't Buy This Book
Let me first say I'm mainly only a micro stakes player. 10NL and 25NL. So therefore I've basically ignored small stakes and up sections of this book so my review does not reflect those.But as far as being a beginner, this book is an excellent starting point. I say don't buy in my title because I don't want poker player pool to improve. This book will give you all the tools to become a winning player at micros. It gives you ideas for how to formulate a basic strategy against all kinds of different players and what to do in common spots.What it won't do is make you a winning micro player alone. You still need plenty of actual playing experience and more hand analysis than this book offers but overall it is a great starting point.
J**W
The Bible of 6-Max
Wow, so much information to digest. I read it all the way through once and just like reading the Bible you cant learn everything it is trying to teach you without careful study and dedication. So many times I came across passages that made me say,"I never thought of that before", or "Now I see why I've been losing money playing that way". I plan to get a study group together with a couple of friends and go through the book slowly together and learn the mysteries this book has to offer. Mr. Harrington has written another game changing book that will I'm sure have an impact on how online 6-max will be played be prepared for the games to get much harder just like his tournament series changed tournament poker forever.
K**B
Outdated and Incorrect
Harrington clearly didn't play on any tough site. Claiming everyone at microstakes 3-bet 3% is completely incorrect and show no understanding of what poker was like in 2010, let alone 2020.Also, the focus on hand equity in cold calls or 3bet calls over playability is also incorrect and will lead players to play losing hands while folding profitable hands.Harrington simply isn't an online player and there are so many decent books from online professionals that I don't see why anyone would read a dabbler view of how online poker should be played.It also shows the limit of the 2+2 publishing reviewing process. It is obvious that neither Mason Malmuth nor David Sklansky understand online game dynamics else they would have rejected that book.
H**K
To master the online game and to become winning poker player
If you are starting to play online 6-max NLH cash games, then this is a book for you to broaden your knowledge. It is 4 years old, but I can assure, that it is still relevent. What I really found useful, are the example hands which really get you thinking, because one main factor to improve your game is to think about your hands which you have played.In this book, he shows you the key ideas and skills to "master" the online game. He talks about different stack sizes, strategies for preflop and post-flop play and also some useful information about poker databases. He also talks about micro and small stakes games. Therefore, ff you play online poker or you’re looking to get started, you’ll need to read this book.
G**G
Good book
Has a lot of extra information which I am using to my advantage but it is still early days and long term I have to see how much this book will win me but as to date I am showing a profit of £500 in 4 to 5 months .
E**S
Five Stars
Excellent.
Y**.
Great read
Good book
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