Introduction

Texas hold 'em is an extremely complicated form of poker.
This is because the exact manner in which a hand should be
played is often debatable. It is not uncommon to hear two expert
players argue the pros and cons of a certain strategy. This means
that even though you are about to read solid guidelines to
winning, the strategies given are not set in concrete, and under
certain conditions the best strategies may be different from those
that are recommended.
On the other hand, the strategies in this text definitely provide
a strong winning approach. If this were not the case neither author
would be in a position to write this book, simply because we
would both be broke and standing on the rail.
The "winning approach" we provide is a tight but aggressive
one. It is not a "fast" approach, which some experts use to win
slightly more money.' The reason for this is simply that most
players who attempt to play fast will fail, as they do not have the
judgment to handle the many situations that come up where they
have put themselves in jeopardy. In any case, becoming an expert
hold 'em player, even with the help of this book, will not be easy.
It will require not only a great deal of study, but also a great deal
of thinking, plus many hours of playing time at the hold 'em
tables.
Keep in mind that the following strategies are designed for
medium limit games, that is $10-$20 hold 'em up to (and
including) $40-$80 hold 'em. In smaller games, or games that
feature people who play too many hands and go too far with their

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1 Some experts deliberately play a few extra hands, and
then use their superior playing skills to catch up. They still lose
money on these additional hands, but these hands allow them to
make a little more on their legitimate hands due to the additional
deception that they create.