Rating: 
Summary: This book will not help you win.
Review: I recently entered the poker world after watching WSOP on ESPN. I read the reviews of several books and opened up my library with Sklansky's book. The reviews were accurate--good book but really tough to read. Gary Carson's book is a really nice departure from the textbook, technically based poker books. It provides a solid foundation with guidelines and principles. It allows the read to understand the rationale of solid poker play and apply it. I could see how some of the other reviewers found this book too simple. I did not, but I am an advocate of a strong strong foundation with additional concepts applied to that foundation. If you already have a strong foundation in poker, you may choose a different book. But even if that is the case, I would make the argument that everyone could benefit from the consistent and easily understood concept in this book. Bottom line- Had I had everything to do again, this would have been my first book on Texas Hold'em. A really good book and solid value.
Rating: 
Summary: First Book To Buy For Poker
Review: I recently entered the poker world after watching WSOP on ESPN. I read the reviews of several books and opened up my library with Sklansky's book. The reviews were accurate--good book but really tough to read. Gary Carson's book is a really nice departure from the textbook, technically based poker books. It provides a solid foundation with guidelines and principles. It allows the read to understand the rationale of solid poker play and apply it. I could see how some of the other reviewers found this book too simple. I did not, but I am an advocate of a strong strong foundation with additional concepts applied to that foundation. If you already have a strong foundation in poker, you may choose a different book. But even if that is the case, I would make the argument that everyone could benefit from the consistent and easily understood concept in this book. Bottom line- Had I had everything to do again, this would have been my first book on Texas Hold'em. A really good book and solid value.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Source for Beginners
Review: I recently started playing Texas Hold'Em online and I haven't been all that successful. Gary Carson provides some very fundamental tips and strategies that every beginner should know. My style of play has significantly changed since reading this book, and I have been winning significantly more than before. Yes, this book is long and very detailed, but that it what makes it well worth the price. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Stay away from this one.
Review: I was very excited when I bought this book and started reading it right away. And to be fair to the author, I did learn a thing or two about poker to slightly improve my game after spending considerable time with it. And my poker vocabulary got much stronger.
HOWEVER, look at the name of this book - "The COMPLETE Book of Hold 'Em Poker: A COMPREHENSIVE Guide to Playing and Winning." With a bold name like that, everything I want to know about the game had better be in here. It's 313 pages. Wanna know how many of those pages are about tournament play? A whopping SIX! Considering I exclusively play in 15+ player tournaments with my friends, this was a severe letdown. This is a "complete" book?
The tournaments I play in are also no-limit games. After reading a good 200+ pages of the book, Carson decides to throw in, "You need to think about things a little differently in no-limit." Well, NOW you tell me! Up until then, I had been playing with a bet-limit strategy in my no-limit tournaments! And believe me, the two strategies are significantly different regarding raising and calling! So now that I had finally found the no-limit strategy discussion, how long was that chapter? THREE PAGES! This is a "complete" book?
In addition to the fact that this book is anything but "complete," it apparently skipped right past that trivial little step in the book publishing process called "proofreading." The word 'strategy' is spelled 'stratagy' multiple times. The word 'aggressive' is spelled 'aggresive.' The word 'theoretical' is spelled 'theortical.' There's a run-on sentence every few pages. There are punctuation errors. Consider this sentence (from page 108): "A theory has three characteristics: descriptive, explanatory, and predictive." Can I have that again, please? This time in English? What does that even mean? I just can't take a book seriously when it's written this poorly.
And most importantly of all, I spent a lot of time with this book. I read and re-read entire chapters over and over. I drained a couple highlighters along the way. How much better had I gotten in my tournaments? Not very much. Oh, I could speak good poker lingo with my friends over lunch. But I wasn't beating them at the poker table. And that's the ultimate downfall of this book. It didn't train me to make better decisions at the table. It was actually, at times, even wishy-washy. Carson will direct you to do something, but then he'll say in the very next sentence, "But if x, y, or z happens, you probably don't want to do that." Well, how does that help me? I understand that there are game dynamics, but I bought this book hoping you could teach me how to make strong, confident decisions based on a deep understanding of no-limit Hold 'Em tournaments. And I just didn't get that. It was like he was telling me what to do in specific hypothetical situations, but he wasn't telling me his reasoning behind it.
I loaned the book to a co-worker who just started playing Hold 'Em. He gave it back a few days later, complaining, "All that writer does is contradict himself!"
Look, I'm sure the guy can play. But he should have worked with a writer on this one. As a professional writer myself, I know that a lot of people think that "anyone can write." It's just not true. This book is a shining example.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and Concise
Review: I've just finished Carson's "Complete Book of Hold'em Poker." And while it doesn't go into depth on each of the topics covered in the book, it really is a "complete" book, meaning it touches on all aspects of the game. Unlike some other poker books, this one reads like it was written by a writer, rather than a poker player. It is very clear and concise -- even the mathematics (a subject I've always had trouble with) is very clearly explained. Carson deals with the game on a much broader scale than most books I've read. Poker is a very situational game, requiring that play be constantly adapted to the changing conditions. Instead of Carson provides a rote-like "When the table's like this, play like this," he provides the reader with the tools to make those decisions on their own. There is also an excellent chapter on playing in Brick & Mortar casios, that should shore up the confidence of even the meekest poker player. His writing is very jargon-ish. There's a lot of talk about "theories" and "models" etc. But I personally like this type of teaching. It's teaching fundamentals rather than a continuous stream of "if ... then" statements. An excellent beginners book.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and Concise
Review: I've just finished Carson's "Complete Book of Hold'em Poker." And while it doesn't go into depth on each of the topics covered in the book, it really is a "complete" book, meaning it touches on all aspects of the game. Unlike some other poker books, this one reads like it was written by a writer, rather than a poker player. It is very clear and concise -- even the mathematics (a subject I've always had trouble with) is very clearly explained. Carson deals with the game on a much broader scale than most books I've read. Poker is a very situational game, requiring that play be constantly adapted to the changing conditions. Instead of Carson provides a rote-like "When the table's like this, play like this," he provides the reader with the tools to make those decisions on their own. There is also an excellent chapter on playing in Brick & Mortar casios, that should shore up the confidence of even the meekest poker player. His writing is very jargon-ish. There's a lot of talk about "theories" and "models" etc. But I personally like this type of teaching. It's teaching fundamentals rather than a continuous stream of "if ... then" statements. An excellent beginners book.
Rating:
Summary: A must read poker book.
Review: If you are just beginning to play texas hold em seriously at the casino or on the internet, this book will take your game to the next level. He starts you out as a beginner and takes you to an advanced level. After I read it, I began to win consistentantly. I knew what to do on the flop, on the turn, and on the river. I wasn't guessing and hoping anymore. It is one great poker book. I SUGGEST EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK FIRST.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Solid Book
Review: In his book, Gary Carson states that his focus is on Hold'em as a "game of money and odds." While I don't believe his perspective is as novel as he seems to claim, Carson does have some interesting things to say about the game, and although most of the strategies and advice given in his book have been documented elsewhere, he does present some ideas that I believe are certainly worth considering. The book begins with the obligatory introductory section which describes the basics and mechanics of the game. In my opinion, the best part of this chapter is the information on "Overrated Concepts", where Carson briefly discusses some misconceptions about winning poker that beginning players are likely to have, and also discusses several classes of mistakes that poor players generally tend to make. There's nothing here that hasn't been discussed in the literature before, but the points he makes are good ones. The bulk of the book lies in the second section, titled "Advanced Concepts". Here is where Carson details the strategies he uses to win at Texas Hold'em poker. While much of this information has appeared in other books, there are new ideas here, and some familiar notions are communicated from a fresh viewpoint, which may be of benefit to even the most well-read player. The author writes in a very vigorous style. Carson doesn't qualify his strategic ideas with, "in my opinion", and he is often a little relaxed about communicating under what situations his ideas would be more or less applicable. Many of these ideas will be considered controversial by other experienced poker players, and in my opinion, they do not quite deserve the strength of conviction they are given in this book. This does not mean that these ideas are bad ones by any means, but I fear that evaluating their appropriateness in different games and situations probably requires skills that a less experienced player does not yet possess, making some of these ideas dangerous. The remaining brief sections cover topics such as cheating, playing for a living, poker information on the Internet, etc.. I think Carson might alarm readers about cheating more than he probably intends, but most of the information in this section is well considered, although I would have appreciated even more information on several of these topics. While I think the book would have benefited from another editing pass to smooth it out, provide some additional balance between sections, and present some of the overriding themes more consistently throughout, The Complete Book of Hold'em Poker effectively communicates the author's ideas about how to play a winning game, and at a refreshingly reasonable price for a poker book of this length. There are enough good concepts in these pages that experienced players should expect to encounter some interesting ideas which under right circumstances are likely to improve their game. I fear that less experienced players who haven't developed the tools to think critically about poker strategies might not always be able to easily adapt Carson's ideas to their game. If you are a new poker player and would like to start playing poker online at www.partypoker.com - make sure you use the bonus code: "AMAZON25" and you will receive $25 free on your first purchase at www.PartyPoker.com. You may also use the bonus code: "Amazon100" for a 20% bonus up to $100. If you already play at PartyPoker, you can also play at www.Pokerroom.com. Use the promotion code "100BONUS" and you will receive 20% up to $100.
Rating:
Summary: Getting there!
Review: Most books on Hold 'Em Poker focus on one of two types of games: the high limit, good player, tight games usually described as Vegas (or Bellagio) Hold 'Em; or the super-loose, usually low limit games played in your neighborhood card room. This book addresses both rather well. It focuses on the fact that a poker player is making a continuous series of bets on some of which the odds situation is clear and some speculative. That's what makes the game fascinating and also makes this a useful book. The only reason for not having the fifth star is that one still doesn't get a notion of how much patience this all takes. But you can't have everything in one book, so this is highly recommended. Love.
Rating:
Summary: Nice broad coverage
Review: Of all of the books I've read on Hold'em, this one covers the broadest range of games. While other books tend to narrow their focus down to a particular type of opponents, Mr. Carson emphasizes changing your play to fit the game. There's actually a situation for which he recommends a pre-flop raise with Qxs, which I found quite revealing.
I also recommend "Small Stakes Hold 'em: Winning Big With Expert Play" from 2+2. Its specific examples and quizzes cover post-flop play in a way that compliments Carson's book.
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