In the packet from my editor this month, I found a copy of Annie Duke’s "Beginner’s Guide to Texas Hold’em." This video is for beginners. It is oriented toward the mechanics of play more than strategy or tactics. It has value for three groups; a novice home game, someone about to play their first live game at a public card room or to an organizer that wants to run a Hold’em tournament to raise funds. It presents the proper etiquette and mechanics of the game. She also covers; odds, pot odds, a very basic beginner strategy and home tournaments.

For the home game the examples of string bets, why you don’t splash the pot, and just the general explanation of how the game operates will be useful. These concepts are important to keeping the game running smoothly and speeding up play. If you have to spend time reconstructing a betting round to insure the pot is right, you are not playing poker. If you can make the mechanics second nature, the game won’t deteriorate after a "few" beers. The discussion of odds, pot odds and basic strategy may help some players but I’ve found in the Novice game, any two will usually do. Well for many players anyway.

For the player about to make his first foray into a live poker room, buy, rent or borrow this video first. Most online players have no idea what a string be is, since they are impossible online. The same can be said for splashing the pot. It just doesn’t happen online. I’ve often seen new live players sit down and become embarrassed by the number of etiquette or mechanic mistakes they make at the table. Give yourself and the rest of us a break. We have heard an explanation of a string bet hundreds of times. Watch the video.

If your organization intends to run a Poker Tournament to raise money, with inexperienced dealers, this video would be a great training tool. If the dealers don’t understand the mechanics of the game, the players never will and the games will become disorganized quite quickly. Remember that these tournaments tend to be oriented toward having fun, and not the game. So, I would suggest you not try to strictly enforce the rules but try to adhere to these procedures but definitely use them as guidelines.

Okay those are the reasons to buy the video. If you are not a beginner, don’t bother. If you are looking for strategy and tactics, Phil Helmuth’s "Million Dollar Power System" is better. I haven’t seen Chan’s video yet, but based on their books, his video is probably better. Additionally Duke didn’t present very well. I don’t think she rehearsed without the camera running, and she should know that; determine, calculate, and understand are all synonyms for "figure out." Finally some charts or graphics could have really helped the viewer "figure out" some of the sections, especially the two on odds and pot odds.

GL

jb

Editors Note: jbharshaw has written articles for PokerNewsWeb for over two years now, and has his own poker information site at BestPokerGuide.net