In the introduction of Harrington on Hold ’em, Dan Harrington sets the stage by explaining how poker evolved from a small, regional card game into a modern global phenomenon, with no-limit Texas hold ’em emerging as the dominant tournament form. He links this rise especially to television and online poker, which made the game more visible, understandable, and attractive to a mass audience.
Why No-Limit Hold ’em Matters
Harrington points out that no-limit hold ’em has become the centerpiece of serious poker competition. It decides world championships, dominates televised coverage, and fills online tournament lobbies at all buy-in levels. Despite this popularity, most existing poker books at the time focused on limit games rather than on the tournament-based, no-limit format that new players were increasingly encountering. The book is presented as a response to that gap.
Purpose of the Book
The author makes clear that this volume is designed to teach players how to handle the early and middle phases of no-limit hold ’em tournaments. Because the game is too complex for a single book, the project is split into two volumes, with the later stages of tournaments reserved for the second one. Together, they aim to provide a complete framework for tournament success.
Structure of Volume I
Harrington outlines how the first volume is organized, moving from broad concepts to more detailed strategy:
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Foundations of the game, including how to evaluate hands and understand what makes no-limit hold ’em unique.
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Playing styles, explaining different approaches to aggression and caution, and why switching styles is often necessary.
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Reading opponents and yourself, through betting patterns and physical behavior.
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Essential mathematics, such as odds and how they shape decisions.
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Pre-flop and post-flop betting, covering how to build pots, protect hands, and react to different board textures.
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Later-street play, focusing on extracting value, handling draws, and making final betting decisions.
How the Hand Examples Are Used
A major teaching tool in the book is a large collection of real tournament hands. Harrington encourages readers to treat these like practice tests: think through each situation before reading the explanation. The hands are drawn from many sources and are meant to reflect realistic tournament situations, not just dramatic all-in moments. The goal is to train readers to think like poker players in everyday, difficult spots.
Real Poker vs. Televised Poker
Harrington stresses that most tournaments are not decided by flashy, highlight-reel hands. Instead, they are won through countless small and medium decisions between moderately strong and moderately weak holdings. The book focuses on this less glamorous but far more important part of the game.
Who the Book Is For
The introduction makes it clear that this is not a beginner’s guide. Readers are expected to already know the basic rules and flow of no-limit hold ’em. At the same time, the author avoids excessive complexity, emphasizing practical thinking and simple, useful math over heavy theory.
A Flexible Approach to Strategy
Finally, Harrington explains that poker decisions are rarely absolute. The advice in the book is meant to be sound and practical, but different situations can justify different choices. With experience, players should learn when and why to adjust away from the standard recommendations.
Overall, the introduction frames the book as a focused, practical guide to mastering modern no-limit hold ’em tournaments, aimed at players who already know the game and want to learn how to think and act like winning competitors.