This volume is the second volume of a two-volume book of no limit holdem written by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie.  Dan Harrington’s credentials as a world-class poker player are well established and well known by serious poker players everywhere.  He won the 1995 World Series of Poker main event and finished at the final table in each of the last two such events  --  an unparalleled and extraordinary achievement,  given the huge number of contestants now entering this event.  Bill Robertie is a world-class backgammon player and experienced amateur poker player.

Although the focus of Volume II is final table play in large tournaments,  the topics introduced and elaborated on are of central importance to any no-limit play.  In that sense,  this is a useful book for ring game players as well as tournament players.  It is without a doubt that best book on no limit holdem written for either audience.

Harrington and Robertie break new ground in many regards with Volume II.  They memorialize and codify general concepts of no-limit play with a language that is,  if not new,  at least originally used.  For example,  the concept of  "Inflection Points"  and the notion of the strong and weak force  (M and Q, respectively)  have never been presented in print before.  (Although the authors give credit to backgammon player “Paul Magriel” for coming up with the concept of “M,”  I have never seen it in any other poker literature.)  Similarly,  while many of us do understand,  in general,  the notion of different stages of tournament play and the importance of each player’s relative stack size,  Harrington and Robertie simplify and clarify it by introducing the simple notion of different  “zones”  a player enters as his stack diminishes and the blinds rise at the final table.

Volume II has six chapters,  covering the broad topics of  “Making Moves,”  “Inflection Points,”  “Multiple Inflection Points,”  “Short Tables,”  “Heads-Up” play,  “Final Thoughts”  and a brief  “Conclusion.”  All the chapters are themselves divided into numerous sections.  Each chapter ends with at least a few  “Problems”  which lay out a hand for the reader to analyze.  The authors then explain their take on proper play for each sample hand situation.  The book has a very brief introduction,  a thorough index and no glossary.

The first chapter,  labeled  “Part Eight: Making Moves,”  contains 17 sections,  all on different moves that can be made at the final table of a no limit holdem tournament.  Consider the list of sections:  “The Continuation Bet,”  “The Probe Bet,”  “Bluffing,”  “The Squeeze Play,”  and  “The No-Limit Semi-Bluff.”  While all of these sections are useful in developing the readers’ skills at the final table of a tournament, each also contains information vital to successful play in any no limit holdem contest.

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But the greater achievement in my view is the second reason that this text is extraordinary.  Harrington and Robertie go beyond creating a reference book on no limit holdem.  They give us something that is remarkably handy and accessible.  Any no limit holdem player with at least a fair amount of experience will be able to use this text as an instruction manual for higher level play  --  actually following along with Harrington's and Robertie’s thinking on the specific play of the hand.  As such it is an unparalleled instruction manual for those who regularly play this complicated and increasingly popular game.

To be sure,  this is not a text for the beginner.  Someone with no knowledge of no limit poker would not have the tools or the points of reference to access the information in this book.  But unlike some other Two Plus Two texts,  the writing in this book is simple,  clear and accessible.  You just need to have at least a fair amount of play under your belt to appreciate all of the many finer points of play presented so brilliantly here.