This text is must reading for anyone planning to play hold?em. It was the first definitive work on hold?em poker and was originally published in 1976. Yet, it is still one of the most important and best selling poker books available. The text is designed for someone relatively new to the game, but it also contains much sophisticated material which all players should find beneficial. It is probably best known for the Sklansky Hand Rankings, which made the game much simpler to quantify and understand. Some of the topics include how Texas hold?em is played, the importance of position, the first two cards, the key "flops," strategy before the flop, semi-bluffing, the free card, slowplaying, check raising, head-up on fifth street, and how to read hands. Not only was this text, which is Sklansky?s first work, a major contributor to the explosive growth of this game, it is also a book that should still be read by all serious players.