Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold 'Em Poker Tournaments

by Blair Rodman, Lee Nelson, Steven Heston, Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

Overview

Thanks to television, the Internet, and the incredible popularity of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, when Kill Phil was first published in 2006, tournament poker had become the richest sport in the world. The problem was that no-limit hold 'em was dominated by a handful of experienced and skilled professional players. Kill Phil turned the tables on the pros by introducing a strategy that allowed even an absolute novice to compete against the best players in the world.

The Kill Phil strategy remains highly effective when used in confrontations with even the world's best players, but tournament play is evolving. This revised edition reflects the new trends in tournament poker by refining the use of the all-in move and providing adaptations that take into account the new style of hyper-aggressive play.

At its core, though, Kill Phil remains what it's been from the start--the best method possible for entering the exciting and potentially lucrative poker-tournament arena.
Read Kill Phil and:

Learn an abbreviated system--the "Kill Phil Rookie"--that's simple enough to be mastered within an hour and powerful enough to make you competitive in your first tournament.
Climb the Kill Phil ladder, learning more powerful strategies as you gain real-time experience.
Adjust your play for success in online tournaments, Sit-n-Go's, and single-table satellites.

As a special bonus, this new edition contains the complete set of strategies formatted as they appear on the Kill Phil strategy cards--an added $14.95 value!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935396314
Publisher:	Huntington Press
Publication date:	06/30/2009
Edition description:	Expanded
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Blair Rodman made it into the prize money six times and played at three final tables in the 2004 WSOP. He topped it off finishing 54th out of 2,576 players (one spot behind the legendary Doyle Brunson). Blair continued the pace in 2005, making two final tables on the WSOP circuit, finishing second in the World Poker Tour finale at the Reno Hilton for a $327,000 payday, as well as second place at the Ultimate Poker Challenge at the Union Plaza.

Lee Nelson's style is opponent-dependent and varies according to table composition, psychological factors, and the meta-game. Lee, a retired doctor, is skilled at picking up tells and exploiting them. Lee is also a prolific poker-book writer, having co-written Kill Phil, Kill Everyone, and The Raiser's Edge.

Steven Heston is a professor of finance at a prestigious East Coast university who developed option and quantitative-investment models used on Wall Street. He designed the computer models used in Kill Phil and did the optimal departure analysis for Don Schlesinger's Blackjack Attack.

Table of Contents

Foreword-One of the Phils Fires Back xi

Introduction to the New Edition and Important Strategy Updates 1

The Mathematics Behind Kill Phil 9

Let's Kill Phil 15

Part 1 Beginning Considerations

1 The History of Poker Tournaments 31

2 Understanding No-Limit Hold 'Em 37

3 The Benefits of Big-Pot Poker 53

4 Characteristics of Winning No-Limit Tournament Players 59

Part 2 The Kill Phil Beginner Strategies

5 The Basis For The Kill Phil Strategies 67

6 Kill Phil Rookie 73

7 Kill Phil Basic 77

Part 3 The Kill Phil Intermediate Strategies

8 Kill Phil Basic Plus 111

9 Fine-Tuning Kill Phil Basic Plus 129

Part 4 Advanced Kill Phil Strategies

10 Kill Phil Expert 153

11 Kill Phil in Practice 175

12 Attitudes and Latitudes 197

13 Phil is Dead; Long Live Phil 227

Appendix I Poker Hands 231

Appendix II Basics of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em 233

Appendix III How No-Limit Hold 'Em Tournaments Work 237

Appendix IV Glossary 239

Appendix V Pre-flop Match-Ups 253

Appendix VI Post-flop Match-Ups 255

Appendix VII Probability of Winning a Showdown with A<$>K<$> vs. Black Pairs 257

Appendix VIII Outs 259

Appendix IX Pair Probability 261

Appendix X Deal Formula 263

Appendix XI Recommended Reading and Websites 265

Appendix XII The Kill Phil Strategy Cards 269

Index 281