Don't be fooled by the title: Internet Hold’Em is Hold’Em, plan and simple. The rules are the same. There are a few differences between online and casino Hold’Em which Hilger addresses. For example, if you are good at reading other people, it won't help you on the internet because you can't see your opponent. There are no tells to pick up in internet play - with one exception: How long it takes your opponent until he acts when it is his turn. I agree with Hilger that it probably means something when your opponent acts immediately but I would be cautious to draw any conclusions when it takes unusual long until your opponent makes his move. That doesn't necessarily means that he has a tough decision to make, there are a lot of other possible explanations: He could be playing two or more games online at the same time, he could be watching TV, the phone rings, his girlfriend has just arrived or he is grabbing a beer can, just to name a few.
Two other differences between online and casino game Hilger mentions are that internet players seems to be "trickier" ("The virtual environment of the internet makes many players play a little more deceptively than they would against a live opponent") and there is more bluffing going on. I think these observations are correct. On the internet players bluff a little more often since, as Hilger points out, "they only have to click the mouse".

In my opinion a synthesis of Ciaffone's and Briar's book Middle Limit Holdem and Sklansky's and Malmuth's Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players would make a nearly perfect Hold’Em book. Middle Limit Holdem contains a lot of carefully selected examples from live play but the theoretical part of the book, though not bad, could be better. On the other hand Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players is excellent at explaining the theoretical concepts and strategies but lacks the examples from real play.
Now Matthew Hilger has written the perfect combination. The examples from internet play he uses are even better and more convincingly analyzed than those in Ciaffone's and Briar's book. And the theoretical part is more extensive and more complete than what you find in Sklansky's and Malmuth's book without being superficial or vague.

Hilger's book is not aimed at beginners. It doesn't waste space for topics like hand rankings, the rules of the game, what the button means and thinks like that most Hold’Em books start with. Hilger assumes that you already know how to play Hold’Em. To derive maximum benefit from the book you should already have some playing experience and you should have read some books about Hold’Em otherwise you might even have trouble understanding the first chapter "Probability and Odds". Though Hilger does an excellent job presenting the material it might be a tough reading if you lack the playing and theoretical background.

All chapters in the book are structured in uniform manner. First Hilger conveys the theoretical foundations, in which important points and concepts are visually emphasized, then a "Chapter Review" summarizes the most important points and at the end of the chapter you find "Test Your Skills", a collection of selected examples from internet play. What you should do with the examples is the following: Take a sheet of paper and cover the answer. Then read the question. Think hard what you would do in the given situation. After you have come to your own conclusion look at the answer. If your answer is different from the one Hilger gives you, chances are that it is you that is wrong. Read the answer carefully and reconsider if you have taken all the arguments Hilger mentions for his conclusion taken into account. I found Hilger’s answers and explanations to be excellent. I would suggest that after you have finished reading the book you should go through the examples many times until the answers become second nature to you. Then you are on your way to become a winning Hold’Em player, not only on the internet but in a real casino as well.

Is there no criticism about this book? Well, it depends on what limit you are playing. Though the title doesn't say so, Hilger's book is aimed at the higher limit Hold’Em games ($15-30 and up). If you play for lower stakes the advice Hilger gives is not always optimal. There are some hints in the book how to adjust for low limit play but that's probably not comprehensive enough for most players. Make no mistakes, even if you follow Hilger's advice in a low limit game, let's say $2-4, you will still win. But you will not win as much as you could because you are playing too tight. Basically in low limit games you should play more hands than Hilger suggests. There are two reasons for that. First, though you play more hands you still play tighter than most of your opponents which means you still have a starting hand advantage. Second, because you play more hands you now have more opportunities to take advantage of the poor play most low limit players exhibit after the flop.

All in all Hilger's book is excellent, probably the best book about limit Hold’Em on the market, no matter if you play on the internet or not. I wished there would be more books of this caliber about other games, especially no limit Hold’Em, Omaha high and tournament play comes to mind. Maybe Hilger could write one of these books.

(Tristan Steiger)

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