Dan Harrington’s two-volume series on No-Limit Hold’em tournament strategy is widely considered the most important instructional poker work ever published. Written in collaboration with backgammon champion Bill Robertie, these books transformed how an entire generation of players thinks about tournament poker.
Harrington won the 1995 WSOP Main Event, then made back-to-back final tables in 2003 (3rd out of 839) and 2004 (4th out of 2,576) — at the time, the two largest fields in history. When this man writes about tournament strategy, the results back up every word.
Volume 1: Strategic Play
Volume 1 covers the early and middle stages of no-limit tournaments — when stacks are deep, blinds are low, and the foundation for the rest of your tournament is being built.
What Volume 1 covers
The book is divided into key concepts and real-table problems you work through yourself. Topics include how to play specific hands from different positions, continuation bets, different playing styles, and building a solid chip stack when you have room to maneuver.
After each concept, you’re quizzed on a sample tournament hand with a visual setup. This quiz format — where you have to commit to a decision before reading the analysis — is what makes the learning stick.
What makes it different
Most poker books at the time relied on mathematical formulas and rigid hand charts. Harrington takes a different approach: No-Limit Hold’em is an art that focuses on position and players rather than rigid math. The concepts are based on sound fundamentals but emphasis is placed on feel, reads, and adaptability.
Who it’s for
Despite covering “basics,” this isn’t strictly a beginner’s book. It’s best understood by intermediate players looking to completely master tournament play. The advanced nature of the material is a major distinction from most poker books — and the reason it’s remained relevant for over 20 years.
What makes Harrington on Hold’em special is that it isn’t strictly for beginners. In fact, it’s best understood by advanced players looking to completely master tournament play. Most poker books are either too basic or too theoretical. This one sits in the sweet spot.
Volume 2: The Endgame
Volume 2 picks up where the first left off — the critical late stages where blinds are high, stacks are short, and every decision carries massive ICM implications.
The M-ratio concept
The single most important concept in Volume 2 is “M” — the ratio of your chip stack to the blinds and antes. As blinds escalate, your M determines your strategic options: with a high M you can play creatively, with a low M you’re in push-or-fold territory. This framework is still how every serious tournament player thinks about stack management today.
Short-handed and heads-up play
Harrington covers the need for increased aggression as tables shrink. The sections on short-handed play and heads-up play are essential — especially with the rise of online Sit ’n Go’s and final table dynamics where most of the money is made.
Final table strategy
The endgame material covers navigating final tables, managing pay jumps, and adjusting to different stack sizes around the table. Even cash game players will find useful concepts around timing moves and managing opponents.
Before Harrington, tournament players had no standardized framework for thinking about stack depth. The M-ratio gave everyone a shared vocabulary: “I’m in the yellow zone” or “my M is 5” instantly communicates your strategic situation. Modern solvers have confirmed that Harrington’s intuitive zones were remarkably close to optimal.
The Series as a Whole
Together, the two volumes cover the complete arc of a no-limit tournament — from the first hand to the final table. Volume 1 builds your foundation. Volume 2 teaches you how to close. They’re designed to be read in order, but each stands on its own.
The quiz format is the secret weapon. Instead of passively reading strategy, you’re forced to think through decisions before seeing the expert analysis. It’s the closest thing to actual at-the-table training that a book can provide.
In a game that evolves constantly, these books from 2004–2005 remain essential reading. The core principles — position, aggression, stack management, adaptation — are timeless. The M-ratio is still used daily by every tournament player. GTO solvers have added nuance, but the foundation Harrington laid is permanent.
About the Authors
Dan Harrington
Dan Harrington started taking poker seriously in 1982. He won the 1995 WSOP Main Event, made back-to-back Main Event final tables in 2003–2004, and won the 2007 WPT Legends of Poker. He also excels at backgammon and chess. His playing style — tight-aggressive, ironically nicknamed “Action Dan” — is exactly what the books teach.
Bill Robertie
Robertie is a two-time World Backgammon Champion, a chess master, and the co-author of all three Harrington volumes. His background in game theory and strategic analysis is what gives the books their intellectual rigor. The Harrington-Robertie collaboration is one of the most productive partnerships in poker publishing.
If you own one series on how to play poker tournaments, Harrington’s books should be it. Instead of relying on mathematical crutches to justify strategy, Harrington teaches through real-world scenarios and forces you to think. Twenty years later, the M-ratio is still the standard, the quiz format is still unmatched, and the strategic principles are still how winning players approach tournaments. This is the tournament player’s bible. The rating: 98/100 for both volumes.