I bought this book with ' Quest ' by Giorgio Kostantinos- highly recommend- and small stakes, I believe, is the first one anybody should pick up, if they're looking to improve their skills at the poker table. It explains concepts far more clearly and concisely than does Sklansky and Malmuth's Hold'em for Advanced Players, which I - like most readers, I think -had a fairly hard time getting through the first time I picked it up. There is nothing that stands out as a noticeable shortcoming, although I think that readers may initially have a little trouble getting comfortable with the more aggressive style of play the book recommends. That being said, aggressive play is essential to improving your poker skills. The sections on post-flop play are outstanding; in fact that's probably the most important piece of advice I internalized from this book: there are so many books and websites out there that devote tons of time to laying out preflop charts and guidelines, when post-flop play is exponentially more complex and important. I think readers still may not be equipped to handle the tougher games against super-aggressive opponents, but this book will go a long way toward helping you clean up against your buddies at your next poker night, or in the internet poker rooms - I was initially hesitant about doing the online thing, but you can find some free money sign-up bonus codes floating around the internet that will make it worthwhile...pokercroaker.com updates their codes frequently. Bottom line is that this is where I recommend all of my friends begin their reading; by far the best and most concisely written book I've read on the topic.