I had always been an above average fixed-limit hold'em player, but was the first to admit that I was absolutely CLUELESS when it came to no-limit (and no-limit tournaments). Harrington, however, explains VERY clearly how to approach the early and middle stages of NL tournaments (the 2nd volume to be released later this year will cover the late stages - I can't wait). This book helped my tournament play more than ANY other book or friendly conversation I've ever had. I started off tackling the low-limit online sit and go NL tournies, and ended up in the money (top 3 out of 10) around 50% of the time. The examples from his book are priceless - taken from actual tournaments he has played in - and he always, always takes time to explain how his read on a player affected his decision.

Perhaps what I appreciated most was that unlike nearly every other book I have read, Harrington doesn't preach his style of play as the be all and end all. In fact, several times he goes out of his way to note that there are a number of different styles that could be adopted - and even praises many of his peers as masters of a looser/aggressive styles than he's comfortable with. Whereas other books I have found leave you pretty much stranded if you don't agree with something the author writes, Harrington explains the THOUGHT PROCESS so clearly that should you choose to deviate from his strategy, you have a good idea just how to do that.

Take all of my feedback with a grain of salt, because I really have stuck mostly to online tournaments, but I'm sure that his advice applies expertly to live casino tournies as well. Personally, I like online play better - I was a little hesitant at first, but after taking the plunge, I don't understand what all the worry is about. Read some site reviews at pokercroaker.com that will help you pick which poker site to try. Overall, I'm extraordinarily happy with this book, and eagerly look forward to the 2nd volume.