Swayne's Advanced Degree In Hold'em
Reference Adult Education Self-Improvement Gambling Game Theory Poker Strategy Mathematics of Games
Charley Swayne’s 423-page playbook, “Swayne’s Advanced Degree in Hold’em,” has become the go-to graduate course for serious no-limit players who already know the rules but want the edge that turns weekend winners into long-term crushers. Published by ECW Press in 2009, this hefty, textbook-quality paperback distills the math, psychology and classroom-proven teaching methods Swayne refined while coaching hundreds of mid-stakes grinders. Instead of scattered tips, readers get a structured curriculum—hand-range charts, EV spreadsheets, bet-sizing formulas and situational quizzes—that mirrors an upper-level college course, complete with homework assignments and self-tests that force you to apply every concept before moving on.
What separates this volume from the poker-pack is the way it bridges academic rigor with real-table urgency. Swayne, a former economics professor, layers game-theory fundamentals on top of exploitative lines, so you learn both the GTO baseline and the precise leaks to attack in live $2-$5 or online 100NL games. Chapters on bankroll elasticity, tilt thermodynamics and table-selecting algorithms read like a finance textbook written by someone who’s also logged thousands of hours under casino lights. The result is a reference you can crack open in the parking lot for a fifteen-minute range tweak or study for three hours to overhaul an entire session plan.
Collectors and active players alike prize the 2009 first printing for its clean graphic tables and the durable lay-flat binding—this copy shows only light shelf scuffing, with crisp, unmarked pages and no ex-library or inscription issues. At 1 kg and oversized 254 mm height, it’s built to survive backpack, card-room and study-desk duty. Whether you’re aiming for small-stakes supremacy or simply want the most systematic path from “decent” to “dependably profitable,” Swayne’s Advanced Degree delivers the closest thing to an accredited education in hold’em—no tuition bill, just a single used-book investment that can pay for itself in one session.
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