Harrington on Hold 'em Volume 2: Endgame Review

TL;DR

Dan Harrington's Harrington on Hold 'em Volume 2: Endgame is the foundational tournament-poker book on late-stage play — short stacks, bubble dynamics, push-fold ranges, and heads-up. Solver-driven analysis has refined some of the specific ranges, but Harrington's strategic frame and the M-ratio concept (your stack divided by the cost of one orbit) are still the right vocabulary for talking about tournament play. If you've made deep runs and don't know your push-fold spots cold, this is the book to read.

Why It Matters

Most tournament players play the early stages well and bleed equity in the late stages where the math gets unforgiving. Volume 2 codifies the discipline of late-tournament play: when to ladder, when to gamble for chips, when to fold to the bubble. Even with modern solver outputs, Harrington's pedagogy explains why the ranges look the way they do.

Key Specs

Author: Dan Harrington (1995 WSOP Main Event champion)
Co-author: Bill Robertie
Pages: ~432
Publisher: Two Plus Two
Format: paperback, ebook
Position in series: Volume 2 of 3 (Vol 1 = early stages, Vol 3 = workbook)

Pros

Definitive treatment of tournament endgame strategy
M-ratio framework is now standard vocabulary
Push-fold guidance still aligns with solver outputs
Bubble and ICM-adjacent dynamics covered intuitively
Heads-up chapter is genuinely useful
Pairs with Volume 3 (workbook) for practice

Cons

2005 publication — predates aggressive modern solver play
Some specific ranges narrower than current GTO
Less coverage of online-specific dynamics
Doesn't address bounty / PKO formats (newer)
Length is daunting for newer players

Who It's For

Tournament players with intermediate experience — at least dozens of multi-table tournaments under their belt. Anyone who's reached the bubble and not known what to do. Live tournament regulars. Skip it if you're new to tournament poker (start with Volume 1 first) or if you only play cash.

How to Use It

Read chapters on M-ratio first; that frame anchors everything. Drill push-fold tables until ranges are automatic at common stack depths. Use the workbook (Volume 3) to test yourself on specific spots. Re-read the heads-up chapter before any final-table appearance.

How It Compares

Vs. The Mental Game of Poker (Tendler): different problem — Tendler is psychology, Harrington is strategy. Vs. modern solver-based tournament books (Snowie analyses, Roca, etc.): solver outputs are more precise; Harrington explains the why. Vs. Volume 1 of the series: Volume 1 covers early stages, Volume 2 covers the part most players misplay.