Pobby Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Can anyone recommend any good books for a beginner? I am more interested in no limit than any other type of game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valiant23 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? Poker For Dummies by Richard Harroch and Lou Krieger is a good start. :ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blade Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? I'd definately recommend both volumes of Harrington on Hold'Em if you prefer tournament to cash games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oskar Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? Gota agree with Blade, wish Harrington was out before i bought my others. Also recently read Greensteins 'Ace on the river' which was decent and if you get a holiday Stu Ungars bio 'Man behind the shades' is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valiant23 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? I'm after Harrington on Hold em myself, and I've only got Poker 4 Dummies and SS2. Are the books you've recommended good for beginners too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oskar Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? For me the two HOH are, but they are only really applicable to STT or more so MTT. I dont really play cash so for me they were spot on. Def improved my game, the first is the early stages up until the bubble/early money, the second one on the closing stagies of tournies. Ace on the river more a poker philosify book, interesting read and that but not one your re-read over and over again in my opinion. Stu Ungars just wanted to read the sotry of an amazing but fcuked up guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? I'm reading Harrington's first book at the moment. Like what I've read so far. :ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pobby Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? Thank you gents. I've just ordered both Harrington books from amazon. Oscar what's the bubble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgin Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? Pobby, any of David Sklansky's books - in particular Theory of Poker and Holdem Poker for Advanced Players - are excellent. He does however concentrate on fixed limit rather then no limit, but alot of what he says is applicable. I think Holdem for Advanced players is worth buying for the starting hand rankings alone. As a general rule anything published by 2+2 publishing is of very high quality. Harringtons books are really good, however I did find that my tournament winnings went down noticably after reading them. I think this is down to me misapplying the techniques (i.e. at the wrong time) rather then any faults with Harringtons ideas, but something to be aware of nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masterplan Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Re: Books? i have my copy of Poker for Dummies and Holdem Poker for Advanced Players as ebook format if anyone would like to borrow them, just lemme know ur email and you're welcome to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robilaruk Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Re: Books? I would avoid any Sklansky book to begin with - very good but bloody hard work, and not for beginners Harington on Hold-em I and II are the best 2 you can buy without a shadow of a doubt I understand that Small Stakes Hold Em by Miller (?) is also very good, tho I haven't read it. It is a +tive on the 2+2 review site And yes any book by 2+2 is generally worth it I would also plump for the classic Education of a Poker Player - it has no relevance to HE at all except for making you realise that weak cards are rarely going to win - so when I get a bit loose I go back to it to tighten up! Just my thoughts Damo :cheers Pobby, any of David Sklansky's books - in particular Theory of Poker and Holdem Poker for Advanced Players - are excellent. He does however concentrate on fixed limit rather then no limit, but alot of what he says is applicable. I think Holdem for Advanced players is worth buying for the starting hand rankings alone. As a general rule anything published by 2+2 publishing is of very high quality. Harringtons books are really good, however I did find that my tournament winnings went down noticably after reading them. I think this is down to me misapplying the techniques (i.e. at the wrong time) rather then any faults with Harringtons ideas, but something to be aware of nonetheless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oskar Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Re: Books? pobby the bubble is just before the money in a MTT, ie top 20 paid only 21 left, 21st goes out, or bubbles out, with zero cash. Dunno the origins of the name though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubermonkey1 Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Re: Books? phil helmuths play poker like the pros is also a good place to start ,its a bit less heavy than harrington and will give you a good insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pobby Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 Re: Books? Thanks gents for the advice. As stated I ordered both the Harrington books and they duly arrived yesterday. No one, however, warned me of the ridiculous picture on the cover of the aforementioned Harrington in his baseball cap. I shall have to cover them both in brown paper prior to reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robilaruk Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Re: Books? its best not to - otherwise you wouldn't have bought them.... :rollin glad u got them - enjoy:ok Damo :cheers Thanks gents for the advice. As stated I ordered both the Harrington books and they duly arrived yesterday. No one, however, warned me of the ridiculous picture on the cover of the aforementioned Harrington in his baseball cap. I shall have to cover them both in brown paper prior to reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgin Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Re: Books? Robilaruk - Millers small stakes hold'em is very good forgot to mention that (Yes I do own far too many poker books :$), but again it's focussed on fixed limit not no limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffster Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Re: Books? What do people of Brunson's "Super System 2" ? I got both SS2 and Sklansky's "The Theory of Poker" free by signing up a Party Poker account via a link on www.internettextasholdem.com , but have not round to reading either of yet... Your thoughts are of interest.. Cheers, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAULM03 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Re: Books? On the subject of books, do you find generally that they have improved your game to a level beyond what you would have been capable of without them? I have to confess to never having read any poker theory other than a sheet of starting hands I downloaded and used as a cribsheet for a week or 2. I find that poker at the level I play (mainly $5 STTs and the occasional $10) is a game of common sense and find it possible to make a consistent profit by only playing premium hands and a favourable flop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaF Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Re: Books? Paul - I think books provide a "shortcut" to poker experience - you can get there I'm sure without reading books, however, reading the experience of Pro's who have many years experience "teaches" you some of the lessons they have learnt and the many years experience they have ...... My game is without doubt significantly stronger now with the reading I have done, than it would be without having done that reading...... With regards to Super System II - I don't like it - I don't like the approach and I feel it could be an extremely damaging book for beginners - it obviously outlines an approach which has been successful at the very top level, but it is an approach I believe can't work for beginner (or intermediate) players, or on low stake tables - I beleieve that it is a book which needs to be treated with extreme caution...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valiant23 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Re: Books? As a 'bible' I find that SSII can be extremely damaging to a lot of peoples games, but even though I have almost finished reading it - I stopped because like Gaf I thought it was doing me more harm than good - I would suggest that there are some real golden nuggets that stick in your subconscious. I think books should perhaps be used by a poker player in the same way as a golfer may use a club pro. They can sometimes rectify little errors that creep into ones game, and sometimes re-affirm that which one is doing right. I think reading SSII has helped me, but only because I have been able to take those nuggets and incorporate them into my game. I can almost guarantee that anyone who reads any poker book will see a downturn in their fortune on the tables before seeing an upswing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gazza271 Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Re: Books? I started reading SS2 but after reading the advice on here i have just ordered Harrington vol 1 and 2 from amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stereoman Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? Harrington on Hold'Em Volume 3 will soon be out in the shops (UGH! Ugly grey cover though!) as well as David Sklansky & Ed Miller's No Limit Hold 'em: Theory & Practice. You can have a look over at Two Plus Two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prowler Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? Paul - I think books provide a "shortcut" to poker experience - you can get there I'm sure without reading books, however, reading the experience of Pro's who have many years experience "teaches" you some of the lessons they have learnt and the many years experience they have ...... My game is without doubt significantly stronger now with the reading I have done, than it would be without having done that reading...... With regards to Super System II - I don't like it - I don't like the approach and I feel it could be an extremely damaging book for beginners - it obviously outlines an approach which has been successful at the very top level, but it is an approach I believe can't work for beginner (or intermediate) players, or on low stake tables - I beleieve that it is a book which needs to be treated with extreme caution...... not a shortcut IMO but a kind of safety blanket when ya first starting out, and choosing the right books can and will make a lot of difference to the way you play and how quickly you adapt to different types of game for a beginner ken warren teaches texas holdem (cardoza publishing) will take you through all the basics ( starting hands, position, hand %'s with lots of basic statistics and comparitive graphs) an ideal book for building the foundations of solid, good play. sklanskys "theory of poker" (revised edition) is probably (again in my opinion) the best book out there but useless for a beginner as a lot of it conflicts with what ya already learnt, and will only serve to confuse anyone who isnt well versed in standard play strategies. i'm in total agreement about super system......its outdated and not written for todays poker game, super system 2 is updated but the whole book is based on the fact your playing x amount of players who have also read it which is never the case theres no substitute for playing poker to learn and gain experience but referring back to the right books as you progress can make a hell of a lot of difference to how far you get with it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? I had to do it - I was feeling left out. I've just ordered the two Harrington on Holdem books - can't get left behind!!!! The general consensus seems to be that they are pretty good books. I did buy Super System I - and I tried some of the techniques - and it was awful for me - went from a tight profitable player to a bit of a fish!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masterplan Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? if you'd wanted to 'borrow' my e-book copies of harrington 1 and 2 you coulda just asked :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedonist Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? Another good one is the free book you can get from Mansion Well worth the money :lol :lol :lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapdash Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Re: Books? Not a book for beginners, but a book I read recently that I liked is "Making the Final Table" by Erick Lindgren. It has its flaws (I could do without the chapter on how to cope when you've won a million dollars in a poker tournament ... frankly, that's a problem I'm happy to ignore until it arises), and some of the stuff about the early stages of tournaments assumes long blind levels and deep stacks, so may not be so relevant to the tournaments we play. But it contains a lot of interesting ideas and it's interesting to get a looser player's perspective to compare with Harrington, who is notoriously tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizdalord Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Re: Books? do u guys know an online store where i could check for these books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avongirl Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Re: Books? I got Harrington from Amazon.co.uk - book came from USA via them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaF Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 Re: Books? Have been trying to get Harrington III - should have been out on 30th May - but doesn't seem available anbywhere yet..... 2 plus 2 will send a copy from the US for $30 p & p :loon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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