A good hold’em poker strategy book for a relative beginner?
Question by THJE: A good hold’em poker strategy book for a relative beginner?
I’m good at maths and it occurred to me now that i have a few months with nothing to do i should use this to try and make money with online poker. I’ve played with my family before, but usually with play money and not to a very high standard. I can work out the probabilities of a hand winning and stuff, but i am aware there’s a lot more to it, including analyzing the way players bet and the psychology of it, so does anyone know of a good book that can help me learn some of that stuff. Specifically, I’d like to learn how to win at low-limit tables (like .50/ or lower), and take the money off the players which i assume are quite bad who play on those tables.
So basically I want a book on limit hold’em poker strategy designed for consistently taking small amounts of money from weak players. Can anyone reccomend anything?
thank you Judas (!), do you know where I could buy that Lee Jones one in London, I’ve also heard about it and by the title it sounds fairly ideal…
Best answer:
Answer by JudasHero
Depends what games you’re playing exactly, but here’s what I’ve heard is good:
Super System 1 & 2 (Doyle Brunson)
David Sklansky’s Theory of Poker and Hold Em Poker (Sklansky is consider THE expert on anything poker, especially in regards to theory)
Internet Texas Hold Em (Matthew Hilger)
The Complete Book of Hold Em Poker (Gary Carson)
Hold Em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner (Lou Krieger)
Winning Low Limit Hold Em (Lee Jones; this one has been recommended to me many times since I also play low limits)
Hope that helps.
Also, just looking up strategy in general will give you a lot of great tips. There are lots of great articles out there, many by professional players, completely free.
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One Response to “A good hold’em poker strategy book for a relative beginner?”
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This web site has PRECISELY what you’re looking for:
http://casinogambling.about.com/od/poker/tp/holdembooks.htm?r=94
I’ve read a number of books geared toward players of greatly varied skill levels, however Ken Warren’s “Winner’s Guide to Texas Hold’em” is my favorite. It’s ranked #5 on the web site listed, however.
When I began playing, I was a blackjack player. I loved the math and could count cards a dozen different ways. Regardless, there’s no money even for a good card counter in blackjack without the ability the vary one’s bets greatly between hands. (And how does one do that without drawing too much attention?) That’s when I began studying the math behind Hold’em.
Adhering strictly to Ken Warren’s strategy made me a winning player from day one. Playing against people that had been playing the game a lot longer than I’d been alive, I came out ahead in my first five sessions of $2-$5 limit casino poker in Blackhawk, CO. Overall, I made $9.60/ hr. in that game over the course of about seven years — nearly twice the goal of “one big bet per hour.”
The game’s changed a lot since the book came out and it probably wouldn’t hurt to eventually follow up with another classic: Sklansky and Malmuth’s “Hold’em for Advanced Players.”
But for now, start with Warren’s book. Specifically, pay attention to his recommended hands for given positions and commit them to memory. DO NOT deviate from them! It will be tempting to play that King-Jack under the gun, but force yourself to keep folding it. That King-Nine (regardless your position) may seem pretty, but it sucks — don’t play it! Seven-Ten suited in a family pot? Doesn’t matter — pitch it!
Bottom line, get real used to folding. Fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, and fold some more. When you’re finally fed up with folding, force yourself to fold even more.
Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect… practice makes PERMANENT. Practice sound poker. Don’t deviate. DON’T EVER TILT! Don’t ever play a hand for the “hell of it.” Don’t play like the guy’s you’ve seen on TV.
After you’ve mastered limit play and are calculating pot odds without thinking, then consider expanding your game to include no limit. In no limit, pot odds are replaced by implied odds and your starting hand selection should change a bit, but overall the principles are the same.
Read up and good luck, man!
P.S. – Keep a log of your play. Track all your wins and losses and know how much per hour you’re winning or losing since you’ve begun. Once you’re in the black, congratulate youself — you’re ahead of about 95% (probably more) of the poker-playing public.