How good is your limit hold'em

[Adman]

It's a great book and one of the more advanced ones available. For someone getting started in LHE, I would think it may be almost useless as some of the problems are very difficult. This book made me really think about the game more than any other I have read. I got a lot out of it, thats for sure. I would be very surprised if anyone got all the questions in it right. I know my average score over all the problems was something like 89% (I can't remember it's been a while) so I know I still have a bit to learn.

[deadcat3x]

its a great book read and re-read

[ByronJacobs]

Thanks for the interest in this book. A friend of mine recently complained that he had read it, tried to put the strategies into practice and it had been disastrous for his game. Turns out he plays $0.50-$1.00. The basic premise of the book is that the edges in non-short-handed limit are tiny and so if you want to get anywhere you have to push very hard every time you spot something that looks remotely like an edge. However, these aggressive strategies work best at the middle limits. When I wrote the book these were 15-30 and 20-40. Nowadays I think they go all the way up to 50-100.

I am currently writing "How Good 2" which will focus exclusively on short-handed and very short-handed limit. I am about half way through and we anticipate publishing around July/August this year. It will be around 300 pages long and in a similar format to HG 1.

[numbnuts007]

Thanks for the reply Byron,

I think this was the main point of my original post. You made several references to this applying to middle limit games online and I was wondering more about its applicability to more passive games live and in lower limits online. Do you think the book could get me in trouble in these games? Do you think I should go through it now or wait until I'm playing in those tougher games?

I have no doubt that it's a great book with great advice, I clearly see it's value just a few pages in.

Thanks

[JJay1231]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the interest in this book. A friend of mine recently complained that he had read it, tried to put the strategies into practice and it had been disastrous for his game. Turns out he plays $0.50-$1.00. The basic premise of the book is that the edges in non-short-handed limit are tiny and so if you want to get anywhere you have to push very hard every time you spot something that looks remotely like an edge. However, these aggressive strategies work best at the middle limits. When I wrote the book these were 15-30 and 20-40. Nowadays I think they go all the way up to 50-100.

I am currently writing "How Good 2" which will focus exclusively on short-handed and very short-handed limit. I am about half way through and we anticipate publishing around July/August this year. It will be around 300 pages long and in a similar format to HG 1.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then I apologise for my post. On Amazon it says that the book will be 205 pages long........

[ByronJacobs]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the reply Byron,

I think this was the main point of my original post. You made several references to this applying to middle limit games online and I was wondering more about its applicability to more passive games live and in lower limits online. Do you think the book could get me in trouble in these games? Do you think I should go through it now or wait until I'm playing in those tougher games?

I have no doubt that it's a great book with great advice, I clearly see it's value just a few pages in.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

My own view (echoing Phydaux elsewhere in this thread) is that anything that gets you thinking about Poker in the right way (hopefully HGIYLH falls into this category) is good to read. It doesn't necessarily matter that the specific strategies are not immediately applicable to the games that you play.

When I learnt hold'em around 2001/2002 the very first book I read was the Sklansky/Malmuth Advanced Guide (there was less choice in those days). The book was way, way over my head and I didn't really 'get it' at all. However, the knowledge lurked at the back of my mind and - as I slowly graduated from being a typical weak/passive player - pieces of the jigsaw gradually fell into place. I suspect that vaguely knowing where I wanted to go helped to get there.

[ByronJacobs]

[ QUOTE ]
On Amazon it says that the book will be 205 pages long........

[/ QUOTE ]

Page lengths are terribly unreliable as regards quantity of content anyway. Even books with the same page size can be wildly different. Margin size, font size, font style, line leading etc all play a role. I have seen 400 page books with less content than 176 page ones.

The only real accurate guide is word count, but this is never featured in book information.

[numbnuts007]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the reply Byron,

I think this was the main point of my original post. You made several references to this applying to middle limit games online and I was wondering more about its applicability to more passive games live and in lower limits online. Do you think the book could get me in trouble in these games? Do you think I should go through it now or wait until I'm playing in those tougher games?

I have no doubt that it's a great book with great advice, I clearly see it's value just a few pages in.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

My own view (echoing Phydaux elsewhere in this thread) is that anything that gets you thinking about Poker in the right way (hopefully HGIYLH falls into this category) is good to read. It doesn't necessarily matter that the specific strategies are not immediately applicable to the games that you play.

When I learnt hold'em around 2001/2002 the very first book I read was the Sklansky/Malmuth Advanced Guide (there was less choice in those days). The book was way, way over my head and I didn't really 'get it' at all. However, the knowledge lurked at the back of my mind and - as I slowly graduated from being a typical weak/passive player - pieces of the jigsaw gradually fell into place. I suspect that vaguely knowing where I wanted to go helped to get there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice Byron, I think I'll continue with the book tonight and look forward to the sequel.

[Carlson411]

I just started reading this book too. I keep my points and answers on a separate page. I've been studying this book for next week and its good. A lot of helpful advice. Really haven't read to many books outside of 2+2, except for this one and its good. Keeps me aware of my position with raising and calling. Its just put together very well. Not sure, but when I move up once more in Limit I may just buy Middle Limit HOldem vs. HPFAP.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
Not sure, but when I move up once more in Limit I may just buy Middle Limit HOldem vs. HPFAP.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bad idea, especially if you feel comfortable with the ideas behind HGIYLHE. Middle Limit Hold'em is weak tight in nature, especially with it's A high hands. I used to recommend it, but there are much better options now. Interestingly Byron's co-author Jim Brier is the co-author of Middle Limit Hold'em, but the styles advocated are like night and day. Middle Limit Hold'em is a good book to read, just use a grain of salt in knowing that there are better options for many of the hands than they present.

PS: I love Byron's work, his play and his writing is very good. I disagree slightly with a 2 hands pre-flop, but thats such a minor issue since the money is really made post-flop; thats where Byron excels - he extracts maximum value.