What is the Best Book For Advanced Players on Hold Em' For Cash Games

[Meaty24]

I recently read Skalnsky's No Limit Hold Em' - Theory and Practice. I want to read another book for cash games. I am an advanced player and don't like the books that have a TON of math.

Any suggestions?

[SenecaJim]

welcome to the forum. Use the search function for any questions you have (before you post) is the accepted practice here. This has been posted numerous times. Good luck. Go ahead and pre-order Flynn, Mertha, and Ed's new book while you're at it.

[Meaty24]

I searched and did not find a good answer. The only one I saw really was Small Stakes. Is that the next good book for me to read? In advance, thanks.

[SenecaJim]

The most recommended are PL & NL by Ciaffone and Reuben and HOH 1 by Dan Harrington (early stages tourn. pretty applicable to ring game). I can vouch for both of these.

Angel Largay' book, but must read with your critical thinking cap on. (it's for LLNL) I thought there was some good stuff specific to LL and some I thougt suspect, but I'm no expert. There has been a lot of debate about new book Dominating 1-2 .. You can find that thread if you scroll through the forum. I can't comment on this book. Good luck to you.

PS. the pre-order book I mentioned is in thread just below.

[AngusThermopyle]

[ QUOTE ]
but must read with your critical thinking cap on.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is true for any poker book.
Even if a book is excellent, looking at the statements critically will be much more beneficial than swallowing them whole.

[larrondo]

SenecaJim is right. HOH 1, and the first section of HOH2, are must reads, and apply well to cash games. Pot and No Limit Poker by Ciaffone/Ruben is a very good, pretty advanced book that mostly assumes deep stacks and strong opponents, but it's a good compliment to No Limit Hold'em Theory and Practice. SSHE is a limit book. It's great, and helpful if you want to learn about reading flops, counting outs, protecting hands, etc, but isn't really in the same ballpark. The Full Tilt Strategy Guide is another good tournament book that has a lot of material which applies to cash games (Jesus Fergusons chapter about post flop play, etc.) Phil Gordon's Little Green Book is a fine, basic nuts and bolts NL book, too.

I'd start with Harrington.

[jordiepop]

the search funtion ftw

[toymach776]

i can understand not liking the math but seriously do your hardest to focus on it cause its SO important. dont let anyone tell u otherwise. Id say avoid MoP. I heard the new full tilt book is great.

[JackCase]

[ QUOTE ]
I am an advanced player and don't like the books that have a TON of math.



[/ QUOTE ]

Poker is a math game. If you don't understand the math, you don't understand the game, and you are not an advanced player.

The conventional wisdom is that at the higher levels, it is a game of people and not cards. But even when it is a game of people, it is still a game of math. It is just that at higher levels it becomes a game of people math rather than card math. E.G., if I raise here, what are the chances that my raise is too much for my opponent to risk a call, no matter what cards he has? That is called fold equity. It is highly subjective, but highly important. It is math, and if you don't understand the math (and why it is math) you don't understand the game.

[jeffnc]

There's another aspect to the argument that it's about people, not math, at the higher levels. I've heard PGA Tour players say "At this level, it's 90% mental". Well that's extremely misleading. Actually, at that level, it's 90% technique, which they take for granted. It's another way of saying, if you have 95% of the technique downpat, then the rest is the mental game." That's true. The hard part is getting 95% of the technique downpat, so "at this level" is a tautology. The game is 90% technique, so you darn well better have it.

The analogy ain't perfect, because there's more of a meta game going on with higher stakes poker than there is in golf. But you catch my drift.