Player really can't afford to play

[OrrLives]

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so I ended up getting him HoH volume 1 for his birthday.

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I like this idea. It's a subtle hint, yet not insulting in any way. It's always difficult to talk to a friend about how bad they play (obviously) because you don't want to insult their intelligence. Buying him a book as a gift literally puts his problem into his own hands. As other people have said, he's an adult capable of making his own decisions. If you give him the chance to learn and get better, there's no excuse, and IMO nothing more that you can (or should) do.


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He's the type of person who hasn't read a book in many years and has no desire to in the near future.

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I'm in a somewhat similar situation as described in the OP, but much less intense. I have a friend (actually, one of my best friends) who is pretty bad at poker. We play $.1/.25 NLHE cash game at his request and insistence. We had played LHE and/or limit dealer's choice in the past, but now he insists on playing NLHE. Fortunately, I haven't had to take action because:
1. He's got a job
2. He has nobody to support
3. He will occasionally win (like one time in 10 he'll be up $30)
4. He usually stops buying in after $60 or $80.
5. A couple of the other players in the game aren't much better than he is (though they tend not to lose as much on average).



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I lol'd because we have been trying to get LAGP to play limit or tournaments as well, but he insists on playing NLHE cash game.

Your LAGP sounds like he has some sort of self-control though. Mine will keep playing until he loses all the cash on him.