My sister knows nothing about poker...

[WhoIam]

I recently talked with my sister and she told me she had watched some of the WSOP and found it interesting and that she would like to learn more about poker (I assume NLHE). I'm a fairly advanced player but I have no idea how I would teach someone who knows nothing about the game except for the basic rules. Can someone suggest a book I could get her? Would Getting Started in Hold 'em or one of the books by the big name pros be a good introduction? I just need something that isn't too technical and can teach her the very basics of play.

Bonus points if the book is available from the Full Tilt store.

[saal13]

I found Getting Started in Holdem an excellent introductory book. It covers Limit, No Limit and Tournaments.

Also, it might also be worth checking out www.pokerzion.com. There is some great material, hand reviews, coaching, etc. It really made a big difference in my game.

[NickMPK]

I would recommend the Phil Gordon book set or "The Making of a Poker Player" by Matros.

[Gelford]

I wouldn't recommend the Matros book ..

... btw Is a book really necesarry, my own GF is beating the Stars 3.4$ sngs for a 10% roi without ever getting any advice other than never bet less than half pot and if your stack drops below 10BB and you want to play, just go all in.


I always found that sngs are the best introduction to poker ... they are short, fun (at least til you start grinding them for a living) and reminds you of the WPT or WSOP, since it is a tourney (and yet unlike MTTs you'll quickly start winning a few of them) also they start at 1+0.1$ on some sites, so money is not an issue (just beware the rake, some sites have 1+0.5$ sngs, that are unbeatable for a profit)

[SenecaJim]

Is this Howard ?

[NickMPK]

[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't recommend the Matros book ..


[/ QUOTE ]

What did you dislike about the Matros book?

It's not really a strategy book, but it is a great introduction to poker, with discussions of the rules, different games, and basic strategy, but also gives you a feel for the culture of home games, casinos, tournaments, and the internet. It spans a huge range from penny-ante games with family to the $25K WPT championship, and includes chapters on game theory, heads-up play, and table talk. It's like Gordon's Black Book, but better in just about every way.

[Gelford]

Some of it is a good read, but basically it falls between two chairs, the biographical part of it is marred by the instructional parts, but since they are part of a story book and since he tries to cover so many games, the poker advice contain their in is close to none.

He just does not succeed in anything imo, a good idea, and if he devoted the book solely to one game it might have worked but I still have my doubt, still if doubled in size and well written it just might have been good.

As it is it is a pale impersonation of Yardley's book. The poker advice in both books is pretty useless, but at least Yardley has some great stories to tell!

[NickMPK]

[ QUOTE ]
Some of it is a good read, but basically it falls between two chairs, the biographical part of it is marred by the instructional parts, but since they are part of a story book and since he tries to cover so many games, the poker advice contain their in is close to none.

He just does not succeed in anything imo, a good idea, and if he devoted the book solely to one game it might have worked but I still have my doubt, still if doubled in size and well written it just might have been good.

As it is it is a pale impersonation of Yardley's book. The poker advice in both books is pretty useless, but at least Yardley has some great stories to tell!

[/ QUOTE ]

You think the book should be doubled in size? I've never seen a 600 page poker book except for SuperSystem, and since this is essentially an autobiography, I don't think there is enough material for 600 pages. I've never read Yardley's book, but I think it's only about 150 pages...as is the classic poker book by Alvarez.

And since the idea of the book is to chronicle Matros's development as a poker player, confining the book to a single game would defeat its whole purpose.

The book is a story book, not a strategy book. It does, however, cover a lot of topics dealing with how to think about poker, and points readers in the directions they need to go to get strategy advice...not just from books but from internet forums and other players.

But more importantly, the book describes the poker world in a way that will make it interesting to beginners as they set out on their own journeys through various home games, casinos, and tournaments.

There is almost no advice on the specific play of real poker hands. But the sort of books that provide this advice are generally dry and not engaging to the reader who is not already hooked on poker. If the first poker book I read was a 2+2 book, I don't think I would have ever gotten deeply interested in the game.

[maurile]

I think the Matros book would be a pretty good choice. It's interesting enough as a story (unlike a pure strategy book) but also has a decent introduction to a bunch of strategic concepts.

[maurile]

[ QUOTE ]
Is this Howard ?

[/ QUOTE ]