I play NL. Get Middle Limit Holdem?

[Jman28]

Should I get Ciaffone and Brier's book if I don't play limit poker? I know it's a good book, but I'm wondering how useful it'll be to my NL game. Thanks.

-Jman28

[therockofgibraltar]

Hi!

You should get Ciaffones pot/no-limit book if you play nl, not limit book.

[Rudbaeck]

Well, it'll be more useful for you NL game than your limit game. That said, the answer is no.

[KaBoom]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, it'll be more useful for you NL game than your limit game. That said, the answer is no.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't get it? If it's more useful for NL why shouldn't he get it? I haven't read the book but it's on my "must read" list. I remember from other threads that Middle limit Holdem advice and thought processes work for NL too.

[gergery]

It helped my NL game more than any other book. It gives excellent analysis of particular hands, odds, and flop texture. The advice on what to do after that analysis is too weak-tight, but you won't be following it anyway playing NL.

[Jman28]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Well, it'll be more useful for you NL game than your limit game. That said, the answer is no.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't get it? If it's more useful for NL why shouldn't he get it? I haven't read the book but it's on my "must read" list. I remember from other threads that Middle limit Holdem advice and thought processes work for NL too.

[/ QUOTE ]

He means the book blows. Very different from the opinions I've heard though.

[Jman28]

It helped my NL game more than any other book.

For real? That's quite a statement. Can anyone say something similar to this? Or can you come back and say 'seriously, it did'?

I think I'll get it then.

Thanks.

-Jman28

[Rudbaeck]

[ QUOTE ]
He means the book blows. Very different from the opinions I've heard though.

[/ QUOTE ]

It doesn't blow. You'll find it on most people's lists of required reading for limit games here, mine included. That said there is so much of the advice I don't agree with it's not even funny. Working through the hand quizzes and 'arguing' with the authors is very useful though. It's quite obvious that Ciaffone doesn't play all that much limit hold'em, but plays lots of Omaha and NL hold'em. His play with non-nut hands would make alot more sense in either of those.

Also quite a few have found it a good source of advice to fold to temper the SSH advice to raise.

[gergery]

[ QUOTE ]
It helped my NL game more than any other book.

For real? That's quite a statement. Can anyone say something similar to this? Or can you come back and say 'seriously, it did'?

I think I'll get it then.

Thanks.

-Jman28

[/ QUOTE ]

I’ll elaborate a bit.

Rather than ask ‘Is this book good’, I think the right way to improve your game is to ask, “what is the biggest obstacle to me personally improving”, and once you define that, you can search for the book that will solve that problem for you.

For me, I had already read TOP, Advanced HE, and WLLH, studied Group 1-8 hands, read some 2+2 and played for maybe 4-5 months recreationally.

So I was familiar with how to play, what the theory was, and relative value of hands. What I needed was an intensive course in applying what I’d learned in very specific situations with feedback. Sort of like if someone had weeded thru all the 2+2 boards, pulled out the most interesting and relevant hands, and left in only the best advice on how to play them, and added more detail on how to think about that particular situation.

Since Ciaffone’s MLHE is exactly that, it was excellent for me at that point in my poker development. It’s great strength that no other poker book offers is it’s vast number of well-organized examples that offer detailed analysis on how to think thru your hand, the texture of the flop, the pot odds and implied odds on offer, which of the many considerations is most important in this scenario, and what to do based on that.

FYI – I believe Mason has said it’s hand analysis of the particular situations is excellent, but its advice on what to do based on that is weak tight. I would agree with this. But then I’m using this book to better understand what about a flop texture is most important, and don’t care about its recommendation since I’m playing NL not Limit anyway.

So, yes, seriously this book made my NL poker game improve more and faster than any other book.

Hope that helps.

--Greg

[Jman28]

Hope that helps.

Definitely. Thanks.

-Jman28