Hold'em Must Have BOOKS

[AdvancedPlaya]

Ok, so, there are A lot of books for Hold'em out there. Which one is the best? Which is most useful?

[lil feller]

TOP and HPFAP are both must owns. Ed Miller's SSHE is also great, depending on the types of games you play in.

SSI isn't really applicable to limit HE anymore, but the NL section is still really good. I haven't read SSII.

Going beyond just HE, I think everybody needs to own Caro's Book of Tells, and if you pay attention to only one part, pay attention to the first chapter...loose wiring.

lf

[popniklas]

TOP is probably the number one must have of poker books. SSH and HPAP are great as well. However, you might want to start with something a bit simpler, before you read those. In that case, I recommend Hilger's ITH (Internet Texas Hold'em). Also, Miller's Getting Started in Hold'em is probably a great beginner's book, but I can't say for sure since I have not read it.

[EightStuda]

Psychology of Poker by Dr. Alan Shoonmaker is a must have...

-Dimitri

[zaxx19]

As a NLH ring player....

Gotta say SS1

Ive heard and read that SS2 isnt much different in the way of NLH advice.

The TOP is the best poker book...period, end of story.

For tourneys Hoh is the best, and Im only half way throught the book.

[popniklas]

imprve your poker by bob ciaffone is also very useful.

[SycoFrogg]

The Complete Book of Hold'Em Poker by Gary Carson is probably the best buy for any novice.

[Patriarch]

I have to agree with TOP. It rawks.

[Beavis68]

[ QUOTE ]
The Complete Book of Hold'Em Poker by Gary Carson is probably the best buy for any novice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious?

Carson is way too loose, and the book is not that well written, the concepts are laid out much betting in SSH.

[jstewsmole]

comparing SS and HPFAP is comparing apples to oranges if u play limit get hpfap if you play NL get SS. I f u havnt read anything get Winning Low limit HE by Lee JOnes or SSH by Miller. Id start with the lee jones book but MIllers book is definately a must. The chpter on counting outs is essential for competing in any limits.

[PokrLikeItsProse]

HPFAP is good, but less useful for players who never play in a game that Sklansky considers "typical." That's not to say it can't be useful in those situations, just that a lot of readers seem uncapable of understanding how context-specific some of the information is and of adjusting the advice to different game situations.

Gary Carson is also a good book in a different way. For him, the typical game that he searches out appears to be a loose, aggressive game full of bad players. The section on how people conceptualize poker can be very useful if you care about reading players and predicting how they will play.

For no limit cash games, Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold Em is a good read. Once again, one must adjust to the fact that T.J. Cloutier played in a lot of tighter no limit games, where people really might fold QQ or AQ UTG. If you understand that NLHE is a highly read-dependent game and your play depends on who your opponents are, then the book is useful. Just understand that you probably won't be playing in any of his typical games. It would be an especially good book if you are relatively math-phobic.

I really think you need to read several books to see different concepts explained different ways. I would even recommend reading some bad poker books so that you can get in the heads of players who play sub-optimally. (I hestitate to say they play badly, since they are generally quite better than no-fold em hold em players, but you can often put players on a mentality whose flaws you can exploit.) Above all, you should read critically and not accept anything on faith. If David Sklansky came out with a new book, I would not automatically accept as gospel everything in it, even if I respect his intellectual prowess immensely. Even if a book has some flaws, it can still be useful.

[Gregg777]

If you know NLHE basics: The Theroy of Poker and Super System 2. I say SS2 because that's what I have.

TOP covers advanced topics that you don't find in any other book and SS2 has the best section I have found regarding playing aggressive NLHE with a breakdown on how he plays each type of hand.

Don't waste your money on anything else. If you play limit hold em, then get NLHFAP.

If anyone suggests any other book, please tell us EXACTLY WHY.

[johnc]

If I had to choose one book -> TOP hands down.

[four eight suited]

I would have to go with TOP followed by TJ's championship NLPLHE. Also, I would be no where with out Super System and TPFAP

[four eight suited]

[ QUOTE ]


If anyone suggests any other book, please tell us EXACTLY WHY.



[/ QUOTE ]


I think TJ's CNLPLHE gives an excellent overview of many crucial aspects to NL/PL ring games and tourneys. I didnt read this one until after SS1 and TOP so I was familiar with many different concepts and styles. Being exposed to these different styles helped me define my game more clearly by picking and chosing different aspects of each. After this i read sklansky's TPFAP which was an very thought provoking read. It helped me to ground more of my plays in sound statistics and strategy specific to tournaments. It is by no means a great book to start with, but an excellent book further down the road.

[Gregg777]

I have TJ's CNLPLHE but it was one of the first books I bought and was a little confusing, especially when he kept saying he would do it one way, but the other author would do it another way.

Plus a lot of the book was about tournament play, not cash games. But I haven't read it since I first bought it so I'll give it another shot /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Stimuli]

Harrington on Hold 'em is by far the best book on No-Limit Texas Holdem I have ever read and it is very accesable for beginners to start understanding the more advanced concepts of the game, and like a book on chess it actually walks you through hands played to explain certain principles, it shows you how players make mistakes and then how to correct them. A must read for newbies and advanced players alike. The Advanced Hold Em book is "Advanced" so even though it is essential for most players at some time, it might not be the right time for most players now so Harrington on Hold em get my vote for #1 it's great for tournaments but just about everything is easily convertable to No-Limit cash games (which is what I play). Peace.