Start with Hold'Em or Advanced Hold'Em book by Sklansky?

[brandonb]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum. I have been playing poker for about a year now with some friends. We've recently started playing No-Limit Hold'Em tourneys for about 3 months now, I've participated in 3. I've also been playing online for about a month now in small ring games. I don't feel like a beginner, but I am not sure how players are classified as beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc... I already plan to buy Sklansky's Theory of Poker but I want to buy either Hold'Em Poker or Advanced Hold'Em Poker. I don't want to buy the 1st Hold'Em book and find out it is too basic, but at the same time, I am not sure what the exact advanced level is for the Advanced book. Any advice on which one I should get?
Thanks
Brandon

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Go to Borders (the chain with the best 2+2 selection), grab HPFAP, get a latte, sit down and start reading. If after an hour or so, you scratch your head and say "WTF?", go buy the basic book.

[brandonb]

It's funny that you mention that. I actually did that yesterday, but only had 15 minutes or so. They only had the Advanced book and Tournament book in stock. I don't know if I read enough, but I definately was not scratching my head. I just didn't know if there were other things it left out that were mentioned in the first Hold'em book.

[Stew]

The only thing that is crucial in the Original Hold 'Em poker by Sklansky is the "flops you want" section or whatever it is called. Basically it gives you your starting cards then details flops that are good, bad or indifferent based on your holdings. Very valuable section, other than that the Advanced series is all you need, IMO.

So, go back to borders, read that section, maybe after you've read some of the AHPFAP.

[rr2000]

Apart from the 'Flops you want', the classic discusses in
detail about his card rankings which is very insightful, e.g why "TT" is in group 2.

Otherwise I found this book kinda a subset of HPFAP. So my suggestion is to buy HPFAP, but browse the classic for a while.

[SunTzu68]

I would read 'Theory of Poker' by David Sklansky first. Both of the Hold 'Em books are really geared towards limit Hold 'Em. After 'Theory of Poker' I would read the Advanced Hold 'Em book over and over and over and over again.

Good Luck!

[Zeno]

You should start with Edward Gibbon - then work backwards from there, not forwards - that is the downfall of most players.

-Zeno

[scalf]

/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif gotta go with 7 card stud fap...best poker book ever written...i do not care if all ya play is holdem..this is the one to read, reread, digest, put under your pillow...it's in there...jmho..gl /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif /forums/images/icons/cool.gif /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif

[Ralle]

A lot of people (me included) have found Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones to be a great book to start with.