What do I need to read before I play NL...

[blackaces13]

I've been mainly playing limit hold em and I'm starting to find it a bit boring.

"Limit is a science, no limit is an art" -Whoever

So I need to know what the best books are for a beginner to read on No Limit Hold Em.

Obviously, there's Super System which I've been meaning to buy for a while and I've also heard of a book by TJ Cloutier. Apparently there are a couple of books by Ciaffone but I dont know what they are called. Also, I'd be interested in any good books about NL tourneys, is there one by McEvoy or something like that?

If someone could give me a nice list of all the relevant literature I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

[C M Burns]

pot limit and no limit poker , by ciafone and reuben is one of the best, super system is good (although the philosophy is more geared toward higher limit games imo) and cloutier book is also by mcevoy, it is decent as well, i think that is all the books there are, and i probably spelled all the names wrong

[Redhotman]

i think limit is alot harder than nl to be honest. If anyhting No Limit is a science. Please remember that online NL has very small stacks incomparison to blind structure, this makes for a very mechanical game.

[buddycat]

Assuming you've read the theory of poker and holdem poker by gary carson, these are neither on no limit. But, I can only tell you my experience when I went from limit to no lmit. I figured it out myself. I played a while and tried to think for myself and develop a style.

I'd read books on other games before playing them, and well, I didn't want to be playing the same way the other players were. I read the books later...they definetly were valuable.

If you're a great player or a very good one you should make the transition pretty easy.

[1800GAMBLER]

My views on NL books have changed. I'd restuding theory of poker with no limit in mind is of course best. Psychology of Poker 2nd, if you plan on playing only one table. PL and NL by bob. Then super system if you want every little detail laid out.

[buddycat]

"Please remember that online NL has very small stacks incomparison to blind structure, this makes for a very mechanical game.

[/ QUOTE ]"

I respectfully disagree with this statement. If you are referring to Party's NO Limit structure, it does have some merit. But, most of the sites allow for a buy-in of 100 x the big blind...And, As I often double, triple, quadruple up I'm often sitting with quite a bit of cash relative to the buy-in as well as other players. This holds true in Pot Limit Omaha as well. Of course how deep the money is does substantially affect proper strategy. But, for no limit to be considered mechanical due to the money I think is inaccurate.

Now, as far as no limit being easier than limit, I want to disagree with that statement also. In no limit, the finer skills in poker such as reading hands, bluffing, and exploitation of weaker players becomes easier. You have more options than bet, check or fold, there's another option that's very difficult to guage...How much to bet in various situations.

[1800GAMBLER]

Mason has articles on limit being more complex than no limit. I agree. Even the forum activity shows it and NL is more popular than limit.

[KingToad]

I agree as well, just from my experiences. At NL I do fine. At limit I seem to struggle. Case in point (IMO), AA in limit I can bet/check-raise and not get someone off a draw. In NL I can normaly make it very hard for someone to draw out on me and if they do it was very bad odds. Of coure you run into the idiot who calls $30 on flop and turn to catch his runner/runner str8.

[blackaces13]

Toad, the point you illustrate is exactly why I think No Limit is much more of a complex and skilled game than limit. It's precisely because you can push people off draws with your pocket aces. When you can't and you see a flop of rags with 2 hearts and your opponent has 2 hearts in his hand, then there is really no more thinking involved in the hand from this point on provided the pot odds are good . If a heart comes, the aces are cracked, you will both be there at the river regardless. In no-limit you can swat the guy with a heart draw right out of the hand with a big bet on the flop. More freedom = more skill required, more skill required = more complexity. Thats how I see it.

[Redhotman]

[ QUOTE ]
"Please remember that online NL has very small stacks incomparison to blind structure, this makes for a very mechanical game.

[/ QUOTE ]"

I respectfully disagree with this statement. If you are referring to Party's NO Limit structure, it does have some merit. But, most of the sites allow for a buy-in of 100 x the big blind...And, As I often double, triple, quadruple up I'm often sitting with quite a bit of cash relative to the buy-in as well as other players. This holds true in Pot Limit Omaha as well. Of course how deep the money is does substantially affect proper strategy. But, for no limit to be considered mechanical due to the money I think is inaccurate.

Now, as far as no limit being easier than limit, I want to disagree with that statement also. In no limit, the finer skills in poker such as reading hands, bluffing, and exploitation of weaker players becomes easier. You have more options than bet, check or fold, there's another option that's very difficult to guage...How much to bet in various situations.






[/ QUOTE ]

That may be true in games where you have 15,000 in fornt of you and Doyle Brunson just pushed in a 7,000 raise on the river, but at the online sites I find NL to be much more mechancial than Limit. It is easy to protect your hands, ect. This has been discussed alot, so im not gonna get into it right now.
Let me ask you this though, if you ahd to teach either limit or nl to a perosn in an hour, which woudl be easier??

I rest my case.