What are the good NL books on the market?

[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.

[crockpot]

the best book for no-limit sidegames is ciaffone/reuben, and the best tournament book is sklansky.

unfortunately, both super/system and ciaffone/reuben are written for games with really 'deep' money, meaning the players have a lot of money on the table relative to the size of the blinds. thus, a bet in those games carries a lot more intimidation because of the threat of future bets. for this reason, online NL games are not "real" no-limit, even though they still play somewhat similarly. however, you must remember that power plays like betting draws aggressively are worse plays online since you will usually be called.

[Saborion]

Hmm...
Any idea to why those powerbets are called more often online?

[Mackas]

Ciaffone/Reuben's book plus Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Holdem by Cloutier/McEvoy. I found the latter to be the best, particularly with respect to NLHE tournaments although a lot of the same principles apply to ring games. Never seems to be much in favour here at the zoo but I still consider it one of the best HE books I've read (with HoldEm For Advanced Players, Theory of Poker, and Super System)and definitely the most easily read. Read all of the above books and you should recognise any weaknesses in individual books and be able to get the best out of them all.

With respect to tournaments Tournament Poker by Sklansky is good. Mc Evoy has also done a book on Tournament Poker which is OK but covers in scant detail all of the games played at the WSOP and as such doesn't provide huge insight into any of the games in particular. Satellite Tournament Strategy by Mc Evoy and Daugherty is also now available and is supposed to be good according to CardPlayer. I have bought it but haven't had time to read it yet so can't comment.

[William]

Remember the nerve medicine, to deal with the suckouts you will see from the norvegian fishes. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Il_Mostro]

[ QUOTE ]
Any idea to why those powerbets are called more often online?

[/ QUOTE ]

The "powerbets" are not as powerful when you don't have another 5x - 10x the money left in your stack. If you can get all-in on the flop w/TPTK against a possible draw it's probably a favorable situation, especially compared to risking another pot-sized bet on the turn.

Plus of course that it's only numbers online, not actual money/chips...

[Saborion]

You mean that on online people usually cannot buy in for large enough amounts compared to the blinds?

[crockpot]

precisely. naturally the site does not want to allow huge buy-ins because big stacks intimidate bad players, even though anyone with half a brain knows it makes no damn difference whether your $25 stack is up against $100 or $1000. but the sites do what's best for their own pockets, not for poker.

now here's a good question. why does "true" poker have 1-1 blinds on their $50 tables? that structure is the least like a live game that you can find online.

[crockpot]

i've always said that if you play like a robot where you do exactly what you're programmed to, cloutier/mcevoy is a good read. but it can only take you so far, because it doesn't tell you what to think about when you play, just what to do.

as for the card player endorsement of the satellite book, remember they also endorsed championship hold 'em, which is hellmuth-esque.

[pretender2k]

I think you maybe right. I have been doing well in NL tourneys but just barely getting into the money or falling just short. Still learning but at this time I'm just a little better than the 50% that are out of the big tourneys by first break. I have made every first break now for awhile but I maybe shortstacking myself by putting too much out on the draws which the odds clearly call for with out taking Skylansky's other point in mind "When your out of chips, You're done"

[Il_Mostro]

just a thought, maybe you play to many drawing hands up front? drawing hands are fine for LP, but be wary of them EP and MP