best book for beginner that teaches being very tight/agressive?

[eugeneel]

I have a few friends who want to give online poker a try and I plan on teaching them. They know very little about holdem and it would be a waste of my time teaching them the very basics (such as what hands to fold freflop) so I want them to read a book for this. Another reason for the book is to filter out the more serious potential players from the less serious ones without wasting my time as the less serious ones will show themselves if they are too lazy/cheap to buy and read a book.

So what do you all recommend? I want a book that will emphasize playing very tight but not one that will teach anything complex such as advertising or mixing up one's play (for example limping in with AA).

I have only read "TOPFAP" and "gambling for a living" myself.


-Eugene

[symphonic]

Either Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones or Sklanskys Hold'em Poker.

[artman]

Lou Krieger has a couple of books. They are supposed to be good. I haven't read them though. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[jwp]

Not to blaspheme in the 2+2 forums, but I would recommend reading Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em, by Lee Jones. The writing style of the book is conducive towards learning how Hold 'Em is played. Problems with his advice have been discussed and rehashed in this forum, and it may not teach them to play quite as tight as you might like. But, for the combination of reasonable advice and readability, I believe it's best.

For whoever passes your "weeder course", you could then discuss some of the looseness in his book, or even better -- have them read Sklansky's Hold 'Em to teach them tight play. For a total novice, the style of Sklansky's Hold 'Em can be difficult to penetrate (my own opinion).

Good luck.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi jwp:

In my opinion, the best book in this category is Hold 'em Poker for Low Limit Players by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth. It should be available in a few months.

Best wishes,
Mason

[barrett]

New book announcement?

[Henke]

Damn!

I thought I would be done for a while with my 10+ 2+2 books /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Is Ed Miller none other than "our own" Carpal \'Tunnel?

[Ed Miller]

Is Ed Miller none other than "our own" Carpal \'Tunnel?

Yes.

[Henke]

Cool! Or should I say congratulations?

It will be nice to have your knowledge on paper, so I can read it when I'm off-line! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Looking forward to the book.

[Mike Gallo]

Go you /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Al Schoonmaker]

I've seen some of this book, and it's EXCELLENT. I am looking forward to seeing it published, and I am certain it will help low limit players.
Regards,
Al

[Al Mirpuri]

The posters here seem to think 'low limit' synonymous with 'beginner'.

Is the book for low limit players? or beginners? or beginners at low limit?

[Nottom]

Grats man on the new book. So I assume this is the reason behind the name change?

[jwp]

Mr. Malmuth,
Well, I happily stand corrected and look forward to seeing/reading the new book (and recommending it)!
Regards,
JWP

[Luke]

Good for you Ed, ah, I mean Mr. Miller. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I look forward to reading the new text.

Luke

[Lion-O]

[Ed Miller]

Congrats on the book.

Thank you.

Do you get your handle displayed in red with a little "A" beside it once the book comes out?

I've requested black with a little "B" for badass.

[Benn Eubank]

Hi Ed,

Sincere congratulations on the book. Congratulations also to David and Mason for recognizing one of the key forum contributors in this way.

Cheers, Benn.

P.S. There's a tricky top pair no kicker posting by Allan in the small stakes area that requires your urgent attention. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[colgin]

Ed (Majorkong),

I just wanted to add my congratulations as well. I find your insights on this board invaluable to my development as a player and I look forward to your thoughts (together with David's and Mason's) on low limits in book form. I am a little worried, however, that my competition is about to get a lot tougher.

All the best.

Colgin

[jdl22]

I was wondering if you could give those of us now waiting anxiously even more reason to be excited and give us a little more info. What will be covered that's not in HPFAP, perhaps a few chapter titles and such. I know that since it's not out you probably want to be fairly tight (and probably aggressive as well) with information lest your ideas be stolen but it would certainly create a lot of interest.

Also are there any plans to presell it? IE can we order it from the site and have it sent as soon as it comes out?

Also out of curiosity Ed did you meet S&M through other means or did they just read your countless ingenious posts and decide you would be an excellent coauthor? Either way they made a wise choice and we are all looking forward to the results.

Sorry to be so nosy.

[ZeeJustin]

I always suggest for new poker players to read these three books in order: Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones, Theory of Poker, and HEFAP. If they are already decent and understand most important concepts, I sometimes suggest they skip WLLH.

[James Boston]

Mason,

Will this be sort of like HEP re-worked, or is this book going to contain new information not available in any other 2+2 book.

[symphonic]

I want this book very badly. Hopefully it'll be a step above WLLH.

[Homer]

Is this a joke? If not, congratulations MK!

-- Homer

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Homer:

It's not a joke. We'll be releasing more information in the not to distant future.

Best wishes,
Mason

[eugeneel]

Thank you, I will be sure to reccomend the new book wheb it comes out. It sounds exactly like what I need.

-Eugene

[Ed Miller]

Will this be sort of like HEP re-worked, or is this book going to contain new information not available in any other 2+2 book.

This is a new book, written from scratch. Many ideas presented in the book are explained in one place or another in the 2+2 literature. I have cherry-picked the concepts that I believe are most important to success in loose games.

Some of those concepts that have appeared previously were not thoroughly explored, however. Some may have been given a half-page section in TOP... in our book, such a concept might get several pages of explanation including several examples.

There are also some concepts that, to my knowledge, have never before been presented in a poker book. While it is targetted for loose, low-limit games, it is not a book for rank beginners. Many of the concepts are quite sophisticated. Having spent several years now posting on the Small Stakes forum, I know that almost every SS poster will learn at least several crucial things to improve his game from reading this book.

[William Wilson]

Congrats, Major, it's quite an accomplishment.

More than anything, however, I can't wait for the inevitable Miller vs. Jones posts. Excellent!

[uuDevil]

Ed,

I haven't been reading these forums that long, but I was very impressed when I read your "Charging the Flush Draws" post. So I am impatiently looking forward to your book. In the meantime, would you please consider giving us a list of your "best of MajorKong" posts? /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[symphonic]

Sooo...can you guys hurry up and get this book out? /images/graemlins/laugh.gif I'm highly anticipating it now.

[nyholdem]

Hey Ed...
Thank you for all of your help in the past. Just reading your posts have made me a better player. As soon as the book is available I will purchase a copy. BTW Cant wait for the chapter on pattern mapping. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Good luck!

[rharless]

Nerd.

[Ed Miller]

I thought we'd been over this...

[rharless]

I have to get my shots in now, else when you are mr. red-name black-b I might get banned for picking on you. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Maybe I need to call Clarky into this thread...

[Joe Tall]

SOB I thought it would remain a secret for a bit.

Now I can give you an official congrats!

Way to go Major! I'll let you know I have bought 5 copies of WLLH and sent it out to friends. I have never read WLLH, oddly enough, I guess I was waiting for a 2+2 book.

Now I'll have to buy 6 copies of your book!

Peace,
Joe Tall

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
I have to get my shots in now, else when you are mr. red-name black-b I might get banned for picking on you. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Maybe I need to call Clarky into this thread...

[/ QUOTE ]

I bust his chops in private. I don't want to offend Mason by laying into the help on a public forum. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[AtlasNNN]

The obvious choice is The Psychology of Poker. There is no stronger advocate of tight-aggressive play than this book. But you gotta read the first Sklansky book too so you'll know what tight play really means in terms of what hands to play pre-flop.

[Al Schoonmaker]

Thank you.
However, I must say that for BEGINNERS Ed's book may well be better than mine. He combines the stylistic material with specific strategic and tactical recommendations. It is going to be a GREAT book.
Regards,
Al

[WildmanTX]

Oh please oh please include a robust starting hands chart. Wading through the discussion in HEPFAP is very difficult because it's so disorganized. Also, I've heard there are problems with Lee Jones' charts in his book. So, a new trustworthy reference would be superb.

Oh please oh please oh please.
--WildmanTX

[Nottom]

But charts are just part of the problems ... I have no clue what group 66, 56s, or KJo are in but I know when I can play them and when I shouldn't.

[EVIL]

66 is the easiest to because it is in group 6, and 666 is the number of the beast.

AA is also easy to remember because it's in group 1, and there's a steak sauce called "A1."

[Trix]

Ill suggest: Fishing for advanced players
But buy it no matter what it will be...

[Ed Miller]

So what will the name of the book be?

See Mason's first post in this thread.

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
AA is also easy to remember because it's in group 1, and there's a steak sauce called "A1."


[/ QUOTE ]

I just laughed so hard, I had a little "bogey" fly out onto my keyboard. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
66 is the easiest to because it is in group 6, and 666 is the number of the beast.

AA is also easy to remember because it's in group 1, and there's a steak sauce called "A1."

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the helpful tips, I always used to get those confused and would raise 66 all the time and was always folding AA preflop.

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
66 is the easiest to because it is in group 6, and 666 is the number of the beast.

AA is also easy to remember because it's in group 1, and there's a steak sauce called "A1."

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the helpful tips, I always used to get those confused and would raise 66 all the time and was always folding AA preflop.

[/ QUOTE ]

The key is to remember that pocket deuces never loses.

[HDPM]

Good point on the deuces. Something to keep in mind.

Reminds me of sitting next to a player in a LL game one time, he got frustrated and showed me his hand as he mucked. It was offsuit A-x. He called a raise preflop, missed the connected suited flop completely, turned an A, called the river w/ a fourflush or some such out there, and exclaimed, "I have had aces so many times tonight and just can't win with them. They are so overrated, give me a trash hand instead." I didn't tell him that you needed two aces in your hand to even think of complaining. Just said yeah, seems like aces just don't hold up like they used to.... /images/graemlins/laugh.gif