Lou Kriegers book any good? Alternatively... What next?

[Dieter01]

I am looking for my next book on poker, but not sure which one to chose... Is the Hold'em Excellence book by Krieger worth a read? Alternatively, what else would you recommend?

About me:
I am doing the last semester of my MS in engeneering. I have played in homegames for about 2 years, but only started going about things more seriously the last 6 months. At that point I bought Jones' Winning Low Limit Hold'em and decided to study the game more. Supplemented with Super/System, Theory of Poker, HEFAP and Caro's Book of Poker Tells. At this point (about 4 weeks ago) I also started playing Micro Limit online for a few hours every night. Was told to read up on Mortons Theorem, which I did. Also studied most of the stuff on Izmet Fekalis website, and Abduls.

Most recently I have been reading the Essays on this forum, visted the Micro Limit section daily (and occationally posting a few hands of my own).


After about 5k hands playing 0.5/1 my bankroll is just over 400 (if you subtract the money I initially put in it thats something like 5 BB's/100).

So I am very much a novice, but I am trying to study up. And I know for sure I would not have been making any money at all if I had not been reading. But right now I am not sure what to read next... Is Kriegers book going to bring any new ideas to me that I can not get from reading what I have read alread? Are there any other books (or articles/magazines) you would recommend? Or should I just stop reading and play a little more (5k hands is nothing, I know...)?

[Acesover8s]

Read Gary Carson's book, its great, probably the best book next to HPFAP for limit holdem.

I liked Kriegers book(s), but I think he has a few things wrong. He presents a few ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere, one of the most useful I found was a reprinting of someone's (Bill Chen?) preflop hand ranking formula. I have found this formula much easier to teach preflop play to beginners than any other method. Its not perfect, but I did teach that and basic postflop play to a friend of mine and he cashed in a live 70 player limit holdem tournament the next day.

Of course, Lee Jones is a great book too, but if you've already read HPFAP you know everything inside it.

[JTrout]

Yes, Carson's book should be your next read. Then re-read HEFAP.

[maurile]

It never hurts to read another book, but if you've already read Lee Jones, I wouldn't consider Hold 'em Excellence required reading.

Based on what you've already read, I'd recommend Ciaffone & Brier's Middle Limit Holdem next, or maybe John Feeney's book.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
I am looking for my next book on poker, but not sure which one to chose... Is the Hold'em Excellence book by Krieger worth a read? Alternatively, what else would you recommend?

At that point I bought Jones' Winning Low Limit Hold'em and decided to study the game more. Supplemented with Super/System, Theory of Poker, HEFAP and Caro's Book of Poker Tells.

[/ QUOTE ]

Krieger's book is going to present the same material as Jones. If you have read TOP and HEFAP, I'd suggest that you play as much as you can, and at the same time start over from the begining, re-reading the books you have. Then add another book or two like "Improve Your Poker", play some more, then go back and re-read them all again. There are some folks here who know those books like a down-home preacher knows his chapters and verses, and most of them are doing pretty good at the tables.

[ddubois]

I just started reading Carson's book. I love how he laid out the starting hand charts, having 5 different charts for five different common circumstances gives much more detail than any other chart system I've seen in a starting hold'em book. However, does anyone else think the starting hand requirements are "off"? By a little or a lot? I would not consider opening in MP with A2s or K7s, not even at microlimits. I suppose I might raise them on the button as a steal, but maybe not even then. And then he says AKo is the breaking point for MP behind some limpers. Not only would I play AQo here, I would likely raise (and limp AJo). His "playable behind raiser" charts surprised me too, particularly when he says you can play KXs or 65s on the button behind many limpers and a CO raise, but I'm not comfortable crituqing anyone's starting requirements in a raised pot, as I'm pretty clueless in this area.

Thoughts?