Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

Hi,
I have a friend who is rich. He is a stockstrader and really succesfull. (no bragging here, keep reading)

I told him that I play poker and that I make decent money with it. I'm still building a bankroll, playing low limits and climbing the ladder steady, but he was impressed and wanted to give it a try.

He started off with 500$ on Party yesterday without having a clue.
Well he knows the rules and played 5-card draw in school, but I watched him and tracked his play and he is LAG. (He likes to play anything sooted and stuff)

Of course I told him about preflop play, gave him tips and source of information.
He didn't read much yet and after playing 2/4 and 5/10 yesterday he deposited 500$ more today (peanuts), because he got broke and started playing 10/20.
I told him that he was just a goldmine for the other players and that he could learn poker in lower limits too.

His respond to that was kinda like "I trade with 100ks of dollars everyday I wouldn't be concentrated".

I don't like seeing him flushing money down the toilet on the tables. I know it is not much money for him, but I want him to get at least brake even (if he gets ethusiastic and studys he can become even more, he is smart but didn't bothered yet to learn in poker).

Now I told him that he should at least read a book with the basics and stuff.

So, if you had to pick two books for this person, which would it be?

I don't think he could understand HEPFAP right away,
but I cannot tell him to buy WLLH or SSH.
They might teach basics, but he will not believe that anything in it will help him in the limits he plays.

What about one book that teaches him the basics and one that will help him in these mid limitgames?
Haven't read "Getting Started in Hold'em" would you recommend it for him?

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

It would be easier to answer this question if you tell us what site he plays at.

And his handle.

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

[ QUOTE ]
It would be easier to answer this question if you tell us what site he plays at.

And his handle.

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[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

Ok, first thing, if your friend is playing any 2 suited, ANY poker book is going to help. It's also incorrect to say SSH is inapplicable at the limits he plays (I assume you mean 10/20). A lot of SSH is applicable to 10/20, one just needs to know which concepts are still useful and which ones need to be tweaked to apply to the mid-stakes games. Personally, I think your friend has a lot more to worry about than trying to figure out which SSH concepts are good/not as good (at 10/20, that is).

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

He should read Theory of Poker and Small Stakes Hold 'em. Explain to him that "Small Stakes" is anything from $20-$40 down. When he's through with those and if he continues to play the higher low-limit games, tell him about Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players. Those are easily the three best poker books out there, so you can always use that as good solid general advice.

Barron Vangor Toth
www.BarronVangorToth.com

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

I would tell him to give a look at "Middle Limit Holdem" by Brier and Ciaffone. It's very example-based, and doesn't have a huge amount of more complex theoretical material that he might not be ready for (as HPFAP and, in my opinion, SSH, both have... I don't think SSH is an "intro" book by any means). The book is also perhaps on the tight (even weak, according to many on these boards) side, meaning that it could be exactly the proper medicine for your LAGgy friend.

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

You already got a lot of good book advice, so let me throw something else out there. Perhaps your friend just likes to gamble? If that's the case, don't try to force him to play "proper" poker. If losing a couple thousand a week doesn't matter to him and he's having lots of fun gambling it up on Party or wherever he's playing, why force him to change? Now, if he were to come to you looking for advice or if you noticed that he was developing an addiction and gambling beyond his means, that would be a whole other story. But at this point, let him play any way he wants.

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

I don't see the problem with him learning by playing for real money. You are comfortable with him playing badly at 2/4 but not at 10/20? Why?

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

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Explain to him that "Small Stakes" is anything from $20-$40 down.

[/ QUOTE ]

By the sounds of things, this would cause him to immediatly jump up to the 100/200 game [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I'm sure some folks around here wouldn't be complaining.

Re: Books for a Midstake-Fish
 

So these are the type of people we play against.