I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

I am writing a book on Limit Hold'em which will be published by Pi Yee Press. Currently, I have the entire book available online at my site www.HoldemBrain.com There are no ads on the site, the entire purpose for the site is for me to get feedback from readers about my book. I am specifically looking for constructive criticsm, suggestions, problems, anything that can help me make the book better. I suspect the contents of the book will be up on the site for two to three weeks. After that I will take it offline and submit the final manuscript. Mason and Mat Sklansky gave me the go-ahead to make one post on 2+2 regarding my book. I appreciate that and want to say thanks.

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

I haven't read it, but I should ask you these questions:

1. Who SPECIFICALLY is your audience?
2. What SPECIFICALLY is your scope?

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. Who SPECIFICALLY is your audience?

[/ QUOTE ]

The wide-ranging answer is: the thinking poker player.
The more realistic answer is: for experienced players who are interested in thinking about the game from an analytical view.

[ QUOTE ]
2. What SPECIFICALLY is your scope?

[/ QUOTE ]
The scope is on limit Hold'em, looking at aspects of the game analytically. I use expected value a lot throughout the book to analyze when a certain play may be good or bad. There is also a couple of chapters on Shorthanded Hold'em.

I hope that answers your question. Feel free to fire away with more!

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

The more realistic answer is: for experienced players who are interested in thinking about the game from an analytical view.

If your book is for experienced players, then why do you have a big long chapter explaining the rules, betting action, nuts, etc.? Experienced players know this stuff.

This is a very common mistake that poker books make (see my rant in the B&S forum about what's wrong with poker books). You need a SPECIFIC audience, and everything you write needs to be SPEAKING TO THAT AUDIENCE. If your audience knows poker jargon, then don't spend time defining terms. If your audience doesn't know poker jargon, then you absolutely need to define terms, and you should assiduously avoid using potentially confusing terms at all points.

If your book is for beginners, then do not introduce advanced concepts. Et cetera. I didn't read your whole thing, but you almost certainly need to define your audience more strictly and direct your content and language DIRECTLY to that audience.

The scope is on limit Hold'em, looking at aspects of the game analytically. I use expected value a lot throughout the book to analyze when a certain play may be good or bad. There is also a couple of chapters on Shorthanded Hold'em.

"Limit hold 'em" isn't a focused enough scope. What SPECIFICALLY do you want to teach people? After they read your book, what SPECIFIC CHANGES do you want people to make to their games. People aren't reading your book to hear you wax philosophical on the math of poker... they are reading it because they think that doing so will improve their poker decisions and help them make more money.

After reading your book, what SPECIFIC CHANGES will your readers make to their games to improve their results?

A book without a clearly-defined audience will end up "speaking" to nobody. A book without a clearly-defined scope will end up teaching nobody.

(Again, I didn't actually read much of your book. Maybe you don't make these mistakes... these are just very common problems that lots of writers miss out on.)

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

Even though you haven't read it, I think I can still take your advice to heart. I'll probably move the Rules portion to an appendix and introduce the book in a more focused manner. Thanks Ed...hope you do find some time to take a look. Your feedback, even without reading the book, is already useful!

For example...
 

For our book that is coming out next month:

Audience: Intermediate to Advanced hold 'em players who commonly play in loose games (defined as those games with several players who play too many hands and go too far with them). Our reader is already familiar with some of the "beginners" hold 'em literature (WLLH, Fundamentals of Poker, Poker for Dummies, etc.), and he is already a "decent" player (defined as a small loser, break-even, or small winner). He has learned to fold a lot of his hands before the flop, but his postflop game needs a lot of work.

He is already familiar with all standard poker jargon, but he has not necessarily thought about the game from a structured, mathematical perspective before.

Many of the posters in the Small Stakes and Microlimit forums were models for our audience.

Scope:

We want to turn break-even or modestly winning players into big winners at the small stakes level. Goals are teaching people the skills necessary to win $50,000 per year or more at $3-$6 playing a full schedule online. Specific concepts that we are trying to teach:

1. Avoiding calling before the flop with weak hands
2. Playing more aggressively in large pots, including protecting weak hands and draws when necessary.
3. Discussing the concept of "pot equity" and how it affects the way you play after the flop (e.g., sometimes jamming draws for value, and sometimes playing more passively with vulnerable made hands... waiting for the turn with those)
etc.

After our targetted audience reads the book, he should play MUCH more aggressively in large pots, particularly with one pair hands, and particularly on the turn. He should also be able to recognize situations where he should wait for the turn rather than jamming on the flop. He should also learn to value bet the river extensively against loose opponents, and he will learn the correct adjustments to make on the river in multiway situations.

Almost everything in the book is directed SPECIFICALLY toward our audience, and the concepts presented are SPECIFICALLY designed to help the reader make the stated adjustments to his game.

Our scope is broader than what I just listed, but that should give you an idea about what I'm talking about...

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

I briefly skimmed over your book. It looks like you put some good time into it and that its a pretty readable book. The only criticism I'll make is that the overall book seems to be much more suited to the beginning hold em player. Not that that's a bad thing. Your book seems like it is the type of book for a beginning hold em player who wants a good explanation of how to play the game and a lot of the concepts that go along with it. Good Luck!

Re: For example...
 

OK I was just looking forward to it, now I'm drooling.

Lost Wages

Re: I am looking for feedback on my Limit Hold\'em book
 

Mason and Mat Sklansky gave me the go-ahead to make one post on 2+2 regarding my book.

That's two posts [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Lost Wages

Re: For example...
 

Agreed,

when will it be available again?