Reading What The Enemy Reads

[Al Mirpuri]

How much value is there in reading books that most players have read? If I read Winning Low Limit Hold'em then could I squeeze out a bet or two because I would be able to recognize players playing by its guidelines?

Any thoughts?

[jakethebake]

Forget it. Reading poker books is a waste of time. Just ask Scott Fischman.

[Rah]

How, exactly, would yo do this?

[Flashy]

Good thought - but I don't know if you have to read those books to take advantage of weak tight players.

How much would your strategy really vary just because you could have a guess at which specific book's recommendations they appeared to be following? How many players really follow a books recommendations 100% of the time?


I think that picking up on weak-tight text book players and taking advantage of that fact is worth about one pot every 2-3 hours.

[BAS]

I think this can help. There has been a few times where I have recognized people that (I assume) have read Hellmuth's book, because they raise with any pair and fire a bet at the pot after the flop no matter what comes out on the board.

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
If I read Winning Low Limit Hold'em then could I squeeze out a bet or two because I would be able to recognize players playing by its guidelines?

[/ QUOTE ]

to some degree, this is what SSHE teaches you how to do

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that picking up on weak-tight text book players and taking advantage of that fact is worth about one pot every 2-3 hours.

[/ QUOTE ]

I tend to agree with this -- memorizing specific recommendations in say WLLH so you can recognize someone playing by that specific book is probably futile. Even if it's not futile, it's probably more profitable to just attack the known weaknesses in the genre of beginning hold 'em books.

Incidentally, I recently paged through WLLHE for the first time in a while, and since reading and studying SSHE. I'm covinced that much of WLLHE's reputation for weak-tight play is a matter of nuance. In other words, I don't see where Lee Jones says, "You should always fold middle pair on the flop." I do see where he says (it's late and I don't have specific references but could find them) things like, "If you flop middle pair and the betting gets very heavy, you'll have to get out." He's plainly not doing what Ed Miller in SSHE would do, give you the tools to figure when to stay in with middle pair or not, because that's out of scope for that sort of short book for more-or-less beginners. Anyway, my point is just that I don't think he's giving bad advice as much as he's emphasizing avoiding the things that will get new players in trouble.

If I didn't make that point well, I'll try again tomorrow when I'm not about to go sleep. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[BSXX]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, my point is just that I don't think he's giving bad advice as much as he's emphasizing avoiding the things that will get new players in trouble.

If I didn't make that point well, I'll try again tomorrow when I'm not about to go sleep. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you made it very well. I have read WLLHE several times and SSHE once, and I have yet to find evidence of some of the "problems" people have with the book. It cetainly advises a safer path, but for beginners, this is the better way unless you have an unlimited bankroll. SSHE is the better book and much more advanced, no question, but despite many opnions to the contrary, I would advise someone new to holdem or to holdem literature to start with WLLHE, then advance to SSHE.

[kiddo]

The book is not saying u should play weak tight. Its the best beginners book there is, because it is easy to read and give straightforward advice.

I had 2 friends who recently started to play holdem. Both bought SSH because it was the best. Well, they didnt understand half of it. I told them to read Jones first and get the basics, they did and now they understand a little more of SSH.

[Pawtucket Pat]

Its actually a pretty interesting point, I mean, I read Hellmuth's book about 8 months ago before I knew any better. But after reading SSHE, TOP, and HPFAP, its pretty easy to spot someone who's read Hellmuth's book when they 3-bet their low pair or suited connectors preflop. Its probably even worth the 15 bucks for the book and an hour of time to read the hold'em section in it if its going to help you spot the fish who've read it (assuming you can stand Hellmuth's painfully smug attitude and all the bragging about how much money he's made). One decent pot and the book is paid for. Most of the advice is horrible, and if you know what it is, its easier to exploit.