Getting Started in Hold 'em - Page 2

freemont · #11 04-13-2005, 02:19 PM

Since you guys are presumably the only two able to answer this I have a question about Getting Started in Hold 'em. My brother wants to start playing hole 'em, and I have decided to make sure he follows the right path from the start, from the sounds of it, this seems like the ideal book for someone that has a basic knowledge of poker and hold'em but wishes to get better, does that seem right to you? I suppose theoretically TOP would be the ideal starting point, and I will make sure it eventually figures into the mix, but I think it might be easier to start him off with something more hold'em specific. Is this a better choice than say HEP or SSHE?

Thanks in advance.

LittleOldLady · #12 04-13-2005, 03:29 PM

Hi Freemont--

I have read GSIH a couple of times, and it is definitely easier to understand than SSHE. The basic concepts of limit Hold'em are explained in the context of specific hands, and I think even a rank beginner will be able to grasp the principles involved without much difficulty. The bulk of the book is devoted to limit, but the sections on no-limit and tournaments introduce concepts which are unique to those forms of play. Frankly I ran screaming from the first equation in SSHE, but I was very comfortable with GSIH..........

LOL

MicroBob · #13 04-13-2005, 05:18 PM

I think I saw Ed say somewhere that some of the NL material that he includes is somewhat new so I'll be interested in that.

Since I'm helping a couple friends learn to play hold-em I'll probably just go ahead and get it as I'm kind of uncomfortable actually recommending WLLHE.

LittleOldLady · #14 04-13-2005, 05:55 PM

In response to MicroBob and La Brujita (among others), I think one obvious audience in the 2+2 community for GSIH is the person who is teaching/coaching friends/relatives. I am not really familiar with all the many introductory hold'em books on the market (most of which I understand to be crap), but I think that GSIH deserves serious consideration as a "teaching text." Another 2+2 audience for GSIH would be those who want to play a form of hold'em different from their usual. The NL section, for example, has a lot to say about stack size, which is not an issue in limit. Readers will see that the NL section of GSIH contains many references to topics which will be handled in more depth and complexity in the NL book which David and Ed are currently writing. Yet another 2+2 audience for GSIH would be those who are having a bit of difficulty assimilating a concept as discussed in SSH or other more advanced books and want to start with a less nuanced explanation. GSIH has deliberately been designed as a foundation for SSH and for the forthcoming NL book, so that the reader can get an introductory explanation in GSIH to be followed up by a more advanced discussion in the other books.

If I am wrong about this audience analysis, I am sure Ed will correct me, but this is my sense from having read GSIH twice over.

LOL

Roybert · #15 04-13-2005, 07:50 PM

Do you think GSIH will help you understand some of the tougher stuff in SSHE more easily?

Thanks for the feedback!

two0crew · #16 04-13-2005, 07:56 PM

where have the people who have read it got it? was it sent directly to you or did you get it at a bookstore? I didnt preorder and am looking out for it at the local Barnes and Noble.

LittleOldLady · #17 04-13-2005, 09:20 PM

Dear two0crew--

I read it in draft. I am a technical writer/editor, and I did some editing/proofreading on the manuscript. If the eagle-eyed 2+2'ers find typos and infelicities, it will be partly my lapses (although others also read the manuscript of course). My understanding is that Barnes and Noble has a somewhat cumbersome ordering bureaucracy, and that it will take a little while to get on their shelves. I think Borders and Amazon will have it sooner. I haven't seen a finished copy, but I think the pre-orders are being shipped already.

LOL