Question For The Successful Low Limit Hold'em Player (+ anyone else)

[PokerProdigy]

I am a low limit hold'em player, and I play mostly online (I only have an account with Party Poker, so this is the only online site I play at). In the past couple weeks I have been on a 300BB swing in the negative direction, and I can't figure it out. I have read Malmuth's book Gambling Theory and Other Topics, so I am aware of the fluctuations he talks about on page 33. But, it seems to me that it's more likely that my loss is a result of my play, rather than a bad fluctuation because these large fluctuations probably don't happen very often.

I have read Small Stakes Hold'em (by Slansky, Malmuth, and Miller) a few times, and that book is what I use as my low limit strategy. I believe it's a great book but I am starting to wonder whether I should try out some other strategies, or just modify my strategy a bit, because I would like to find a strategy that wins/works for me at low limit hold'em.

Now to my questions. I am thinking about reading Winning Low Limit Hold'em (the second edition) by Lee Jones. I am also thinking about reading Internet Texas Hold'em; Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Mathew Hilger. For those of you who have read these books, what did you think? Did the strategies you learn here help you win at the low limit tables? Also, what do you guys think of Small Stakes Hold'em by Sklansky, Malmuth, and Miller? Is there some material in that book that you modified or did NOT use? And what other books, videos, articles, advice etc...(I am talking about anything) do you recommend that will help me win at low limit hold'em?

[jtnt1096]

I play mostly NL cash games and tournies now, but when I played limit I used Winning Low Limit Hold Em by Lee Jones as the foundation for my strategy.

A lot of people say it is weak-tight and so forth, but I feel it is the best book for beginners and low limit players. Just my .02

[Nfinity]

WLLHE has some excellent stuff for the beginning poker player. That being said there is some stuff in there that is just plain wrong. You've read SSH so you are past this point in your learning curve I think.

Hilger's book is a great read, and has excellent hand examples all through the book. It's definently worth a read.

However I don't think a book will solve your problem at all. My advice, first off, is to stroll over to the Micro-Limits forum and start off by replying to peoples' posts there. Don't be shy, and don't worry about getting things wrong, it's how you learn. Then when your comfortable with them, post some hands. Then I would suggest reading SSH again, paying particular attention to the more common errors present in your game.

[Rudbaeck]

Read ITH, skip WLLH. Post hands in the microlimits forum, read all hands posted in the microlimit forum and post feedback often. Discussing specific hands is the best tool for learning there is.

If you have spare time after that (hah!) read hands in the small stakes forum.

[royaltrux]

You might also want to try pokertracker. It will help you analyze your game in lots of ways.

[Derek in NYC]

Drop down 1 level online.

ITH is a good book and worth reading.

SSH does increase variance, so make sure you are not misapplying its concepts. For example, raising a 4-flush middle suited connector OOP in a multiway pot, on the flop.

[deacsoft]

[ QUOTE ]
Read ITH, skip WLLH. Post hands in the microlimits forum, read all hands posted in the microlimit forum and post feedback often. Discussing specific hands is the best tool for learning there is.

If you have spare time after that (hah!) read hands in the small stakes forum.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with everything but skipping WLLH. But then, I am one of those weird people who truely believes that reading (and understanding) as many books as possible can only be +EV.

[benfranklin]

To win at holdem, you have to be tight and aggressive. Poker Tracker will help you objectively rate yourself on this. PT showed me that I was neither as tight nor as aggressive as I thought I was.

WLLHE will teach you to be tight. That should get you from losing to break-even. ITH will teach you to be tight and aggressive. SSHE will pound it into your head. You need to analyse your own play to determine what you need to do. From what you say, it sounds like you are not ready for SSHE, so it is probably best to read either read ITH, or even WLLHE and then ITH. Read and study them slowly, playing a lot of hands over the same time period.

[WWJFergusonD?]

Fwiw, I liked "More Hold 'em Excellence" by Lou Krieger better than WLLH by Jones, primarily because it was better suited to my style (Tight-Aggressive, but not Tight-Aggressive/Aggressive, by PokerTracker's standards). In other words, I'm usually a little bit less aggressive than what Jennifer Harman recommends in SS2, but do I like to mix it up a bit.