[yeltzen]

Originally Posted by SingleMaltFan

i have a co-worker/fellow scotch fan/friend who just got a new set of chips...(ugh i didnt get to him intime, havent seen them, i am hoping at worst they are superdiamonds..but may be the dreaded dice chips..)

anyway, he doesnt play much yet and needs a basic book about playing poker, and the variations, maybe some basic, very basic strategy...i can guide him a bit, but he wanted to know a good book..i will advise him on how to use his non-denom set up in terms of chip value/starting stacks...

any advice>

i am gonna lend him "theory of poker", to whet his appetite for poker strategy..

1malt

Lend him TOP if you want him to blow his brains out.

[dad604]

I have just finish reading "Getting Started in Hold'em" by Ed Miller. I think it is an excellent book for beginners, even better than "Winning Low Limit..." by Lee Jones. I think I am past the beginner stage but I got a lot out of the book. Sic, maybe I am still just a beginner.

The book is divided into three sections, limit, NL and tournaments.

[youngin57]

Theory of Poker is not an easy read especially for a beginner. I haven't read Phil Gordon's Little Green Book but I did read The Real Deal and it was well written.

young...

[jamby]

JoJo beat me to it. I am also recommending Lee Jones or Phil Gordon's 'Little Green Book' for the newbie player.

-jamby

Originally Posted by jojobinks

for a first book, i recommend Lee jones for limit, and hrm...HOH or Phil Gordon for NL.

[yeltzen]

Phil Gordon's green book reminds me of a child with ADD. Like he can't talk about any topic for more than 2 paragraphs.

[bolgenmod]

Originally Posted by dad604

I have just finish reading "Getting Started in Hold'em" by Ed Miller. I think it is an excellent book for beginners, even better than "Winning Low Limit..." by Lee Jones. I think I am past the beginner stage but I got a lot out of the book. Sic, maybe I am still just a beginner.

The book is divided into three sections, limit, NL and tournaments.

Dad604 is (as always) spot on -- GSIH is a great book for beginners. And like Dad, I got something out of it even though I was not a beginner. The "Dummies" books are ok, especially for variations, but I've found at least one mistake (in the identifying the nuts for Omaha section). For Holdem, nothing beats GSIH.

Does he want to learn home poker or casino poker? I've read a few decent books on home poker (Thursday Night Poker is pretty good). But most of the better books are either game specific and/or directed at casino players. And I agree TOP is pretty rough going for a beginner.

[yeltzen]

Originally Posted by bolgenmod

And I agree TOP is pretty rough going for a beginner.

It was the first poker book I read, and look how I turned out!!!
I remember when I was first reading that... I was like OH MAN I'M SO GONNA USE OPTIMAL BLUFFING THEORY AT MY NEXT GAME YEAHHHHH!!!!!

[checkm8r]

Thursday Night Poker is one of the best books I've found for general poker understanding and strategies. It covers all the standard variations, however, not just Hold'em. This fits the way I like to learn a new subject: start with the top view / general principles to get a high-level understanding, and then later drill down to specifics (e.g., how it applies to Hold'em).

[bolgenmod]

Originally Posted by checkm8r

Thursday Night Poker is one of the best books I've found for general poker understanding and strategies. It covers all the standard variations, however, not just Hold'em. This fits the way I like to learn a new subject: start with the top view / general principles to get a high-level understanding, and then later drill down to specifics (e.g., how it applies to Hold'em).

Glad to see someone else has read and appreciated this book. I read A LOT of poker books, and I read this one for the first time years ago. I thought it had a lot of valuable advice: the author seems to know his stuff, and he is pretty good on odds and such that beginners usually want to ignore. I have to say that I found his sample player profiles a bit difficult -- they were almost too specific and detailed -- but the idea that you need to play differently against different players is, of course, very important.

I think I have seen this at the bookstores in a mass-market (that is, small and cheaper) paperback edition. I would recommend that you SingleMalt take a look for it: it might be a good thing for your friend. I would not, however, recommend this above Getting Started in Holdem, which is a better book, but only about HE. I'd say get both (especially if Thursday Night is cheap).

[youngin57]

I paid $10 cdn for Thursday Night Poker paperback and it was a decent book. I could be willing to part with it if you are interested.

young...