[argentis]

Hi, I've been playing for a couple of months both in the casino and online, mainly in cash games, but I've started playing more tournaments. I'm working my way through HoH V.1, and it seems to have a lot of good stuff in there. How applicable is HoH to cash games? It seems like there's a lot of good stuff on decision making, and odds calculations, etc.

I probably play 60-70% cash games, and the rest tourneys. I think I tend to play cash games almost like a tourney, because I usually only have one, maybe two buy-ins when I play live, and I try not to keep buying in online when I get busted.

I know there's a ton of information out there on the internet, but I'd rather crash out in my favorite chair to read, rather than hunched over a computer screen. So book recommendations would be much preferred over online sources. I've looked through the forums, but didn't find quite the answers I'm looking for.

Thanks,
Argentis

[jojobinks]

check out this forum: ct books

lotsa good info there.

[argentis]

Ummm thanks Jojo . I was hoping for a little more guidance than "read this forum", which I have been doing for the last little while. I thought there'd be some good stuff in the Best NLHE cash game books thread, but it seems like herefishyfishy is looking for more advanced books than I am. Besides, the thread essentially ends by saying "read everything". I'm looking for some more specific advice.

1. Does HoH have much application to cash games? It seems like it might because it talks about general poker concepts.

2. Is HoCG a good buy for a relatively new player? I've read from the thread here that it's not neccessarily cutting edge, but is it a good starting point for a new player?

3. There seems to be a ton of poker books out there, and while I'd love to own and read them all, finances and other commitments dictate I be a little choosy right now.

Jojo, maybe you're having a bad day, since I know you've taken the time to answer questions in the past, but it feels like from your reply that you didn't read my entire original post.

Thanks,
Argentis

[jojobinks]

there're 5 pages of threads, not just the fishyfishy thread. i'd guess the forum has at least 25 "what's the best book" threads.

not having a bad day. woke up early and planted the snap peas, mowed the lawn, walked to the park with the kiddo...in all pretty nice.

[jmc]

Originally Posted by argentis

Ummm thanks Jojo . I was hoping for a little more guidance than "read this forum", which I have been doing for the last little while. I thought there'd be some good stuff in the Best NLHE cash game books thread, but it seems like herefishyfishy is looking for more advanced books than I am. Besides, the thread essentially ends by saying "read everything". I'm looking for some more specific advice.

1. Does HoH have much application to cash games? It seems like it might because it talks about general poker concepts.

2. Is HoCG a good buy for a relatively new player? I've read from the thread here that it's not neccessarily cutting edge, but is it a good starting point for a new player?

3. There seems to be a ton of poker books out there, and while I'd love to own and read them all, finances and other commitments dictate I be a little choosy right now.

Jojo, maybe you're having a bad day, since I know you've taken the time to answer questions in the past, but it feels like from your reply that you didn't read my entire original post.

Thanks,
Argentis

HOH has SOME things that apply to cash games -- mainly the basic approach that you should take to the felt. That is -- hand reading, bet sizing, preflop hand selection, position considerations, stack sizes, structured hand analysis, etc. However, some things, like M/Q and rising blinds are NOT an issue in cash games because most cash games are played with fixed blinds. Also, deep stacked cash games tend to normalize hand values a bit, so your speculative hands (suited connectors especially) tend to be more playable than in shorter-stacked tourny situations.

HoCG is a very good book for a player who has a decent understanding of the basics of NL holdem, but could use additional insight into how cash games "work". There is an entire section in the first book outlining postflop example situations which I found very useful as a beginning/intermediate player -- it's certainly caused me to re-evaluate the way I approach postflop play.

However, if you don't understand flop texture, continuation betting, semi-bluffing and other NL holdem concepts, you might have some trouble understanding the reasoning behind some of the advice.

[luckychick]

A lot of pepole are looking for very specific ABC advice when they go looking for books, and HOH is really good for that. A lot of the concepts will extend to cash games (especially from vol1).

Really, I think if you are good with big picture concepts, then I think that Theory of Poker is a great book. It uses examples from NL, limit and stud; but if you "get" them, is really useful. I was sorta thinking about re-reading it again. It was one of the earlier books I read, and I've been thinking about reading it again. Many people just want charts and rules, but it sounds like from your post that big picture stuff probably appeals/is useful to you.

Recently, someone referred "Winning in tough Hold'em games" to me, so I cashed in some FPP points to get it, and I've been reading it. It's pretty useful, but I found myself thinking that while the general concepts will not go away, it is sometime easy to get caught up on specific details that will evolve with the way the game plays (which I think changes over time). Anyway, this got me to thinking that maybe I should just go back to ToP and give it a quick read again.

Completely independent of any book -- download and play with PokerStove. It's a good idea to understand where the math comes from, but when you are dealing with hand ranges it's way quicker to plug them into pokerstove; and it's good to have a familiarity with what the odds are with certain hand ranges. Sometimes the numbers are not what one might guess.

Ahh, a bit rambling (sorry) as I've been thinking about this lately...

[argentis]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess my problem is that I understand the game mechanics and some basic theory, but not much. I know that poker is something that won't be learned overnight, and there is no one correct fool-proof path to riches. It seems like the books that I've either bought or gotten from the library fall into 3 categories:

1. Very basic, and spend the majority of the time talking about the mechanics of hold'em
2. Limited information on hold'em (eg. supersystem)
3. Over my head. I suspect that theory of poker falls into this, plus I'm not real big on math for the sake of math.

Now having said that, I plan to read theory of poker at some point, but right now, I guess I'm looking for a book(s) that explain some basic strategies and why they work. HoH looks like it fits this bill, is HoCG written in this same style? Are there others that are like this?

I've also read the Little Green Book, and found it interesting, but I don't know how useful it is in terms of a strategy book, since it seems to deal with a few specific situations, and doesn't have the right feel that I'm looking for.

Sorry if I'm rambling, but I have picked my way through this forum, and I haven't found any real direction on where I should be focussing to start. I feel I'm above a rank beginner, but it seems like the majority of the "what book do I need?" threads seem to be more advanced than myself with the posteers having extensive experience, and having read more books than myself.

Thanks,
Argentis

[jmc]

I'd say give Harrington on Cash vol 1 a try -- perhaps a local Barnes and Noble will have a copy for you to browse before you decide to buy.

I'm not really sure what to recommend to a beginner for NL cash games because I started off as a limit hold-em player. Ed Miller's Small Stakes Hold'em is by far one of the best poker books written for the beginning poker player. Personally, I'd recommend that players interested in learning holdem (and don't have huge bankrolls to donk around with) start off as limit players, especially if they're interested in playing in casinos.

Playing limit will teach you several things about holdem:
1. Selecting premium starting hands
2. Value betting
3. Hand reading
4. Basic poker psychology
5. Understanding flop texture
6. pot odds

The fixed limit betting pattern also means that you'll have to worry less about the following:
1. Bluffing and other forms of deception
2. position
3. stack sizes and pot committment
4. implied odds