Hello,
I've just finished re-reading the original Harrington On Holdem books 1&2. Read them a number of years ago when I first started playing and wanted a refresher. I know the game has changed A LOT in the past 5-10 years since those books first came out. I want to be able to hold my own at the tables in 2015, been thinking about reading The Razors Edge by Nelson and Streib. I've heard mixed reviews...can anyone help point me in the right direction? Thanks!

I´d read Kill Everyone first and if you´re satisfied with it,as everyone seems to be, then get RE, which is by the same authors.

Do the 2 books go together as almost a volume 1 and 2? Or are they considered 2 different ideas and strategies?
Just curious

I think that´s a question best answered by the authors. They were very responsive in the KE thread and I think there was also RE thread.

In my opinion you are looking for a magical book that will solve poker for you. I come to this conclusion because it seems like every month or so you are asking about what book next.

In the past year you have created about 9 threads on mtt and cash game books.

Pick a book, pick a game, study, do work, become a master. There is no magical answers in the book and you can't expect to be a world class player just by reading a book. Books teach you how to think and what to think about then you have to take that information and apply it to the game. You also need to be doing post game analysis using some of the tools out there and I'm not just talking about an equity calculator.

Your posts really confuse me because last year you made a thread in 9/14 saying you were reading the new HOH then this year in 1/15 you are looking for reviews on the book. If you read it why do reviews matter? Then you claim this year in 2/15 that you only read the original HOH for the most part, whatever that means.

As far as RE yes its a good book but with out know anything about you or the games you are playing it's hard to say if you should read it or not. All you say is you want to hold your own at the tables in 2015. Live, online, High stakes, freerolls, I don't know so again I don't know if the book would be good for you.

What I would say is that yes it's worth it's price and most people could learn something from it.

Best of luck

@numberonedonk...You're absolutely right. I feel like I'am all over the place, especially when it comes to MTT strategy. I play mostly low to mid buy-in events with 20-30 minute blind structures. My biggest problem is there's so much material out there right now, and many fellow players telling me this book is good...or that one is better. Or you're never gonna win reading harrington, you gotta play a LAG style to have any chance of cashing. Just very confused what to finally sit down and devote my study time towards.

IMO the whole point of any material out there is to help you think about poker and give you insight on what to think and how to think. There is no one answer or one book or one training site and if you happen to find it please let me know and I'll pay you.

Ok they told you a book is good...did you ask them why it was good? Did you ask the other guy why that book was better? Did you ask the guy why you'll never win reading HOH?

YOU HAVE TO THINK ON YOUR OWN AND QUESTION AND COME UP WITH YOUR OWN REASONING ON THE THINGS YOU ARE TOLD, READ, WATCH, ETC.

For instance in this thread you state this

Why does it matter what other players think? I'm not saying it's wrong to ask but what does it matter? Some will say yes, some will say no, some will say it depends. It's always good to get others opinions but you need to know why certain things work and why certain things don't work and not just go off what others say or think. Obviously there is no one size fits all answer for this question or really any question so you have to be able to think about it and come up with your own solution.

I watch Phil Galfond's PLO videos on RIO sometimes but not to learn about PLO. I rarely play PLO and when I do it's usually for fun. I watch them though because IMO he has a great poker mind and through watching his videos I feel that I have become a better thinker about the game.

I'm assuming you play mostly live tournaments and I'm going to guess that 80% of the situations you come across are fairly easy situations if you know how to think about them.

There is no one thing or book that you should devote your study time to. Pick a concept or area and work on it till you become very good/understand it. Then pick another one. For example work on 3b'ing light in position. Learn why you do it to begin with, the kind of hands you should do it with, the kind of opponents you should do it against, etc. Then once you have a good understanding of it pick something else like playing flops OOP.

IMO you need to get a coach.

Thanks a lot....you definately gave me a lot to think about and you make total sense. As you guessed, I play mostly live midstake MTT's. Instead of looking for that magic book that will teach me everything I need to know about crushing every tournament I play, I need to truly study my game and start thinking about what I'm doing and why. I appreciate the very well thought out response you posted. Definately opened my eyes.

When the old Full Tilt was doing those "tips from the pros", Phil Ivey was credited with only one tip...and, personally, I think it was the best one of the bunch. In a nutshell, he talks about that you can read all the books you want...but ultimately you have to take the information and create your own style of play and be willing to adapt it as the situation requires.

The quote is below:

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When it comes to advice about poker, my attitude is very simple: seek it out, absorb it, but while you're at the table, forget it.

I'm a firm believer in learning the game by playing the game. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of great resources around to help players improve their games or that poker books and tutorials don't have their place. They do.

However, the problem I see with people who rely on these kinds of aids is that they end up playing poker like someone else or - even worse - like everyone else.

One of the things that makes poker great is that it's a game where there's really no right or wrong way to play. Every player has their own approach to the game and the key, in my opinion, is to take the things you learn from other players and incorporate them into a style of play that works for you.

There are some players who take a very mathematical approach to the game, and for them, it works. They study the odds and make decisions based on whether they think they're getting the right price to commit their chips to a pot.

It's a solid way to play, but the fact is, it's not the right approach for everyone. What's more, even the best of these players will tell you that math only takes you so far.

Calculating the odds can certainly help you decide whether you're making a smart move, but it doesn't take into account who you're playing against. There are many times when you can do all of the math you want and your decision still comes down to intangibles and a feeling about your opponent or the situation you're facing.

Does this guy have a hand? Can I push him off the pot? Am I getting myself into trouble here? Even if the odds say you should play, your gut may be telling you something else, and that's something you can only develop by playing.

Relying too much on other peoples' advice can actually make it harder to develop this kind of reading ability because it tends to clutter up your head. You get so focused on thinking about odds, probabilities and strategies you forget you're playing against someone else and that you have to try and figure out what he or she is doing.

Are they scared? Will they fold to pressure? Are they a maniac? In my opinion, these are the important things to keep in mind during a hand.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating. Poker isn't about the cards; it's about the players and the situations. Winning players understand that sometimes you have to take chances. Sometimes they work and other times they don't. Whether you win the hand or not, you have to make the play that you believe is best.

At the end of a hand or a session, go back and study the things you did well and be honest with yourself about where you made mistakes. Don't, however, overanalyze how you could have played a hand differently because this can negatively impact how you approach your next hand or session.

Identify your mistakes, learn from them, and move on. Just because some play or move didn't work the way you wanted doesn't mean you were wrong to try it. As I said before, there are just some things that you have to learn by playing.

So here's my advice. Read this tip. Read other tips and poker books. Talk to your friends. Absorb as much information as you can. But at the end of the day you have to trust your instincts and play your own game - not someone else's.

-- Phil Ivey

I will read 1st the j.little vol1, that is imo the only book etc. of his worth of me getting and i read the thread of it so i am sure. But it is not a system book but makes one to think many factors and the opponent maybe more or less. That is not system based on streets of value and balance. I will also read the applications book that figure to be cash game online book. I read ss2 and gold book but they helped my micro game only some.

I will get the razor book also, that will also teach me more about tournaments and how some players play. I am not going to use one way to play only for that reason but i dont need to as long as i keep the balance and streets of value. I expect this book to help with my systems also, in cash games also though little, who isnot a cash player i suppose though, that one pot controls less in cash games and value bets more. Plus i have seen many differences, not to mentions the stack sizes, antes, value per chip, flips.

Online a system is of more value as one can multitable and the opponents rate better and tells lesser. I also see adjusting value only around a system. Nlh is additionally a game that cant be played without a system as one has no clue what the opponent has inside a range and so a system is necessary, like preflop in lhe games and the ranges postflop.

Systems used vs. different type of opponents are also a consideration, eg. why cbet a flop w nothing if the opponent will not try to steal it after u cch and wont trap u w another ch, or why cbet the flop w goods if the op comes out often or even always w a bluff later, or when u can read someones bet size. And so on, there being definite room for adjusting, but that will be more or less the only table where u will make extra money then, and only vs. those ops, and get ur butt handed over to u vs. better opponents as u dont play well.

Thanks a lot for the responses everyone....definately a lot to think about. And to you KK Rush, thanks for the very well thought out response. It's definately going to help me going forward.