If you could only read one book before you started betting money at limit poker cash games in Indian casinos across America in order to get some experience, with every hope of being able to add live tournament NL Hold em to your life someday, (assuming success FIRST at limit), which of the following books would you recommend reading FIRST when it comes to developing strong pre-flop play? (assume all 3 will be read eventually, but you're going to hit the casino for smaller stakes limit after reading just one book, and you don't want to lose money)

1. Texas Hold 'Em for advanced players by sklansky, using the 8 hand groups.
For the newbie, Sklansky says the chart must be learned, at least in the beginning until you understand the intrinsic value of various hands.
(book is geared toward $40-80 limit)

2. Small stakes hold em by Sklansky and Co. (the red one) using a starting hand 'if-then' type of chart
(book is geared more for $5-$10 limit, or less)

3. NL: T&P
(uses a narrative, not a chart, for knowing what to do pre-flop)

Whichever one I pick, I will memorize what it says to do, then vary play from there depending on circumstances.

I've ruled out Harrington on Hold 'em for a first book because he doesn't get as detailed about pre-flop as the others. He gives some real life case studies so that you get an idea of what to do, then you're on you're own. I'm sure it will be a good book later.

Small Stakes Hold'Em by Ed Miller, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth.

(Yeah, the red one.)

Not even close imo.

Good Luck.

Would you even bother learning the 8 hand groups once you learned the chart in the red one? Do you think it's required reading before moving up to NL or higher stakes limit? He specifically says not to compare the red book hand chart with other ranking methods in other books (including his own) but it's hard for me to resist.

I started with sslh and it worked for me. But I like harrington too.

Wow, I was in the first pre-flop chapter in Texas Hold 'em for
Advanced players, starting to memorize the 8 hand groups, and now the votes are 3-0-0 for the red book. (One other person, ajenni(?) said in another thread that it was their favorite book). What has me concerned is that the mathematical approach they use in the limit games won't have anything to do with NL if I move up to NL later on. I'm guessing that it's better to start low-stakes and move up, than the other way around. i.e. - playing NL with no money involved, then trying to go play limit in the casinos for money without ever having studied limit. Bad idea?

You should also consider TOP, later but for now SSHE is a good choice.

I think The little Green Book is very good

SSHE (the red one) best limit book for Live low limit play and online microstakes today.

But an even better way to learn is to become active on these forums. Small Stakes Limit Forum is a great place to learn about Live low limit play. Micro Limit Forum is a great place to learn about online Limit strategy. Come join us, grunch, post, profit$$$$

Limit is a great place to learn the math because you don't have to worry about all sort of different bet sizes and can focus on pot odds.

As for what chart to memorize, ignore the hand rankings in Hold'Em for Advanced Players. Just ignore it. The hand chart in SSHE is far more applicable. But what you really need to understand is the section in SSHE where the authors break the hands down into "Monsters" "Big Suited Broadway" "Little Suited Broadway", etc. If you understand that section, you will understand how the authors came up with the preflop hand chart, and when you would want to deviate from it.

As an added resource, check out the SSHE study group threads, which cover a lot of the questions that you have or are likely to have.