Kindle [mobi] version anytime soon?

It is something that I am working on. The graphics were all messed up when I tried to use a program like Calibre in the past. I am now getting some help from somebody who knows what they are doing with graphics and Kindle so hopefully I will be able to release it sometime soon. I will certainly update this thread when that happens.

I bought the book last night, I've read half of it until now, it's good, really gathering the fundamentals. I will probably write another post when I've finished with it but just wanted to mention 3 things:

- the limping advice has already been addressed, I think it would be cool if a second edition of the book addresses in the better way the 6-max pre flop play (not only the starting hands but the percentages; I intend to implement the colours in my HUD but since I'm starting with 6-max now, I will have to look somewhere else for the standard VPIP/PFR stuff for 6-max for example). Here, there really is no need for a ton of stuff to be added. :-)

- that stuff about most of the best poker players who are not that much into math regarding EV calculations, percentages, etc. IDK if that's right (though I doubt so :P) but I suspect that after having done a ton of such calculations and hand analysis, one will vastly improve one's play and "feeling" for a lot of situations in the game (just like if you play SNGs and have done a tone of quizzes in SNG wizard, that will make your push-fold play better; or just like a chess player who has spent numerous hours training tactics - he'll have it much easier to find a winning combination). I know I might be wrong with that but will be happy to know what other people think of it

- the author's response to the feedback seems cool, both here and on his website

Converting a pdf>mobi with Calibre is hit or miss I've found.
Will stay tuned for news.
Thanks!

I haven't put in as much volume as AndrewABC or J Con, but since reading the e-book, my winrate at 2NL has more than doubled. I think partly this is because I'm more confident in my play, having had some of my strategies "confirmed" by the book.
It's really a no-brainer to buy this if you're just starting out at 2NL, or have played 50k hands and are wondering why you're barely breaking even.

The nanostakes tables on Cake seem a bit tight for nanostakes (typical flop rate of about 25%, and often under 20%). Will the strategies in the book work on these relatively tight tables?

I agree with you. There are some things that in retrospect I wish I would have expanded on some more such as the adjustments for 6max players in the preflop section. I am making notes on all suggestions that I receive for improvement and will likely implement them in a 2nd edition at some point.

Regarding this particular point my recommendation is to just ignore the first 3 seats on the starting hand chart on page 66. That is basically the exact range of hands that I play in 6max. I should have mentioned something about this in the book though.

Haha, this was a point that I thought might be a bit contentious and I even thought about not including it. It represents a personal opinion from my association with top players and just from my own approach to the game. However I have been persuaded somewhat by Owen Gaines (who is obviously pretty big on the math side of the game having written a book about it) that I and these other players are doing math unconsciously even if we don't think we are.

I don't really have much more to say about this haha. I have never really studied or learned much about the math side of the game beyond basic pot odds, implied odds and stuff like that. I certainly don't think learning that stuff could hurt though. And I think it may also come down to personality type or something of the sort. Some people describe themselves more as "feel" players and some as more math players. I would put myself in the former category.


Thanks!

That's what I like to hear! Nice job

I think a lot of times those numbers can be deceiving especially at these stakes. The reason being is that a lot of the regs at these limits have just learned how to play poker and they play absurdly tight in some cases. Since these numbers represent an average for the table these nits end up bringing them down quite a bit. There might actually be a huge fish or two on these tables but there are a couple of 8% VPIP nits who are killing the table average.

Secondly I think most sites compile these numbers based on the previous 10 hands or so at the table. Things change fast in online poker. This is why a lot of the time when you waitlist that great looking table it is actually full of nits when you get your seat because the fish has busted and left. The numbers just haven't adjusted yet.

I try and do a lot more micro managing these days regarding my table selection. Whereas I recommend using table manager (HEM 1) in the book and in this video for instance especially when mass tabling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST63euIUpOY

these days I find myself playing a few less tables and using more of a tag the fish approach and not paying so much attention to the table averages. I still try and join the tables with the highest averages but my decision to stay or leave isn't made until I have played a couple orbits and identified the 40vpip whale. If there isn't one there, then I leave.

Can you expand on this section in particular a bit? When you say "top players," are you referring to top players at uNL or do you mean top players as the best players at MSNL/HSNL.

I mean both. Dusty Schmidt (Leatherass) for instance has often said that the math side of the game isn't his strength. I worked quite a bit with a top high stakes player a little over a year ago in mbolt1. Percentages, odds and such rarely came up in our conversations. It was more about ranges and player types and what line makes the most sense in this particular situation. I have gotten a lot of the same feel from many of the small stakes guys that I know and talk to.

As I said this is just the perception that I have gotten from associating with these people and in some cases watching their videos and reading their books as well. I could be off the mark in some cases or maybe I just don't know any of the math based crushers out there. My statement in the book wasn't really meant to be a slight towards that school of thought. More of just a statement that from my experience you can do just fine without an in depth knowledge of it.

Sauce123 seems to highly recommend learning the math

Like I said, to each their own. Pretty much my entire understanding of poker math comes from the first book that I ever read which was "The Theory of Poker" by David Sklansky. It has served me fine.

Joe Sebok seem to have the same mindset when it comes to this.

As you said though, everything is math. Some people seem to, by experience, get a feel for frequencies. So it's not 100% necessary to know any math at all.

It's a shortcut to understanding most poker concepts though.

LOL i don't think that I would be all that comfortable using Joe Sebok's poker judgement as compass to guide my game.

Just out of curiosity. I played SNG's $5 to$50 successfully (both full table and HU) until Black Friday on Stars and Tilt.

I built up a $15 bankroll playing freerolls sng's on merge. I don't want to deposit because i really believe I am probably just throwing my money away.

If i took a flyer on this book do you think $15 and some change is enough to play the .02/.04 NL games on merge.

I am a nitty player with my sng background after reading this thread I think that this book might help me adjust to the low limit ring games on Merge and will hopefully help me 1/2 and 3/5 NL live game as well.

Any comments?

Why not grind some $1 DoN's to get a little bigger of a bankroll?

I been playing the fast 50's with some success. I won $6 bucks in the free rolls so I been building up from there with these.

I found the $1 DON's a rock garden in the small sample size and I was bubbling these with no success.

I could keep playing the fast 50's but I been eyeing up the .2/.4 cent games. Looking at the ave. pot size I may be way under rolled. I know in an ideal world I would have $50 or so but I was wondering if a pretty nitty player like me has a chance to build up from a $15 or is it a lottery ticket bankroll?

Hello Guys,

is it possible to purchase this book paying on stars?

I think like you said $15 is a pretty light roll. But it is nearly 4 buyins at NL4. If you do a little bit of table selection and don't get really unlucky you will probably be ok most of the time. You don't really have much to lose so why not give it a try!

Pokerstars does not like it when someone receives frequent transfers for goods or services. And who could blame them? They aren't a bank. So that is why I do not list them as a payment option anymore. PM me or email me at blackrain79@dragthebar.com and I will see what I can do to help you out.

e-mail send..

I would highly recommend checking this tool before taking this advice. If you have a decent winrate and standard deviation you have around a significant chance of busting your roll at NL4 with that small a bankroll.

Fair point but I think this person said that they were not going to deposit again due to fears with being a US player. That is how I was approaching the question anyways. By no means do I recommend playing with a 3.75 buyin roll. However given the choice between sitting on $15 forever or giving it a shot I think it's a pretty easy call.

I am serveral grand from Full Tilt. My wife would think I was crazy if I said I was going to put more cash online knowing there is a good chance I won't ever see it again. If it wasn't me depositing, I would agree with her. I can keep grinding the freerolls but I wonder if it's worth it to keep playing freerolls for another month to try to hit $20 to $25 to avoid the risk of ruin or is $15 enough to take a shot.

I am actually surprised at the average pot size in the 4 NL games on merge. I would have guessed it would be around 50 cents but instead it's closer to a buck.

If this book would help my 1/2 NL live game and I have a decent shot of not going busto, I thought it might be worth the $20.

My wife even offered to buy me a Club WPT membership. If something happens to merge that might be my only option but so far I have had fun playing the free rolls. Two years ago I would never have guessed I would be asking about bankroll requirements for 4NL but now these games are calling to me.

Hi BlackRain,

Thank you for your participation in this thread.

I plan to buy your book next week. However, I don't use a HUD. Can I still benefit from your book if I am reasonably observant?

Thanks.

I actually played the majority of the hands in my poker career without a HUD. I started 5 or 6 years ago when HUD's were not widely used at all. And then I thought they were a waste of time for several more years after that and still didn't use one. I was totally wrong and probably cost myself a lot of money over the years. I highly recommend getting one.

My book talks about and refers to HUD stats a fair bit but not to the point where it is necessary that you use one in order to make sense of the information. Most of the book is really just about making fundamentally sound poker decisions at the micros.

Here is a detailed review earlier in this thread by a live player (obviously doesn't use a HUD) which may provide some more insight:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...7&postcount=26