I started playing poker only a few months ago. Started live in card rooms and based on my own thoughts of the game I was winning more often than not on 1/2 tables. All I did really was try and play hands that had good odds in my mind (knowing nothing at the time of position, cbets, value, etc). If I held cards that I knew had several ways to win and the pot was worth the play, I'd go for it. After that I got involved with internet poker and found it to be much more aggressive. So I started reading a good amount on the net regarding strategy, and I bought Harrington on Holdem vol 1, which I'm a little more than halfway through. HoH is a great book but I do feel that there are some gaps in my knowledge as the book assumes you already know certain things. I find myself constantly searching the net to fill the knowledge gap.

I feel like there's a huge poker puzzle in my mind with a 100 pieces to assemble. Right now it's like I have pieces 1-2-3 and 6-7-8 but don't have 4-5 to connect it all together. It's frustrating because the more I look on the net the more I get fragments of info which doesn't help to "glue it" if you know what I mean. Seems like there must be a book or DVD course, or something, that will help to sort this all out.

So...what book/dvd/etc do you guys recommend for someone in my position?

Have you read "The Theory of Poker"?

The book takes quite a bit of study, but certainly provides a solid base for any poker player.

Good luck,

PJS

You are asking for a magic bullet to make you a winner. There is no such thing. Internet games at any given level are a lot harder to beat than live games. It sounds like you had some luck without getting a good grounding in the game.

You have not really given a good description of what you play, how well you do, and what you have read. HOH I is written for big stack tournaments. It is not a good place to start if you are playing small stakes cash games.

You need to read a lot of threads in this forum and in the strategy forums that apply to the games you are playing, find out where you are at, and figure out a path of play and study. Based on the little info you provided, I would recommend that you start with a few strong books on the basics and study them in depth.

I am thinking Getting Started in Holdem, although it is primarily limit, it will help with the basics and then Professional No Limit Volume 1

Wow, I didn't get the sense that he was saying that in the slightest.

Getting Started in Hold'em, by Ed Miller and Matthew Hilger's Internet Texas Hold'em seem to be the two that hit the top of lists when this question is asked (although I've only read the Hilger, which is very good).

Jack,

I'm not sure how you read my post and came away thinking I was looking for a magic bullet to instantly make me a winner. I'm just looking for a book, or course, that explains things I don't yet understand. This, of course, is so I can learn and become a better player. Which is the point of anyone studying up on the subject. Regardless, I appreciate the info you provided about HoH.

PJS, Steam, Jase,

Based on your book suggestions I went to the bookstore this evening and browsed through those selections. So many good books! I ended up buying Professional No Limit Hold'em. Next on the list is Holdem for Advanced Players by Sklansky. After that I think I should be able to handle Theory of Poker. Thanks for the help, it made it a lot easier to get the right book(s). Oh yeah, from what I read in another thread, in a couple months Harrington should have a book on cash games out so I'll be busy reading for a while! hah.

If your talking cash games you need to work from the bottom up. PNLH is not a beginner read.
I suggest very strongly Largays book and or Sam O conners book. They begin with NL basics.
Theory of poker is not of value to you right now.
For NL tourneys I suggest HOH

Little Green Book by Phil Gordon for no limit is a pretty good primer. Just look elsewhere for a decent no limit starting hand range, as Gordon's seem to suit high-stakes live, and don't fit smaller-stakes internet play at all.


HoH 1+2 for tourneys.

Are you playing limit or NL?

For NL cash games, in your position, I'd start with the basics. Some will be rehash, but this way you won't be skipping anything.

First, Getting Started in Holdem (Miller). Then probably Largay's book. Then Harrington is fine, but of course it's about tournament play and that plays differently. After that, No Limit Holdem: Theory and Practice (Sklansky, Miller). After that, Professional No Limit Holdem. By then, Harrington's cash game book should be out :-)

All the books I've seen shows you how to stick it to the other guy. Haven't notice books devoting much attention or space to what to do when they put the pressure on you. Only see those threads on forums with conflicting answers from forum members.
And those online opponents put the pressure on you.

OP, I highly suggest reading through the links on this anthology

A little advice from someone who's been working at this for awhile...

Start by playing low limit holdem. Learn the basics, the fundamentals, the math. Get a good, solid footing. Read Small Stakes Holdem. Twice. Play. Read it again. Get involved with the small-stakes forum. Post hands. Play. Read SSHE again. Rinse and repeat. It's slow, hard work, but it does work.

Then go on to no-limit. It's a lot harder to play expert NL than expert fixed limit. Starting with NL can be frustrating and expensive. The better players have a very large edge over the average player, where in fixed limit, the edge isn't so great.

Players who start with LHE and then move to NL seem to have more success faster. They have a better understanding of hand values, hand reading, position, and the math, than those who have played only NL their entire careers.

It's certainly a controversial opinion, but it's not only my opinion, It's one held by a lot of people who are way better than I am.

I wish you well on your journey, whichever road you choose.

CJ

Is that $1-2 limit you are playing?...

If so then you've gotten way ahead of yourself with Harrington on Holdem as it's not even the same game...

Yes get the book "The Theory of Poker as it's a great start for the $25...

As for internet play?...

Well it' much different from live as many players have special solfware that they use tracking other players habits and plays which they can instantly display to give them an advantage over others and to how they play...

It's an investment and if you''re going to play on the net. you'll have to have it and learn to use it or you'll always come out on the short end of the play...

Another thing about internet play is that these players can move around at the touch of the mouse...

Moving in and out of rooms and stalking their prey...

It's a great source of income for the savy player who can also combine computer skills...

Another thing Trankuility is do you want to be a Pro or one of these people you see on T.V.?...

The vast majority of Pros are limit players and it's a good living if they are good and manage a BK...

The people you see on television started out playing limit and then built up their BK to enter a tourney...

But they all got lucky and with their skills did win...

Well when you hit the lotto and have a million dollars you can start playing tourneys all over town...

Most do go broke but a handful succeed...

Infact a few such a Gus Hansen aren't doing as well as some think from what I read...

And if it wasn't for endorsements that they get they'd be walking the streets in need of a sponsor to front them...

So you have to ask yourself?...

Is this a living you want of a one in a million lotto dream?...

Oh and one more thing...

If you really want to get good then you have to learn all the poker games such as Razz, Stud, etc. to round you out and give you an objective about poker...

A Hold em player who only knows that game isn't complete...

wow, I've never seen this before! I know what I'll be doing this weekend!!

Rsar,

I'm not interested in becoming a poker celebrity or superstar. What I'm interested in is making enough though poker to live comfortably. I already do well enough at my current job but I'd much rather be able to wake up whenever I want and play poker to earn money. No boss except myself.

MyTurn2Raise,

I ran across that anthology a couple days before I made this thread. After reading that, the whole "fragment" thing just got worse, haha, which is why I made this thread, to find a book or course that ties it together. So far, the PNLH book is doing a great job of that.

There is one thing that's becoming clear to me through all this. And that's that tight, ABC poker will pretty much get the job done at the limits I'm playing. Looking back, the times that I lost were usually because one of two things: 1) I assumed the villain was bluffing big and called/raised/shoved him or 2) I tried bluffing big and got called/raised/shoved. I've seen ABC poker recommended at low limits often enough on this site but it's finally starting to sink as to why it should be done.

You should read T.O.P. before you read HEFAP.

Be you own boss?...Well then the Pro way and limit then is the way for you...

If you're good you can make 185K a year in $60-120 limit but will need about a 50K BK to be on the safe side to start...

But actually to get to the good you'll need about 10 years playing experience to be honest here...

I assumed it should be the other way around, with HEFAP laying further groundwork, which eventually leads to theory. Is that not the case?