hello long time lurker first time posting. im sort of asking this question for a friend, hes been playing a few years but is still a losing player and i want to help em out. he got me into the game at the begginning of this year and i think hes noticing im already getting better then he is because of the study and dedication i put into the game. he recently started asking about what books to read and asked if he could borrow one of mine(i have 40 of them and more on the way)but he asked me for super system! a super outdated book which is more of a novelty now. im thinking maybe theory of poker, or something by ed miller would be a good start. he wont listen to my advice and i hope theres a single book that would set him straight and put em on the right path.

The Course by Ed Miller

that and theory of poker r some of my top picks. he just came by and took super system and Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by lee jones...had a conversation with him and his fundamentals r just all wrong, guy needs serious help! i just dont know how to give it to him..learning and teaching r way different

My case: In transactions from limit holdem cash to no limit cash: I choose Harrington on cash. The book itself might not be provide the optimal strategy in terms of hourly rate but it does provide a steady approach.

The Lee Jones book is a book about limit hold'em. It's not a no limit hold'em book. Does your friend realize this? I guess not.

You can't make him study certain material if he doesn't want to.

im posting this for a friend , its def. not my suggestion but i would have to say ( everyone should start with TOP) ...... i mean he would have to say , HIM ! not me.

I wonder what TOP is.

"Theory of Poker"

What game is he playing? Limit? No limit?

In which case you're wasting your time.

If he changes his mind, Jonathan Little's written books on live NL cash.
Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Cash Games = a one volume, more introductory kind of thing which might be ideal.

and Live NL Cash Games, which is two volumes, theory in the first volume, workbook full of examples in the second.

if you had to choose ONE book for live low stakes cash games in 2016 what would it be?

The Course by Ed Miller? Poker 1% by Ed Miller? Jonathan Little on Live No-Limit Cash Games: The Theory? theory of poker is a 1999 book? other suggestion?

There is no 'one book'. A month of crush live poker or red chip poker >>>>> 'one book'.

It depends on the level that he's starting at. Also depends on whether you consider a "book" in 2 volumes to be 1 book or 2.

If he's a beginner, I'd recommend Miller's "Getting Started in Holdem" (don't laugh - there are some players who have been playing a few years that are actually beginners and probably don't know everything in that book). But since he's been playing a few years, I'd recommend "Harrington on Cash Games" in 2 volumes. Probably the most complete single work that actually teaches you the basics of how to play Holdem. Theory of Poker would be a terrible recommendation for a single book with which to learn to play Holdem.

I don't agree. I think that reading a book or two gives you a good solid foundation with which to add things like what you mentioned. The problem with your recommendations is that they're piecemeal. You can post and read hand examples and get good bits and pieces over time, but it's better to start with a solid foundation of basic concepts from one source, and then work from there.

What you think about The Course by Ed Miller? He is probably recycling some info of Getting Started in Holdem, right? Or it's more advance? I saw a review and the guys was saying that this book can turn you into a losing player lol. Well, too late book alreadin the mail.

Regarding first your comment about turning into a losing player - well, that's really a pretty loaded question, and very open ended. There are many ways that can happen. The obvious one would be "this strategy is bad and if you play this strategy you'll lose at poker." No, definitely not that. It could be a topic for an entire thread, and then some. Is it possible he describes a strategy that is just a terrible fit for your personality? I suppose any book could do that, and you could change and lose. Is it possible any change to your game is going to cause you to "get worse before you get better", and therefore lose for awhile? Yeah, I think any book could do that.

The Course is a pretty decent book, I own it. But it's the kind of book that belongs as part of your overall library. If you think it's a "full course" for NL Holdem, no it's not that at all. Harrington on Cash Games comes much closer to a "full course". Don't misunderstand what the "course" means in the title.

To quote: "There’s a saying in the golf world that you don’t worry about the other players. You just play the course. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing in a big tournament against a hundred other players or against just one. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing against Tiger Woods or against Woody the Woodpecker. You can’t control what they do, so they can only be a distraction."

We could debate whether that's a useful analogy or not. You might interpret "don't worry about the other players" as being the opposite of one his other books called Playing the Player. But anyway, "course" doesn't mean full course of Holdem. It's just another book from which to learn and add to your overall poker perspective and knowledge. Recommended, but definitely not as an only book. Harrington's is much more nuts and bolts with many hand examples for all areas of the game.

"don’t worry about the other players" that works in golf not poker

I don't think that the Super System is super outdated, there are some things that are useful even today(at least I found them useful), do you have Super System 2? I think that Harrington on cash games and both the Super Systems, will help your friend(it did work for me, it helped me gain good knowledge of the game, please understand that I am not pro or anything, I am a minor Microstakes player dreaming of sitting by the big boys someday but those books helped me), also read the section here 2+2 about how to read a book, that helped me a lot too(I just used to read a book 2-3 times and not getting dam thing out of it but know I take notes, I analyze it, I divide the book into sections), different things work for different people. You can get your friend involed here on 2+2, anyways good luck to you and your friend.

My question is if u were just gonna buy one Jonathan little book for cash would u get volume 1 or 2? If u are not a beginner do u really need to read volume 1?
Thanks

Yes

Definitely Volume 2. But that's just my opinion. I think you learn much better by example than dry theory. Logically, you would think you'd want to read V1 first and then V2. But in reality, it's easier logically for most people to go from example to general concept, than from general concept to example. Personally it's probably easier to read V2 first, then V1, then V2 again. But if I could only have one book, it would have to be V2. V1 is also very dry by the way.

Ty. I like to read 1 poker book a year and I don't want to go thru a book that has all the beginner stuff.

I don't think he is saying Volume 1 is "beginner" stuff (It's not). What is happening is Volume 1 is the theory, and Volume two is the "practice". 1 is explaining it while 2 is giving examples of it. It's not really a beginner type book.

Easy Game

Are the Little books really that good? I picked up one of his books with an Amazon credit (low stakes cash), and he seems to advise an extremely loose/passive way to play. I get that he's suggesting to be wide preflop so you can practice postflop skills, but encouraging tons of preflop callers will lead to a very swingy bankroll, and the book seems to focus quite a bit on checking and calling.