Any recommendations for a book or website for a novice to intermediate player to learn poker?

I play Poker Stars about every night, I really enjoy playing even if its only for chips. Fulltilt.com is also available.

I have not read them, but Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson has written a few books that are considered to be classics.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/

Basically everything you ever wanted to know about poker and then some.

That ought to keep you busy a while.

All of the popular books are discussed and such, too, for further non-forum reading.

There's really only a few books worth buying, IMO, beyond the basics.

You'll see.

I prefer cash no-limit tables, but I've played loads of Tournaments and done well enough. I won the first in person Tournament I ever entered, against almost 200 people. It felt good. Sadly, I definitely don't win them all, but I'm up overall, lifetime (about 20yrs of tracking it).

I love the game and take it seriously. It's the only game like this I play, really, as (you know...) it's never against the House but only ever against other players.

I keep a Poker Bank, and never, ever, play if there's not money in that "bank" of mine.

Poker is a never ending game, a life long game, one hand at a time. Each hand its own game. Think of it that way. Play it that way. That's my ten cents.

Good luck...

Another tip. Know who you are playing against. When the casinos came to Mississsippi in 1992 poker was very popular. Snacks and drinks were on the casino, a dealer was provided and the casino took a percentage of the pot. Some rather skilled players{the kind that cleaned out their Army buddies} began playing they soon found they were outmatched by professional players. The top players in the game are an interesting bunch of characters.

Have fun.

The so-called "Bible" of poker is Brunson's Super System (now Super System 2). Along with bioraphical information about hold 'em, the book covers all of the most popular other games, like Omaha 8 or better, Pot limit Omaha, and other draw or stud games. The Super System 2 added a chapter by Jennifer Harmon on a game she is particularly strong on, and talks a bit about the birth and boom of online poker.

I had much better results after diving into Dan Harrington's series of books though. Harrington on Hold 'Em (Vol.1 and 2) and Harrington on Cash Games. Dan Harrington is also a WSOP Main Event winner, and his playing style if much more mathematical and grinder like than Brunson's.

Harrington's books teach some really powerful concepts, like pot odds, implied odds, ratios of your stack to the pot and blinds. His focus in the first two books is primarily tournament poker, and he added the cash game book a few years after the first two.

I am sure that all of these books are available used online somewhere. The Brunson book I bought more as a refresher after I had dropped the game for a while, but I don't think it is as technically valuable as Harrington's books.

If you want a bit of non-fiction poker reading, I have also read Check Raising the Devil by Mike Matasow. Kind of explains a bit some of his antics. I met him at the WSOP maybe 2016, he is using a motor cart to get around. Still had a bag of serious cash in the saddle bags!!!

Is it possible to go to a casino and win money or does every table have a few pros that will clean everyone out?

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posted May 03, 2020 05:43 PM Hide Post
The so-called "Bible" of poker is Brunson's Super System

Also includes some of his life story. That alone is worth reading. That man has lived one heck of a life.

quote:

Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:

Is it possible to go to a casino and win money or does every table have a few pros that will clean everyone out?

I won big (big for me is defined as a couple of hundred dollars) playing at a three dollar table in Las Vegas. There was a guy at the table who had had way too much to drink; he was betting aggressively on crap hands, so it was pretty easy.

Daytona Beach, there was a poker room in the greyhound track, adjacent to the speedway. I haven't been there for several years, the poker room has moved to a different location and I have not been to the new location, but when I used to go, most of the time it was filled with local geezers and there were usually no big winners or losers. However, during Bike Week or the NASCAR events, the out of towners would stop in to relax, have a few beers, and donate to the local economy. I played at the low stakes tables, where the "visiting team" did not take the game seriously, it was more of a setting to have a couple of beers and socialize, so it was not difficult to pick up some of their chips. Playing at the tables with twenty-five / fifty cent blinds, I usually went home with a fifty to one hundred dollar profit. Pretty small, if you looked at it as hourly wages, but I had fun and it didn't cost me anything.

quote:

Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
Is it possible to go to a casino and win money or does every table have a few pros that will clean everyone out?

Smart players, professional or otherwise, fold upwards of 80+% of the time.

Far fewer good players bluff far less often than most think.

Of course just about any asshole can win a hand or three at a cash, non tournament, table.

And that's all it takes. Patience, skills, decent cards, and timing.

I can sit at a cash no-limit table with a few hundred bucks for a few hours, and all I need in that whole time is 2+ winning hands, maybe 5 in a half day of playing, after folding almost always, to win a bunch.

Just a few hands can be several hundred to several thousand $ of winnings.

The pro or two at the table will just get out of your way and let you take everyine else's money if they don't have the cards to beat you or can't get a read or happen to believe your play/posturing.

And understand... statistically... there's NOTHING statistically unusual about a player, any player, getting 1,000-10,000x absolutely shit hands in a row. It happens. The cards either go your way or not, and when they don't, fold fold food fold 99% of the time, or be prepared to be beat, usually.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
Is it possible to go to a casino and win money or does every table have a few pros that will clean everyone out?

Smart players, professional or otherwise, fold upwards of 80+% of the time.

Far fewer good players bluff far less often than most think.

Of course just about any asshole can win a hand or three at a cash, non tournament, table.

And that's all it takes. Patience, skills, decent cards, and timing.

I can sit at a cash no-limit table with a few hundred bucks for a few hours, and all I need in that whole time is 2+ winning hands, maybe 5 in a half day of playing, after folding almost always, to win a bunch...

Excellent advice!!!