4 replies to this topic

[rog]

Does the "Loose games" chapter in Hold em for advanced players cover pretty much the material as SSHE? I have the former, so is there much value in getting the latter for low-stakes online play?Rog

[royaltrux]

SSH is more geared to the lower stakes exclusively. It really is a must for all experienced small stakes players. It's advice helps out greatly $1-2 all the way up to $5-10 (even beyond?)HEFAP is for higher stakes so its strategies, while still good, are not optimal in the lower stake environment.Both are great reads. In the small stakes online environment SSH is a must.

[jonnyz]

I am not a pro by any means however IMO, the info in HFAP on loose games is crap. I think the rest of the book is great however this section doesnt seem to make sense.

[Awful]

jonnyz said:

I am not a pro by any means however IMO, the info in HFAP on loose games is crap. I think the rest of the book is great however this section doesnt seem to make sense.

You're right. I reread HEFAP's loose game section and it's wrong wrong wrong. Preaching small pot play in loose games is simply unreasonable because you won't find enough small pots to make those decisions often enough. You'll be waiting for a big hand in a small pot; that's too much to ask for and also a waste; why win 5 BB with KK when you should be pushing it and trying to win 17 BB? The aggression and different approach to evaluating the worth of plays (through the pot equity lens as opposed to the EV of each bet lens); furthermore, HEFAP underestimates the size of the worth of pushing edges earlier on in large fields; its supposed gospel is only for the smallest and most marginal of edges you may hold. I read HEFAP's section long ago, then read Theory and a lot of posting (STILL haven't gotten SSHE, actually, but I keep hearing it in the words of WRTO and Smash), then went back and reread HEFAP's section and realized it's pretty wrong.Difference is night and day. Get SSHE, like I need to as well.

[Scruff]

I think SSE is the single most important poker book I've read (I've probably read about 12-15 books at this point).It is an absolute must if you are going to play low stakes online limit games.I play at Pacific, and the strategy applies as high as the $5/10 games there(I haven't gone higher than that).I've absolutely crushed the $2/4 games, done very well in the $3/6 and sporadically well at $5/10, which I haven't had the bankroll to play confidently yet, but I've had a few quick strikes.SSE does a great job with preflop play. But it's even better with it's advice on when to build a big pot and when to try to pick it up there. It pounds into your head how to protect your hand, especially when there aren't obvious ways to do it . . . like when you are UTG with KK, you have 6 players for 2 bets and the flop comes QT7 double suited or something.Lots of useful nuggets like that. I think it's a great read, I keep reading it over and over . . . the book is a lot like the old Bill James Baseball Abstracts for you baseball fans, you can just pick it up and open to a random page and start reading.But really, I went from a sometimes winner, more times loser to a consistent winner (to the point that I consider it a part-time job now) after reading this book and taking the time absorb what it says.And now, after reading it, I get a lot more out of HEFAP when I go back and re-read it.