Rerun from a couple pages back: I'd suggest you stick to the 2+2 books, mainly Sklansky. First, read this one: Hold 'Em Poker by David Sklansky Next, read: Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth For tournaments: Tournament poker for advanced players (Sklansky) For Omaha/8: High Low split Poker for Advanced players (Ray Zee) ...but since you mentioned something about deep roots and such, I think your favorite may just be "The Theory Of Poker" (Sklansky) Good luck (Even though everybody's luck is quite equal in the long term)... ______________ My advice is to avoid Helmuth's book. If you want to read some guy's endless ego trips, you can read $$$mrmarket$$$ ET posts for free. Stick with Sklansky.
Axehawk - Rearden is right - Sklansky books are the closest match for your criteria. I went to the reference library once and found some extremely involved probability analyses of blackjack , mostly written by Ph.D candidates in math and stats; however, they didn't talk much about actually playing the game. These may exist for hold-em as well, but I don't know for sure.
I play mostly on Party because they have such soft games 24/7...but their support staff (outsourced to India for 80 cents/hr.) is absolutely incredible....and not incredible in a good way. The following is a REAL conversation with Party support, posted on twoplustwo.com : Lobby - Service Person: Hazel Hazel: Hello, how may I assist you? Spike_tt: An email said I would be automatically taken to my table for the PPM warm-up... this hasn't happened... Spike_tt: It also said there would be a button labelled "Take me to my PPM table". There isn't... Hazel: That's because you will be taken there after 7 Hazel: Yes, all of this will load after 7 Hazel: EST Spike_tt: Maybe I have a time difference problem then! What time is it now? Hazel: It's 7 Hazel: Hazel: Is there anything else you'd like to ask me? Spike_tt: What time is it now EST? Hazel: It's 7 Hazel: EST Spike_tt: I don't understand... it's 12.20 here in the UK... but it's 7 there? Not 7.20? or 6.20? Hazel: It's 7 Spike_tt: So... the seating takles place at 7... and it';s 7 *now* you say? So the seating will start now? Hazel: It will start at 7 Hazel: That will be in 10 minutes Spike_tt: And what time is it now? Hazel: It's 7 Hazel: Now it's 7 Spike_tt: Okay... I'm very confused... it's 7 *now*... but it'll be 7 in ten minutes... never mind... I'll wait to see what happens. Hazel: Just wait 5 more minutes Spike_tt: Okay. Hazel: In 5 minutes, it will be 7 Spike_tt: So... now it's 6.55? Hazel: NO Hazel: Sorry Hazel: It is 7 Hazel: Where are you getting 6 Spike_tt: You said in 5 minutes it would be 7... and you're saying *now* it is 7. Hazel: No Hazel: In 5 minutes, it will be 7 Spike_tt: So what time is it *now*? Hazel: I keep saying that it's 7 Spike_tt: Never mind... I'll wait. Hazel: Ok Hazel: Thanks Hazel: Just wait 5 minutes Spike_tt: Yes... I'll wait until 7. Hazel: Just 5 more minutes Spike_tt: Thankyou. Hazel: You're welcome Hazel: Have fun! Spike_tt: I am already! Hazel: Great! Hazel:
After seeing the way Hellmuth acts on TV, that's what I would have figured his book to be like. But there is no bigger literary ego-trip than Lewis Borsellino's "The Daytrader". (Not to get off topic).
Another book to avoid due to incessant ego-tripping and questionable advice: Championship no-limit and pot-limit hold'em : on the road to the World Series of Poker by T. J. Cloutier, Tom McEvoy This is just my personal opinion, FWIW.
If you can chat real time with other players (which paradise allows) why not go into the game w/a couple friends and tell each other your hand. The scheming is limitless. Then look who controls this in Costa Rica, the sopranos.
The money available to cheaters is so great that no doubt cheating goes on. However, real time chat that every player can see is probably not the way they do it... How about a cell phone, or Instant Messenger?
This is one downside to online poker but I wonder if theres a lot of it going on because you would have to be playing big games in order to split two or more ways and make any money and some of these guys are pretty sharp. I dont think it would take them long to spot something fishy going on.
I think they employ programs that can find people playing unusually. Also they give $ rewards for reporting cheaters.
You are right about Borsellinos book. I only made it through a couple of chapters. About Hellmuths book, I agree its not for experienced players but I think his beginners strategy is very good.