- Updated: January, 2024
- Bartek
What are the best poker books for cash games?
- live or online cash player,
- small stakes or high stakes,
THE BEST POKER BOOK FOR ONLINE CASH GAMES! The Grinder's Manual: A Complete Course in Online No Limit Holdem 6-Max Cash Games
Positives
♥ On Amazon Unlimited.
♥ Well written and easy to read.
♥ Properly structured.
♥ Specific for online 6-max cash games.
♥ In-depth.
♥ Filled with many figures, flow charts, and detailed thought processes.
♥ Includes a good explanation of various HUD stats and GTO concepts.
Negatives
x Too technical for some readers.
x Some parts are outdated.
x Overpriced, however, you can get it for $9,99 with Kindle Unlimited
My favorite poker tool
⇒ Display info about opponents while playing (HUD)
⇒ Analyze your poker sessions
⇒ Find your leaks
540 pages, 80 illustrations, and 152 hand examples to improve your online games. Written by Peter Clarke, a known poker coach, who makes some excellent articles and video lessons on RunItOnce and Pokerstars.
The Grinder’s Manual Summary
1 Introduction
2 Opening the Pot
3 When Someone Limps
4 C-Betting
5 Value Betting
6 Calling Opens
7 Facing Bets – End of Action Spots
8 Facing Bets – Open Action Spots
9 Combos and Blockers
10 3-Betting
11 Facing 3-Bets
12 Bluffing the Turn and River
13 3-Bet Pots And Balance
14 Stack Depth
15 Appendices
Appendix 1 – More About The Author
Appendix 2 – Jargon Handbook (Glossary of Terms)
Appendix 3 – List Of Figures
TGM is aimed at beginners that have basic poker knowledge, as Peter Clark stated:
“The starting level of the manual is aimed at fairly new, but not completely clueless players. I assume that the reader has played poker before, is completely aware of the rules of the game and doesn’t need to be told that a flush beats a straight.”
- combos/blockers,
- balance,
- indifference,
- bluff to value ratio,
- protecting ranges and more.
Praise, Criticism and Recommendation
“Chapters are presented in a logical order. I take care to introduce new ideas as and when they become relevant. The reader’s understanding of the necessary core technical skills is built gradually, one step at a time. It is therefore advised that the reader avoids jumping between chapters, and follows this procession of complexity. If, for example, he were to leap straight from the 2nd chapter to the 11th, he’d quickly find himself confused by an array of material that was first introduced somewhere in between.”
Moreover, make sure that you are fully focused on the text and reexamine unclear concepts:
“Each chapter within the manual demands detailed study. The reader should try to read when fully alert, participating in the exercises with motivation to learn. Chapters are presented in a logical order”
Overall, after in-depth analysis, I consider The Grinder’s Manual as the best book ever written for ONLINE cash games!
Get a FREE custom HUD and a list of all the poker books ever written!
THE BEST POKER BOOK FOR LIVE CASH GAMES! Jonathan Little on Live No-Limit Cash Games, Volume 1: The Theory
Positives
♥ Well-organized
♥ Free training videos with audiobook
♥ Well-written and easy to read
♥ Detailed
♥ It teaches you to think rather than giving ready solutions
♥ Very good for intermediate and up, dedicated players
♥ The best poker books for live cash games
Negatives
x Some of the concepts repeat in other Littles' books
x Stereotyping of players by the appearance
x Not for beginners
Summary
- Flop
- Turn
- River
- The aggressor: in-position or out-of-position,
- The caller: in-position or out-of-position,
- Heads-up
- Multiway
- position,
- vs. specific opponent
- tendencies,
- and cards.
- reading poker tells,
- manage you bankroll
- select the right games
- control your emotions
Praise and Criticism
The book will teach you to be a better card reader and intelligent bluffer.
Furthermore, the writing style is so straightforward that intermediate players should have no problem understanding. However, as the author confirmed, this book is not for beginners:
“Before we delve too deeply into the rabbit hole — and trust me, it is deep — I want to make sure you have a solid grasp of the fundamental poker concepts that have become the focal point of most other poker books. If you do not know the rules of the game, please consult the internet. I will only spend a little time on concepts such as expected value and pot odds because I assume you already have been exposed to that information. If these topics are new to you, don’t worry. I will explain each concept and quickly get you up to speed.”
Is Jonathan Little on Live No-Limit Cash Games only for LIVE cash games?
THE BEST POKER BOOK FOR SMALL STAKES CASH GAMES! Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em
If you are:
- a small stake player,
- a break-even or losing player,
- fail to see what is wrong in your game plan.
Then this book is for you!
ED Miller has written many books, but this one, written together with Matt Flynn and Sunny Mehta, is by far his most in-depth, and best book for cash games.
Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em is divided into four main sections:
- Framework
- Beating online $1-$2, 6 – Max Games
- 7 Easy ways to NLH success
- Beyond $1-$2
It will teach you to:
- Poker Math – how to make correct choices using steal equity and showdown equity
- Isolate bad players and handle good, aggressive players
- Determine optimal bluff sizes and plan big bluffs
- Balance your playing lines to maximize deception
Furthermore, to make the text easier to understand, the authors use real-life hand examples.
Clearly, Ed Miller, Matt Flynn, and Sunny Mehta want to teach you how to play solid–thinking poker, rather than just memorizing information:
… you have to be prepared for a challenge. Small stakes no-limit isn’t for wusses anymore. A few years ago, all you needed to win was a little common sense and some patience. The legions of weak players would practically beat themselves. These days the Internet is full of smart, motivated players battling it out for $20 and $50 pots. You can beat them and enjoy the spoils (which can be more than enough to let you quit your job). But you’ll have to work, and you’ll probably have to change the way you play (and think) in some fundamental ways.
Recommendation
Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em is not for these players who have zero poker knowledge. You must have some basic understanding of NLH before you start reading this book.
On the other side, if you are already smashing $200 NL, this book is not for you.
FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS! Applications of No-Limit Hold 'em
If your goal is to become a better poker player and slowly move your hold’em cash game closer to the “game theoretically optimal” poker, then this book is for you.
Matthew Janda is a poker coach for CardRunners. His pieces of training are mainly math and theory-based.
What will Matthew Janda teach you?
This book illustrates the math and theory behind no-limit hold’em cash games. The author emphasizes exploitative play in live poker and clarifies how you should play poker against “flawless” rivals.
It will teach you the winning players’ approach to the game.
The theory and hand samples all concentrate on 6-max.
Still, almost all the concepts can be applied to 9-max and heads-up games. Most of the ideas will be helpful in other poker formats, such as Omaha.
Note that some vital poker concepts that every poker player should know, like life and bankroll management, tilt control, etc., are only briefly covered or not included at all.
Applications of No-Limit Hold em contains 16 parts:
Part One: The Basics
Part Two: Preflop Play
Part Three: Post-flop Bet Sizing
Part Four: Facing a Flop Bet in Position
Part Five: Whether to Bet or Check in Position
Part Six: Out of Position Flop Play
Part Seven: 3-Bet Pots on the Flop
Part Eight: Playing the Turn in Position
Part Nine: Playing the Turn Out of Position
Part Ten: 3-Bet Pots on the Turn
Part Eleven: River Play
Part Twelve: Multiway Pots
Part Thirteen: Shallow and Deep Stack Play
Part Fourteen: Advanced Bet Sizing
Part Fifteen: Applying Theory to Analyze Hands
Part Sixteen: Sample Hands
Recommendation – who is this book for?
If you are a strategic, mathematical and modern player who wants to up their game, this book is for you.
Not for beginners! You must have a good poker foundation before buying Applications of No-Limit Hold.
It is a challenging read, sometimes hard to comprehend, so please take your time and re-read parts that are difficult to grasp.
This book is a perfect starting point for understanding GTO.
Is Applications of No-Limit Hold em for both cash games and tournaments?
It’s mainly for advanced cash game players, but some concepts you can apply to tournaments. There is no doubt that the book could help you winning poker tournaments.
A must-read poker book! One of the best poker theory books ever written!
Are there any cash books on poker I have left out?
If that’s the case, please let me know in the comments below. I will review it and consider adding it to the rankings.
