Those in the know (the 2+2 forum members who spend 24 hours a day dissecting and analyzing poker minutiae) will tell you in a heartbeat that Ed Miller's "Small Stakes Hold'em" is the Bible of the Low Limit game. Yes, it has displaced Lee Jones's book.

I have, in my checkered poker career, read just about every other book I could find--Brunson, Hellmuth, Caro, Warren, Sklanskly, Jones, etc---in an effort to improve my game. None of them have been nearly as effective as this one.

So, what's different? That's a tricky question because the differences can be subtle. However, I'll start off by saying that the preflop recommendations are the most effective that I've seen. And beleive me, knowing what to play and where to play it pre-flop is half the game in low limit hold'em.

Of course, like all poker books, the authors advise tight/aggressive play. One of the things that really helped me was realizing that I was calling pre-flop raises far too often with the wrong hands. A simple thing but an incredibly important one, and an example in which this book differs strongly with others.

Save yourself time and money, buy "Small Stakes Hold'em" and go from beginner to intermediate in a hurry.

Remember, no book will make you a long run winning poker player as that requires a set of many skills that take time to develop. But a book such as this one will keep you from losing much, make you a respectable player. This will provide the foundation to learn the other skills necessary to become a consistent winner at this often frustrating game.

Good luck

If you've worked your way through other texts from this poker book publisher, you know what I mean.

I think this is the most comprehensive and readable text available for low-limit cash play. There are other books on the topic, but they will all be compared to this one. It's the king of the hill at the moment.

This book reads fast, and teaches good lessons. Play only your best hands, raise with the good stuff. Watch out for flops that you may think favor you, but really give your opponent the top hand (i.e., the dreaded tainted out.)

In true 2+2 style, it is loaded with footnotes, trying to make your poker play as exact as possible. Even the usually dry question-and-answer section is filled with educational surprises for the average player. (Is it ever correct to raise with your pocket queens, facing a king-dominated board? See p. 280 for the answer.)

This book is a must if you play low-stakes cash games. Tourney players, of course, will have to look elsewhere as NL tourneys present their own challenges.

I think this is the best low limit book out. It gives a complete starting hand system, and even breaks it down into tight vs loose games. I think this is an outstanding book not only for low limit holdem, but also for playing in loose mid limit games. I think this is required reading for any serious poker player.

This is no beginner's book -- you've got to have at least a basic knowledge of poker strategy to get anything out of it. If you're really into Hold 'Em, though, and want to just house people left and right, then this may be your book. I'm not an expert myself, so I don't want to attempt to review the book's strategies and advice, but I will say that it's certainly comprehensive. Good luck!

Excellent book on Small Stakes Holdem! Extensive and exhaustive section on counting outs and applying pot odds to your play -the best I've seen so far (7 poker books read and counting). For example, Dan Harrington gives a very brief description of counting outs and then recommends the book being reviewed here - "Small Stakes Hold'em ..." for further reading.