No-Limit Hold ’em For Advanced Players by Matthew Janda Reviews and discussion

Hello,
the book is still good for understanding the GTO in 2024 ?

tbh, i dont think so, i recently read it a second time and couldn't get much out of it. applications is the way better book to understand gto play in general because everything is backed up by fundamental equations (which still hold these days and guide solver play / makes their strategy more understandable for humans).

in the second book, i had the impression that solver play is justified with one's own good experiences (i.e. with empirical data, so to speak). as an example, the book often looks at the spot in which you check-raise on the flop with a top pair to protect your hand and generate value. the reasoning is then that the solver does it the same way and it works well in practice. as a reader, i find this rather unsatisfactory. especially since i would also be interested in how to continue playing after the check-raise. there are still the turn and river to play out of position and you have inflated the pot with a medium-strong hand. i think there is a lot of room for error (especially for beginners) and unfortunately this is not really addressed in the book.

what are the best books to understand GTO?

Dara O'Kearney's GTO Poker Simplified is quite good.

It's not especially advanced and if you've done a fair bit of solver study it will be reinforcement rather than learning, but it is a good introduction to GTO that is written in a very clear and easy to understand way

thank you for your response

I started the book on Friday.
I've read 75% of the book, it's really very good.
I think I'll read next:
Play Optimal Poker Practical Game Theory for Every Poker Player
Modern Poker Theory

Yeah, I read your comment and got the O'Kearney book. I like it, although I knew a lot of it. It explains things in terms of concepts rather than charts, etc., which suits my style better.

Confident Janda's last book is the best of them all. It's the one that underpins the mechanics of poker. It's the one I hear respected coaches still reference.

I found Modern Poker Theory forgettable. Nitpicking solvers or flop reports is better served by training videos.