Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em Interview

PokerNews.com recently published this article about my new book project: Excelling at No Limit Hold’em. Check it out and let me know what you think! 

By Martin Harris of PokerNews

Jonathan Little has not only well established himself as a consistently successful tournament player, in recent years his Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker and Jonathan Little on Live No-Limit Cash Games book series have earned him additional kudos as the author of some of the game’s more useful and already influential strategy titles.

Little’s newest book project finds him having recruited several of poker’s best known talents as contributors, with the forthcoming Jonathan Little’s Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em compiling strategy advice on a wide variety of topics designed to give players of all skill levels a chance to learn from the pros.

When Little first discussed the idea for the book with Dan Addelman of D&B Publishing, Addelman was enthusiastic — in large part because of the list of contributors who had signed on to author chapters for Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em. In addition to Little himself, the list of contributors include many of poker’s best known players and several well regarded poker authors:

 Phil Hellmuth
 Mike Sexton
 Chris Moneymaker
 Olivier Busquet
 Liv Boeree
 Jared Tendler
 Ed Miller
 Scott Clements
 Bernard Lee
 Matt Affleck
 Alex Fitzgerald
 Evan Jarvis
 Zach Elwood
 Chad Holloway
 Will Tipton
 Patricia Cardner
 Elliot Roe

“When Jonathan first discussed with D&B the possibility of publishing a book of this caliber, our reaction was, well, you can imagine!” said Addelman. “To publish a book written by Jonathan, Phil Hellmuth,Mike Sexton, Chris Moneymaker, and the others he’s recruited is a dream come true for any publisher. This really is a unique book and Jonathan deserves all the credit for pulling these A-list poker players together.”

A publication date of June 13th has been set for Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em, thus coinciding with the 2015 World Series of Poker which by then will be well underway.

“We are planning to launch the book there and I’ll be releasing details of how to get a ticket to that launch event nearer the time,” said Addelman, adding also that the book will be available in both print and e-book versions.
At more than 500 pages, the book will provide technical discussions covering topics like deep-stack and short-stack play, how to approach the bubble in a tournament, and final table strategy. It also will include chapters on developing a sound mental game, poker psychology, understanding tilt, tells, and moving up in stakes.

“It’s not currently available for pre-order but will be on March 6th through all the usual retail channels,” says Addelman. “I will remind everyone of this date when the time comes via our website and through social media, and all of the contributors will also announce it through Twitter.”

Speaking of those contributors, the list includes a few who have also contributed to the strategy section here at PokerNews, with Patricia Cardner, author of Positive Poker (to which Little contributed), Zach Elwood (Reading Poker Tells, Verbal Poker Tells), poker pro and coach Alex Fitzgerald, and PokerNews’ own Senior Editor Chad Holloway among those writing chapters.

“I was honored when Jonathan asked me to contribute a chapter to his new book,” said Holloway. “He allowed me to choose from any topic, and I ultimately decided to take an in-depth look at poker’s progression from just before the ‘poker boom’ until modern day. The evolution of poker has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, and I can’t wait for players to read about it in Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em.”

We also spoke with Little to learn more about his inspiration for the book and how it ultimately came together.
PokerNews:

PN: How did the idea for Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em come to you? What inspired you to use multiple authors?

Little: When I travel to major poker tournaments I have the opportunity to discuss various topics with the best thinkers in the game. I realized that the best players in the world experience this type of discussion on a day-to-day basis whereas most amateur poker players rarely experience it. I wanted to create a book that allows amateur poker players into the discussions of the high level professionals.

PN: You have some pretty big names attached to the book. How did you go about compiling the contributors?

Little: I asked people who I knew had a lot to offer the poker community if they would like to be a part of book. I didn’t push anyone too hard because I only wanted people involved who actually wanted to be involved. I know that when I am passionate about a topic, I produce excellent content. I made a point to let each author write about the aspects of the game that he or she is passionate about. I am thrilled with their results.

PN: Were any hard to get? Did you try to get anyone that turned you down?

Little: None of the authors involved were hard to get because they’re all passionate about sharing their knowledge. Some people turned me down, mainly because they did not want to commit time to the project or they did not want to spread poker knowledge to amateur players.

PN: What sort of topics do the various contributors cover?

Little: There are a total of 18 poker players/authors involved, so this book will cover a huge range of topics. Some topics include:

 Moving up in stakes and staying there
 How to thrive in high stakes tournaments
 Poker’s progression over time
 Satellite strategy
 Adjusting to players based on the buy-in level
 Tournament strategies the best players in the world use
 Playing the final table
 Heads-up play
 Game theory optimal strategies
 Poker mindset
 Tells

PN: What was the biggest challenge in bringing this book to market?

Little: This book was relatively easy to make once all of the authors started writing. I personally collaborated with all of the authors, which took a ton of my time. That being said, I learned a ton about poker through the creation of the book and I am confident readers of all skill levels will, too.

PN: Do you have any special events planned for the book’s release, which coincides with this year’s WSOP?

Little: We are likely going to have a release party of some sort during the 2015 WSOP, but we do not have the details about that yet.

As noted, Excelling in No-Limit Hold’em is now available in bookstores everywhere.

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