Quote Originally Posted by MrNexx

He shouldn't be playing D&D.

Really.

Maybe he should try D20 Modern. Maybe he should try a completely different system which is more geared towards low-magic, high-combat and skills. I think he would get a kick out of Palladium, which does very well if played that way. But he really shouldn't be playing D&D. The style he likes doesn't seem to mesh with a lot of the assumptions of D&D.
There are a few low-magic settings I'd suggest for him: Spellslinger, Trojan War, Skull & Bones for starters.

The part that speaks against his running D&D says to me not so much "avoid D&D" as "avoid DMing," because he sees it as his job to beat the players. Paranoia, actually, would be perfect for him.