Best Poker book out there?

[short_stacked]

I was wondering wats the best poker book out there to improve my overall game.

[Golden Holden]

If I had to pick one, I'd say Texas Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players by Skalansky and Malmuth.

[Kaine]

Doyle Brunson's super system is my book of choice.

[pmc]

I just got The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky. Its a great book if your already familiar with the game and want to understand the concepts/theories of poker.

[MasterShake]

Ken Warren's texas holdem book is pretty good for a beginner. It's very easy to read and not as technical as Sklansky.

[JohnnyCache]

Problem with sklansky is letters aren't numbers - he can't write his way out of a paper bag and that makes him seem even more technical then he is. . . it all depends on you needs, too. . . if you want a quick guide to all the popular games, a quick stratagey overview on each, and some advice on handling the logistics of playing online, Poker for Dummies might serve you well (no, I'm not kidding or being mean)

If you want to learn how to play like a demon - the agressive NL type play - Super system is your book

If you want to know the numbers, the stats that will let you make a fair return over time on solid odds, you need Skalnsky. . . unfortuneatly (sorry Mr. S. . . )

I've also found David Neagreneau's articles on www.fullcontactpoker.com to be of immense help with my attitude and outlook - something not a lot of strategy guides cover.

And for a great couple of reads on the big players and the history of the game, I reccommend Positively Fifth Street by James McManus and The Biggest Game in Town, the author of which escapes me.

[Blarg]

I think Internet Texas Hold'em by Matt Hilger is by far the best introduction to general Hold'em. The internet part of it is actually not that huge a part; it's a book on hold'em that handles beginning to mid-level play with a good number of higher level concepts very, very well. It has great hand examples at the end of every chapter in a sort of quiz format so you can work your way through "what-if's" and see the reasoning behind the theory he's talking about. It also has exceptional charts and an unusually clear and good writing style, as well as very good organization in teaching the materials. It's definitely a book that you can come back to many times after you've read it, and that doesn't just do a quick hit-and-run on its subjects.

Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players (commonly called HEPFAP) is a must-have whether you like Malmuth and Sklansky's writing style or not. It's much harder to read, and like the title says, it assumes you have some poker knowledge and specifically Hold'Em knowledge in the first place It also has a certain scattershot aspect to it, not being nearly as well laid out and easily paced through as Hilger's book or as many other books, good ones and bad ones. For all these reasons, it is definitely not a good book to begin to learn Hold'Em with. Yet it is absolutely a must-have, and its advanced concepts will find a way to fit into your game, perhaps slowly and when you are ready for them and take a good amount of time learning to put them into practice. It's one of those books you can read many times through the years to pick up on subtleties you overlooked earlier. Go ahead and spend the money on it; you will sooner or later anyway.

The next must-have is Theory of Poker(commonly caled TOP) by David Sklansky. This book is really an incredible one, going into vital poker concepts like semi-bluffing and getting free cards, odds, and pretty much all the important core concepts of poker games. It uses different games, some which may not be familiar to many people, like lowball, to illustrate points, and while that may slow down the reader's ability to decode the book's lessons somewhat, the information conveyed is clearly vital enough to still come across and wedge itself firmly in the mind. Like the other books by Sklansky and Malmuth, who are publishing partners, it is definitely not a quick read. However, also like their other books, it bears repeated reading by players as their skills raise and they gain new insights into their favorite poker games. This book, dealing with central poker concepts that are the pillars of good play, is especially useful to read as many times as it takes to fully understand it, whether that takes weeks or months or years. An absolute must-have, I really can't overstate how much reading this book and integrating its contents into play can improve the game of most any player.

Sorting these three books not in order not of worth but in a fashion that would provide the easiest and most sensible learning path, introducing subjects and going into depth with them at the right time, I'd start with Internet Texas Hold'Em, then Theory of Poker, then Hold"em for Advanced Players.

This will start you with an extremely clear and well written hold'em and general poker introduction, along with very good charts and end-of-chapter quizzes in the form of well thought-out example hands with the first book. The second book will greatly broaden your knowledge of poker concepts from the simple to advanced, dealing in depth with ideas and strategies in poker that are essential in moving to a higher level of play. The third book will take the exceptionally strong foundation you've built if you've really scrupulously studied the first two books (these books are NOT for skimming!) and focus you onto the highest level of general Hold'Em theory and specific strategies.

Serious study of any one of these books might well be enough to make the average person who really applies himself and gets some experience into a winning mid-level player, if not better. Putting them all together in an orderly fashion comprises a very workable progression almost guaranteed to advance players well along the road to becoming very solid competitors.

[Teekan]

I think you might want to start off with more of a beginner book.

Here is a link for a site that reviews poker books and shows the picture of the book and etc.

It's a great site to find what exactly book your looking for.

http://www.thepokerforum.com/bookreviews.htm

[jwrussell]

Problem with sklansky is letters aren't numbers - he can't write his way out of a paper bag and that makes him seem even more technical then he is. . . it all depends on you needs, too. . . if you want a quick guide to all the popular games, a quick stratagey overview on each, and some advice on handling the logistics of playing online, Poker for Dummies might serve you well (no, I'm not kidding or being mean)

If you want to learn how to play like a demon - the agressive NL type play - Super system is your book

If you want to know the numbers, the stats that will let you make a fair return over time on solid odds, you need Skalnsky. . . unfortuneatly (sorry Mr. S. . . )

I've also found David Neagreneau's articles on www.fullcontactpoker.com to be of immense help with my attitude and outlook - something not a lot of strategy guides cover.

And for a great couple of reads on the big players and the history of the game, I reccommend Positively Fifth Street by James McManus and The Biggest Game in Town, the author of which escapes me.

Wow, all I can say is Ditto. I haven't read Sklansky yet, but other than that, Johny and I have the exact same recommendations. Which reminds me...I'm gonna have to send a leg-breaker after one of my friends...he's had Postively Fifth Street for like 6 months now....

[Guest]

If you are a beginner, Jones "Winning Low Limit Hold'em" is what you need to read first, about 3 times. Please ignore the countless poker know-it-all's
that trash this book. This book teached the fundamentals like no other. It is geared toward low-limit games (actually any loose passive game whether it is 1/2....2/4....10/20...or 50/100), but it tells you why you should do what you should do, and by learning why, you can make the necesary adjustments under different conditions. Quite honestly, I would recommend this book regardless of your poker skill or experience.


If you know the game pretty well and want to move to the next level, Improve your Poker by Bob Ciaffone is the best book available. The book is arranged in a peculiar way, but the content is absolutely top-notch.

Sklansky may know alot about poker, but Ciaffone can teach in one paragraph what Sklansky takes 2 long and boring chapters to teach.