When visiting my local Waterstones or Ottakers I invariably drift to the section that has the card game books and flick through the poker books on offer. Most of them are, dare I say it, not up to standard. There are a bunch of “Destroy Online Poker” titles that offer little in the form of actual ideas on multi-tabling or real online poker strategies instead offering abstract advice on playing draws, trying to read your opponents hands and the usual stream of information found in most other poker books. We live in a world where information is society’s addiction and poker now being part of the mainstream culture means every reasonable poker players sees opportunity in collating their advice and offering literary lessons on winning. This has flooded the market with poker books.
Fortunately for well meaning family members planning their shopping for Christmas there are a number of poker books that outshine the rest. Here are my top three.
1. Doyle Brunsons Super System I and II : A Course in Power Poker
There are two books in the series with the second book being the updated version which was reprinted in 2005 at the height of pokers boom. After 2005 the online poker player started smartening up, was this book a factor? It is certainly good enough. In the original book, Bobby Baldwin’s section on Limit Holdem was considered the most important piece of poker literature ever printed. Jennifer Harman’s Limit section in the updated book is also very highly regarded. There is an online poker section in the newer book and information on Omaha poker. Most dedicated poker players own a copy or have access to a copy of this book as a reference to how to play poker correctly. Each chapter is written by a selected professional of Doyle Brunsons choosing.
2. David Sklansky : The Theory of Poker
I have read other reviews of this book that states without reservation that this is the most important book that has ever been written on poker. This book teaches you a foundation of general concepts that must be read numerous times before you can truly grasp the concepts offered to you. Anyone wanting an introduction to general poker theory should look no further than this book. Sklansky is a theorist whose “Sklansky Minutes” on the 2+2 pokercast debate such things as asking the name of an operator on the telephone to get better service. Definitely an eccentric character, he channels his deep thinking approach to life into the theory of poker and creates a masterpiece. Coupled with Super System I and II you will have a fantastic grounding of the key concepts of winning poker.
3. Mike Caro’s Book of Tells
By reading this book, according to many reports, it will give you a significant edge over your opponents. This book does not try and teach you what you will learn in Theory of Poker or Super System; it focuses on the psychology of poker and turning that into profit. I place this at number three because this book will be the first building block after you have grasped the general theory required, which you learn in the above two books.
It teaches you to look for weaknesses in your opponent to win the hands that they do not merit and by focusing on body language or other signals you can win some hands you may otherwise have folded if you relied solely on poker theory. It even focuses on identifying deliberate tells from an actor to the person who is unwittingly giving genuine tells. This is another essential poker book for your library.
Obviously these book rankings are just my opinion however you will find few players that will criticise any of the above books. There are more specialised books on most of the concepts covered, but without a classic grounding in poker theory you will struggle with more complex texts. I would highly recommend you purchasing one or all of the above books as it will really improve your poker game.
By Malcolm Clarke