Poker is a difficult game, and those who want to remain ahead of the game will need all the assistance they can get.
One of the finest sources of organized knowledge on the subject of poker, as well as one of the best methods to enhance your poker game, is to read books.
Unfortunately, some poker books are no longer relevant in today’s games; yet, others are gold mines that, despite their age, will considerably improve your game.
Because many books haven’t aged well, we’ve compiled a list of novels that are still relevant and valuable today.
So, here’s my list of the finest poker books you can get your hands on in 2022, ordered by Amazon rating.
Because there are so many books on this list, you may use the criteria below to discover the one that’s right for you:
Master Micro Stakes Poker by Alton Hardin
Rating: 9.6/10
This poker book is a fantastic pick for someone who is just getting started in cash games. We all have to start somewhere, and the microstakes are a great place to learn how to play solid poker without breaking the bank; however, the microstakes do necessitate some specific adjustments in order to maximize your EV, and this book lays these adjustments out in an easy-to-read and comprehensive format.
This strategy guide spans over 400 pages and 30 chapters, covering everything from setting up your HUD to playing against limpers (of whom there are plenty in the microstakes), studying the game, and player profiling. There are also suggested raises initially in opening ranges (depending on your skill level).
The sheer amount of good reviews for this book is amazing, and I have yet to come across one that is negative, so it looks that those that purchased it were extremely pleased. In addition to the book’s material, you’ll also receive a free bonus of a 17-hour Crush Micro Stakes Poker course from Microgrinder Poker School, making the bundle extremely valuable given the book’s low cost.
A positive review can look like this:
This is an excellent book for folks like me who are just beginning to understand the fundamentals of poker. It does an excellent job of introducing you to the fundamental concepts and then expanding on them to teach you the key tactics you’ll need to know. I enjoy how it’s written in simple, logical language that guide you through the processes step by step.
I really enjoy the free online course that comes with the book since different individuals learn in various ways, and I appreciate the reinforcement you receive from reading and hearing the same subject. Seeing the author play different hands might also help you learn what to do in different situations. Strongly suggested!
Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em by Jonathan Little
Rating: 9.4/10
Would you want to read the thoughts and advice of 17 of the world’s best poker players in one book?
This is what Jonathan Little has put together in this book, making it one of the finest poker books of the last decade.
Before you begin, you must be an experienced poker player. This poker book skips over the fundamentals and dives right into more advanced subjects.
Exercising No-Limit Hold’em will force you to reconsider some of your long-held beliefs and techniques (that may be costing you money).
Understanding the fundamentals, satellite play, lower-buy-in tournaments, analyzing poker tells, and progressing up in stakes are among of the topics covered. The game will then be broken down in detail, with parts on range analysis, game theory optimum play, small stack tactics, value betting, and final table play included.
It has lived up to its billing as the new supersystem of the poker industry.
I truly loved this book, and it greatly improved my game, thus I would strongly suggest it.
The post about excelling at no-limit hold’em on the Two Plus Two Forums can be found here.
Here’s an Amazon favorable review:
Excellent book, possibly the most up-to-date and in-depth since Harrington’s trilogy on hold’em.
In every manner, this is a must-read for every poker player who is serious about the game and wants to make money at it.
Designed primarily for tournament play and online poker, but readily transportable with top poker contributors…
fantastic.
And here’s a bad review (the only one I could locate on Amazon that was less than 4 stars):
Although it is a thorough book with several writers contributing their unique ideas, it is tough for an amateur to grasp all of the concepts. It would be preferable if the book was confined to 3-5 major areas to focus on rather than hundreds.
To reiterate, I would not suggest this book to a beginning (for now, anyway).
But it’s a must-have for everyone else!
Play Optimal Poker by Andrew Brokos
Rating: 9.2/10
The popular notion is that GTO play is just for elite players or nosebleed games, and that we should always be exploitative, especially at micro and tiny stakes.
For years, I’ve been arguing the opposite – not that you shouldn’t try to abuse your opponents, but that knowing GTO or the “right” approach in a certain scenario can help you exploit your opponent more successfully.
After all, how are you supposed to know if your opponent is playing poorly or how to modify to maximum exploit them if you don’t know what the right play is? Andrew Brokos, author of Play Optimal Poker, shares this viewpoint:
Anyone who has ever been unclear what to do at the poker table can benefit from game theory.
Andrew continues with a series of “toy games” to help you grasp the fundamentals of how and when to use a GTO-based approach. The intricacy of the toy games rises as the book proceeds through its 420 pages of information, until holdem is reintroduced approximately halfway through. The previous teachings are then implemented.
The book comes to a close with the chapter “Putting it Together,” which covers a variety of frequent holdem scenarios and lessons that you can use to your game right now.
In general, unlike other poker books, this one does not provide predefined strategy, starting ranges, or broad advice. Instead, the goal of this book is to provide you a fresh way of looking at the game that will help you better understand and exploit your opponent. Based on my study of this content, I believe it to be one of the greatest GTO poker books available.
Here’s an example of a favorable Amazon review:
All poker players should read Andrew’s latest book, which I strongly recommend. In poker these days, Game Theory is all the rage. Andrew begins by explaining what game theory is, how it works, and why it is important to have a basic grasp of it. Then, to demonstrate how it pertains to poker, start small with miniature games.
Finally, the book discusses how to apply game theory ideas to exploit mistakes made by your opponents. How to play against villains that call or fold too much, don’t bluff enough or too often, and more are just a few examples.
And here’s a bad review:
“An Introduction to Game Theory” might be a better title for this book. There are just a few instances of No Limit Holdem throughout the book, and while there are some analogies between the game theory examples and poker, they are not completely developed. If it’s the first book of a series, this book could work. It’s very short in poker material on its own.
Poker Math & Preflop Workbook by James “Splitsuit” Sweeney
Rating: 9.2/10
This is the first poker book to be published in 2022, and it’s off to a strong start with positive reviews.
If you want to improve your poker game, you’ll need to understand the underlying arithmetic, but you don’t need an IQ of 195 to do so.
All you have to do now is master the main formulae, practice applying them, and educate your brain to estimate math accurately and automatically throughout sessions. And that is precisely what this workbook accomplishes.
Basic arithmetic concepts like pot odds, implied odds, and combinations will be taught and practiced before moving on to more advanced subjects like EV (expected value), 3betting, and preflop all-ins.
Each chapter introduces the idea, provides the relevant formulae, and then provides example after example for you to practice your abilities. The paperback is also full-color, which is unusual for poker publications because full-color printing is more expensive than black-and-white printing. You won’t have to squint to read the ranges because the worksheet is huge (8″x10″)
You may write straight into the workbook and store your answers for later study if you get the ebook edition instead. The Poker Math & Preflop Workbook offers over 200 pages, 1,500+ problems, and a complete answer key so you can double-check your work.
Author James “SplitSuit” Sweeney recommends reading a few pages each day to develop a +EV habit that leads to good retention – and I believe it is well worth your time! Matt Beckett gave this good review on Amazon:
Poker’s hand ranges, expected value, frequency, and bet-sizing are all based on math. However, no one wants to do it in detail at the table. This book is intended to aid players in visualizing ranges, seeing +EV areas, and, most importantly, spotting patterns in typical table scenarios. You’ll learn to estimate this things rapidly in-game if you perform this work off-table. Where the book offers numerous options, it also outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each. The book also works well with common poker analyzing tools. Finally, the answer sheet is outstanding; it is clean, brief, and neatly organized by page number. Recommended!
So yet, there have been no negative reviews.
Modern Poker Theory by Michael Acevedo
Rating: 9.2/10
Poker is on its way to being solved by computers, and may already have been in certain limited cases. This means that most of what we learn from the game in the future will be based on solver-derived theory.
This is where Michael Acevedo’s Modern Poker Theory enters in. This poker book has about 500 pages of information, ranging from basic ideas like minimal defensive frequency (i.e., how much do you have to call or raise for your opponent’s bet or raise not to earn an autoprofit) to applying GTO concepts to multi-way scenarios and employing contemporary poker solvers.
I enjoy how the book not only gives the best ranges, but also leads you through the process of constructing them. In other words, how can we maximize our EV against our opponents by balancing value with efficient bluffs and some medium-strength hands for board coverage?
Acevedo then shows you how to change these base ranges for many of the usual circumstances you’ll find by taking into consideration stack depth, location, and other aspects.
Overall, this is a fantastic model for range design so that you can be close to your plan in-game. Unlike many theoretical poker books, this one is easy to read while yet providing a wealth of important information without becoming bogged down in formulae, equations, and complicated diagrams.
This is another good book for poker players who want to enhance their theoretical game, similar to Play Optimal Poker.
Here’s an Amazon review that’s quite positive:
This is, in my opinion, the finest book ever published.
I’ve competed at the highest levels for many years, and my game improved dramatically after I began studying the content in this book thoroughly. This is a book that every poker player should own. It’s not the fastest read, but the time you put in will be well worth it. This is the third time I’ve read this book, and I intend to return to it.
And here’s a bad review:
A highly praised novel. The structure seems inadequate and might have been improved. Paying for a training course is a far better investment.
Aside from the unfavorable review mentioned above, a few mistakes have been mentioned. This problem has been addressed in an addendum supplied here.
How To Study Poker Volume 2 by Sky Matsuhashi
Rating: 9.2/10
The book offers a template that you may follow to learn poker and develop your game rapidly. It is subtitled “A Proven Playbook for Increasing Your Poker Skills Through Dedicated Daily Study.”
Studying isn’t always easy, and the most difficult aspect is frequently just getting started – but with the tactics in this poker book, getting started is simple. Sky provides you with a 28-day template that includes all of the information he researched, his hand reading techniques, database reviews and filters, several poker equity computations, and all of the lessons he gained along the process.
This is a poker book that I would suggest to everyone who is serious about their poker studies!
Here’s a favorable Amazon review from the United Kingdom:
I’ve been studying poker for a while, but I’ve always had trouble deciding what to learn and seeing a genuine impact from it. Like many other gamers, I believe I just scratched the surface of several things without attaining enough in any one. This book has altered that for me since it lays out a clear method for choosing topics and acquiring the necessary information and skills before moving on.
This book is a fantastic method to supplement your existing poker resources and learn even more from them. It’s a fantastic book, so get it! Mr. Matsuhashi, thank you.
There are no negative reviews, which explains the 5-star ratings on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Exploitative Play in Live Poker by Alexander Fitzgerald
Rating: 9.2/10
While GTO is the rage these days, it’s occasionally worth diverging from “normal” play and experimenting with other lines to beat your opponents. That is the subject of Alex Fitzgerald’s book Exploitative Play in Live Poker. The teachings here will open your eyes to numerous amazing alternatives if you want to expand your poker repertoire and become more unpredictable.
Fitzgerald’s strategy book is well-received by the general public, and it teaches you how to approach the game from a fresh perspective, allowing you to not only increase your profit margins but also enjoy your live sessions more.
While many of the methods covered here will push you beyond of your comfort zone, they will also make you a far more difficult opponent to play against. Aggressive 3-betting methods, donk bets, over bets, and a variety of other unconventional techniques can frequently leave your opponents scratching their heads, which is precisely what you want.
Here’s an Amazon favorable review:
The content is incredibly concentrated and condensed to core rationales of what works against huge sections of the opponent field, and why; then what to do about it. For poker content, the writing is sharp and properly edited.
While the subtitle says “How to control your opponents into making mistakes,” it might equally mean “how to manipulate yourself into playing the way you can and should” against them.
After reading and studying a wide range of technical poker information, convincing myself to put the principles into practice when playing is a different story. Alex’s teaching style forces me to let go of my propensity to “hold back” and simply do it.
And here’s a bad review:
Like all of D&B Poker’s previous publications, it has good substance but is badly written. They need better editors because most of these authors are allowed to go on about irrelevant crap. Most of these novels lack structure as well.
Harrington on Hold ’em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments
Rating: 9.2/10
Tournament poker is by far the most popular variant of the game. The thrill of massive tournaments and the chance to win great money are what drew people to Hold’em in the first place. But what does it take to make it to the final table of a tournament and outlast hundreds, if not thousands, of other players?
Dan Harrington, the 1995 WSOP Main Event winner and the player who made back-to-back Main Event final tables in 2003 and 2004, is the man to ask. Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, the first book of Harrington on Hold’em, delves into the expert methods necessary to routinely make deep runs in large-field MTTs.
This Texas Hold’em book covers everything you need to know to take your tournament game to the next level, from modifying your playing style to over adapting to your opponents to finding the most profitable places in various scenarios.
Here’s an Amazon favorable review:
This is a wonderful book that everyone interested in playing NL hold’em should read. Harrington’s hand analysis is fantastic and simple to understand. This is ideal for both live and online events. This is a book I strongly recommend.
And here’s a bad review:
I’m not sure why this book gets so high ratings.
Despite the title’expert,’ the majority of the book is written just for novices!
And none of that has anything to do with tournament strategy!
This book has left me severely unsatisfied. This book is a waste of time if you have any prior playing experience.
Doyle Brunson’s Super System by Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’ Brunson
Rating: 9.0/10
Doyle Brunson’s Super System was a genuine discovery when it initially came out in 1979. It wasn’t without cause that this book earned the moniker “Bible of Poker.” Super System, written by Doyle Brunson, one of the best players of all time, presented game methods that few players had seen before.
Other notable poker pros like as Mike Caro, Chip Reese, Bobby Baldwin, and David Sklansky contribute chapters to the Super System.
While many consider this book to be outdated in today’s world, it still contains a wealth of useful information for those who are new to the game. Super System may not be sufficient to crush poker games left, right, and center these days, but it will provide you with the foundations of winning poker strategy upon which to develop.
Even if Doyle’s approach to the game may not work in today’s extremely difficult, high stakes games, you’ll find that many of the tactics in the book still perform effectively in lower stakes cash games and tournaments.
An further Amazon review:
While many aspects of Doyle’s strategy are considered “outdated,” others remain core notions of how to play the game, especially no-limit hold’em. Even for today’s player, understanding Brunson’s opinions on the game is essential, since even if it’s not your style of play, it’s one that every great player knows. Anyone interested in learning more about the game and its history should read this book.
And here’s a bad review:
I bought this book in the hopes of improving my poker skills, however the super system is obsolete, and the most of the information is about games that are no longer played. By today’s standards, the NLHE portion is generic poker strategy; I understand that super system was a wonderful poker book when it originally came out, but there are now so many better poker books available. I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you’re a newbie poker player or simply want to read a poker history book.
Sit ‘n Go Strategy by Collin Moshman
Rating: 9.0/10
Collin Moshman’s Sit ‘n Go Strategy, originally released in 2007, is without a doubt one of the greatest publications on the subject. It provides a comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and precise description of sit and go strategy for each level of the game.
This book might be a genuine eye-opener if you desire to improve at sit ‘n go tournaments. It will teach you a lot about well-timed aggressions, managing your stack appropriately, and making sure you don’t come to the point where you have no moves left in your arsenal.
Moshman’s Sit ‘n Go technique is definitely worth the effort even as a general poker read. Many of the principles addressed apply to tournament poker in general, and the author does an excellent job of outlining some of the fundamentals before going on to more complicated strategies.
Playing The Player by Ed Miller
Rating: 9.0/10
Poker is more than simply a game of cards; it is primarily a game of people.
In whatever game you play, knowing your opponents and accurately reacting to their habits may make you a force to be reckoned with.
In his book Playing the Player, Ed Miller discusses this essential topic. He shows you how to read your opponents correctly and then make devastating tweaks to increase your profits dramatically.
The book covers a wide range of players, from tight rocks to insane maniacs, and explains how to deal with each one.
Learn how to win pot after pot against extremely tight opponents, how to use overly aggressive players’ aggression against them, and a lot more.
First and foremost, a glowing Amazon review:
Ed Miller’s analysis is sound, and his books are accessible to players of all skill levels. I appreciate his poker books as much as or more than others. If you want to examine your own play and prepare for opponents, Ed’s poker writing is recommended reading.
And here’s a bad review:
It was a waste of time to read this book. Many of the instances were irrelevant to the circumstances he was describing.
I own more than fifty poker books.
This would come in last on the list.
Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time by Eric ‘Rizen’ Lynch
Rating: 9.0/10
Winning Poker Tournaments, written by Eric ‘Rizen’ Lynch and a few coauthors, is a book written by successful poker players who have been dominating the world of online poker tournaments for years.
No one can deny the writers’ skill, given their remarkable track record on the virtual felt and millions in total victories.
Fortunately, they’re not just great musicians, but also great teachers. Winning Poker Tournaments Volume I uses a basic approach using real-life examples to explain topics even to individuals who haven’t been playing for years.
This poker tournament book can help you improve your game in a variety of ways, from understanding when to continuation bet to identifying ideal bluff positions to detailing how to raise your stack in a tournament without risking your life.
It’s a must-read for online tournament players and anyone aspiring to be successful in online MTTs.
Every Hand Revealed by Gus Hansen
Rating: 9.0/10
Let me begin by stating that this book is ten years old, and poker changes rapidly. This, on the other hand, is a lot of fun and, in my view, one of the most entertaining poker books ever written.
This book will show you how Gus Hansen won the 2007 Aussie Millions out of a field of 747 players by playing every single hand.
Although some of the poker techniques are no longer valid, many of the principles discussed are still relevant in today’s games.
Even yet, if you just want to read a book on poker or gambling that is amusing, this is the book for you.
Gus is one of the finest live players in the game’s history, having won many million-dollar tournaments.
See how the pros think and how he played each and every hand in the tournament. Not only his strongest.
The hands he mentioned aren’t merely ignored. Each one has a thorough narrative that explains his thought process for each hand.
It’s simple to understand and doesn’t need you to dig through complicated arithmetic or calculations.
What’s not to appreciate about that?
Check out the Two plus two poker forum for Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed.
And here’s an Amazon review:
“I had a great time reading this book. Gus goes over each of the 300+ hands he played in winning a major event in Australia and explains his reasoning. It’s a shame he didn’t include all of the hands he folded before the flip — adding these would have provided a more accurate picture of Gus’ play, even if it would have made the book more monotonous in certain areas.
But, before I go any further, let me explain why I like the book. It reminded me of reality television in certain ways. I felt like I was watching Gus from behind the safety of a television screen, waiting for the automobile accident to occur. It was also similar to listening to Dark Side of the Moon in that it provided me a glimpse inside the mind of a barking loon.
Gus is a totally different player than those who have read Harrington, Moshman, Gordon, and others. His initial betting requirements are ridiculously low, he has no regard for table position, he mocks Sklansky’s Gap Concept, and he never folds his blinds… Do I need to go on?
Unless you need a little more aggression in your game, or you intend on playing tournaments with enormous stacks, extended blind levels, and high antes relative to blinds, or you’re Andrew “Gutshot” Chow from Bristol, in which case Gus Hansen is quite reasonable and could be able to assist tighten your game.”
And here’s one that’s not so glowing:
I’ve read a couple books on poker. This one is really uninteresting; I only made it through 1/3 of the book before giving up. Every hand is exposed, a lot of the same reading page after page, not a good poker book in my opinion.
Unless you’re not like poker, I don’t see how this book could be dull. It is the polar opposite of dull.
For the rest of us, I would suggest this book to anyone, whether a novice or a seasoned veteran.
Essential Poker Math by Alton Hardin
Rating: 9.0/10
Are you tired of all the complex math?
You remark, “I despise math” and “Just tell me what I need to know.”
If that’s the case, this is the book for you.
The most crucial poker math is condensed into easily consumable tidbits that will start your mathematical thought process moving in the correct direction.
While there is a lot of math that can be used to poker, not all of it is useful.
You’re certainly familiar with parts of the math, such as counting outs and having a general grasp of pot odds and equity, but expected value calculations may be a step too far.
This book takes a straightforward approach, giving you only what you need in an easy-to-understand way, so you won’t need a PhD in theoretical physics to get it all!
All you need is a rudimentary grasp of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as some felt practice.
You’ll learn how to rapidly evaluate your table equity, whether to fold or call a drawing hand, and how frequently you need to be right to make hero calls, among other things.
This book is highly recommended if arithmetic is your weak spot in the intricate game of poker.
MicroGrinder.com has a discussion on Essential Poker Math.
An Amazon review may be found here:
This is all you need to know about using math in your poker game. There is no number theory in this book; if you want that, you may get it in other publications. However, if you want the fundamental arithmetic underpinnings for making critical 20 or 30-second judgments when playing online, this is the book for you. Get this book if you feel poker is at least as much a numbers game as it is a psychological game [which it is].
On Amazon, I couldn’t locate a review for this book that was less than four stars.
The Course by Ed Miller
Rating: 9.0/10
Unlike many of the other poker books on our list, The Course by Ed Miller emphasizes the importance of focusing on your own game and “controlling the controllable” rather than worrying about how your opponent is playing.
The basis of this book comes from golf, where players are generally advised to focus on the course rather than other players or the scoreboard. While this method appears to contradict much of what traditional poker or even Hollywood’s view on poker suggests (i.e., poker is all about playing the player), it has validity and is the same technique that a theoretically ideal player would follow.
When playing a theoretically sound or “GTO” based poker game, it doesn’t matter how your opponent plays – you’ll win unless they’re also using the same GTO strategy. For example, if you have a perfectly balanced betting range on the river, it makes no difference if your opponent calls too much since your value bets will profit from the leak, but if he folds too much, your bluffs will profit from the leak.
So, this book is written in a GTO style, but with a Live $1-$2 to $5-$10 price range and without the heavy arithmetic, equations, and hard reading that is often associated with a theoretical treatise. This is one of the simplest books I’ve ever read, with plenty of practical examples and quizzes to test your understanding.
Because the Course is designed for live games, applying the tactics in this book to the online environment may not yield the desired results. Furthermore, this book is meant for beginners.
A brief peek at the table of contents reveals a diverse range of themes that, considering the rather high price tag, may leave an experienced player unsatisfied. To be honest, as a seasoned player, I enjoyed this book and the new ideas it brought.
This book has received a positive Amazon review:
This was a gift for a buddy. His game attitude was deteriorating, as was he. This book helped him reclaim his winning ways. A fantastic addition to your poker library. If your game has become monotonous and you haven’t been able to win in a long time. This book will offer you a new perspective on poker.
You have no influence over what other players do; all you have power over is how you play ‘the course.’ As it is in poker and life.
And here’s a bad review:
This book’s content is suitable for beginners. Nonetheless, it is marketed as a companion to the higher-level book. WRONG!
Harrington on Cash Games Vol. 1 by Dan Harrington
Rating: 9.0/10
Dan Harrington is well-known in the poker industry, not just for winning the WSOP main event in 1995, but also for his Harrington on Holdem series of books, which were innovative when they were first published in 2004.
These publications were largely oriented at tournament poker, although he returned in 2008 to write a cash game strategy book. Because this book is almost ten years old, there will be certain tactics that are out of date and were developed from a “exploitative” rather than a game-theoretic standpoint. To be fair, there was probably no such thing as a poker solver back when this was written, so it’s acceptable.
The book, on the other hand, is easy to understand and includes a wealth of hand examples, making it ideal for a beginning or intermediate player looking for a refresher on the foundations of cash game play.
Here’s an example of a favorable Amazon review:
I’ve read a lot of poker books, but this is by far the finest no limit cash game book I’ve ever read, especially in terms of covering all stakes. Largay’s low limit book is an excellent read for a very limited game and certainly provides more in-depth treatment of that segment of the pie, but Harrington’s book covers much of what Largay does and much more.
I’ve read a number of poker books where the hand examples are nearly uncomfortable to read; yet, the presentation of them in this book was engaging and clear. The editor of the hand samples appears to have taken great effort to make them easier to understand than in other poker books, which is quite beneficial.
And here’s a bad review:
This is a respectable poker guide, but not great or even close to optimum.
He teaches you a style of play that will limit your ability to improve as a player in the future. So, if you truly want to improve, this book will stymie your long-term progress since he teaches you methods of thinking that will get you in a lot of trouble. “Computer simulation has proven that if you are the first to act, it is always preferable to open raise.” Still, he believes it is better to limp some of the time (which I can agree with), but he wants you to limp randomized, not because it is the best option, but because he believes you should mix it up for the sake of mixing.” This is only one example of bad advise!
[Of course, there are some nice things, and while I haven’t read the second book, I can’t suggest it to serious poker players]
The Poker Book by Hank Cashman
Rating: 9.0/10
This book does exactly what it says on the box, so if you want to master a few different poker varieties, this is the book for you.
A favorable Amazon review:
This book has exceeded my expectations! It was written by someone who is highly excited about poker. He has gone to great lengths to ensure that the games are proper. I’m new at poker and wanted to read a book on it. This book describes the games in a straightforward and simple manner. He has “Robert’s Rules of Poker” on the back, which is believed to be the final word on the subject. There’s also a section on poker lingo, which I think is essential! They speak in a completely distinct dialect.
Nothing seemed to have been left out in the writing of this book. It’s great fun for me! I’d purchase it again, and I’d tell my friends about it.
On Amazon, I couldn’t locate a review for this book that was less than four stars.
Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler
Rating: 8.8/10
This was one of those books that was really essential to my poker growth.
Players frequently focus solely on their technical talents at the poker table, entirely ignoring the mental component of the game. As a result, they are prone to tilting, motivation problems, and lack of attention.
The psychology of poker is just as vital as your technical abilities — what use are technical talents if you can’t utilize them because of tilt, motivation, or other factors?
You can take away the ‘low hanging fruit’ by working on your mental game in a way that the other regs aren’t.
In his capstone book, Jared Tendler simplifies many of the essential tactics he has taught to golfers and poker players alike. Some of the important tactics mentioned include preventing tilt, enhancing attention, and generating motivation.
Working on your mental game can ensure that you play at your best more often and limit the number of times you have truly awful days, resulting in a significant increase in your win rate over time.
This is a poker book that everyone should read!
For additional information, see the two plus two poker review of Mental Game of Poker.
Positive Amazon customer feedback
This book is essential reading for every player who has progressed beyond the Beginner stage. Jared’s perspective on tilt and other mental game concerns is unique among poker authors, but it’s also far more accurate and will genuinely help you heal tilt rather than just conceal it.
This is one of the finest poker books I’ve ever read, and I strongly advise everyone to read it.
Do you have trouble coping with table rules? This book will provide the solution.
Do you have a hard time repeating your buy-ins? Don’t worry, there are methods in this book that can help you lessen the chances of this happening.
Outside of poker, you may use the techniques you acquire in this book. After all, Jared began his career as a golf coach.
You’ll kick yourself when you consider how much money you could have saved over the years. Now is the time to learn about the mental game of poker.
A critical assessment follows:
It’s like a long introduction.
It explains why things are the way they are, but it never goes into detail on how to fix them, in my opinion.
Excellent for presenting issues, but urging you to think about them is, in my judgment, a bit meaningless.
The negative reviewer, in my opinion, did not devote enough time to going through Jared’s tests and questions. You can only strengthen your mental game by doing so. Reading alone will not assist you.
I wouldn’t recommend buying this book unless you are serious about improving your game and prepared to put in the effort.
If, on the other hand, you want to get a leg up on all the other slacker regs, you should take up this book.
The Theory of Poker: David Sklansky
Rating: 8.8/10
There are few poker books that would be considered necessary reading, but The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky would undoubtedly be on that list. This book deconstructs The Fundamental Theorem of Poker and teaches you the most significant theoretical ideas behind the game that apply to every variation, from Texas Hold’em to Five Card Draw and Razz.
Sklansky’s work, on the other hand, goes much beyond these essential concepts. The author discusses a variety of essential game themes, including the value of positions, bluffing, odds, heads-up play, psychology, and much more. The Theory of Poker teaches and explains many sophisticated concepts that distinguish professional poker players, and nearly everyone who has read it says that it is one of the finest poker books ever published.
The Fundamental Theory of Poker is the subject of this book. Despite the fact that it is not a new book, most of the content is timeless. These are the concepts that distinguish specialists from amateurs. The book covers deceit, bluffing, the slow-play, the importance of position, psychology, game theory, implied odds, semi-bluffing, and more, in addition to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker and how it should effect your play. This is an excellent book that should be in the collection of any professional poker player.
And here’s a bad review:
This book may have been excellent years ago, but there are now many better poker books available. After going through the entire book, I discovered nothing new, and it was also really dull.
For total beginners, there are better books. On advanced areas of the game, there are superior books.
Elements of Poker by Tommy Angelo
Rating: 8.8/10
Even at ten years old, this book is packed with useful information that can help you improve your game. While poker strategy improves, the attitude and habits of solid poker players do not.
A total of 144 poker aspects, each of which can help you put the pieces of your poker game jigsaw together and improve your poker game.
Angelo invented the phrase “bliscipline,” which combines bliss with discipline: “when you’re at the table and you’re so completely in control of yourself and so completely at ease in the circumstance that no matter what happens next, you’ll still have plenty of resolve in reserve.”
The word ‘discipline’ perfectly reflects what reading and applying this book will do for your game.
This book is an excellent complement to the subjects discussed in the Mental Game Of Poker since it takes a slightly different approach to tilt and regulating emotions.
Check check the Elements of Poker thread Two Plus Two.
Positive feedback:
This is unlike any other poker book you’ve ever seen. It’s not about a certain game or how to use specific cards. It’s largely about reducing your time in your “C-game,” as Tommy refers to it. “I don’t need to read any more poker books; I already know how to play better than I do,” one of my friends adds. Elements of Poker was written just for him.
Tommy Angelo compliments you on your winning attitude. His point is that every minute you waste playing your C-game costs you a ton of money when compared to playing your A-game. I am confident that if I played my best all of the time, I would be a far better player. Tommy’s book has helped me come closer to bringing my A-game to 100 percent; I believe it can do the same for most individuals.
Serious poker players, on the other hand, don’t discuss much about Elements of Poker because, well, they’d rather play against your C-game than your A-game. However, I guarantee that the top serious players have this book and refer to it frequently, especially when things aren’t going well.
As you read Elements of Poker, your C-game will start to fade away. Unfortunately, it never totally goes away, but Tommy Angelo can help you put it behind you.
A more critical assessment:
This book is a little out of date, but it has a lot of essential poker and life knowledge. His perspective on table and seat choices is more detailed than most other information.
This book does not provide in-depth strategy knowledge; rather, it focuses on the more subtle talents and concepts necessary to be a successful player.
I’d been playing poker for a few years when I came across this and found it quite helpful.
Beginner to intermediate level recommended.
In the video below, Tommy Angelo discusses some of the book’s concepts:
Mental Game of Poker 2 by Jared Tendler
Rating: 8.8/10
Jared’s second book continues in the footsteps of his first, but delves further into some of the mental game’s other challenges, including playing in the zone.
For those who are unfamiliar with the zone, it is a “flow like condition” that you enter when doing something you like that allows you to make judgments without thinking about them. It’s quite strong if you can consistently get into the zone when playing poker.
And, no matter how excellent you believe your mental game is now, if you can adopt the techniques in these books, you will take it to the next level. I can assure you of that.
A good Amazon review may be found here.
I seldom write book reviews, but I felt compelled to do so for this one. It was by far the finest poker book I’ve read in recent years. This is what I wrote:
I play poker semi-professionally, and this book provided me with information that would help me improve my game. This is the book for you if you play poker and have been stuck at the same level for a long time or want to read a book that will help you substantially improve your game.
I didn’t add any of the negative reviews I found for this book since they lacked substance. You may find them on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and make your own decision.
I would recommend reading MGOP 1 before reading this book, although it is not needed.
A video with further information about this poker book can be found here:
Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments
Rating: 8.8/10
Jonathan Little is the author of a number of excellent poker books, including this one, which you should pick up if you want to take on tournaments. This book isn’t so much a theory or “GTO” book as it is a look at how to judge and categorize your opponents into the three different types of small stakes tournament players, and then how to respond to each of these approaches. The following are the three major categories:
- people who play in a passive manner
- persons who engage in excessively aggressive play
- Those who intelligently play about the proper number of hands.
After that, the book gives you a list of methods and changes you may use against each of these player types. The book is a touch on the thin side at 84 pages, and it lacks the depth that one would expect from a serious competitions book. As a result, folks who are new to Texas Hold’em will like this book.
A favorable Amazon review:
Jonathan explains his fundamental strategy for remaining one step ahead of the competition in tournaments. His proposals provide a flexible and adaptable approach to overcoming the difficulties of analyzing other players’ techniques, identifying their flaws, and exploiting them to better your own game. I’ve been watching his webinars for about a year and my win percentage and confidence in my game have both increased dramatically. Until I started studying from Jonathan Little, I was a tiny winner at low stakes games, but now I’m winning more and moving up to larger stakes! Everything he explains in this book is in accordance with what he teaches on the internet and will help you improve your game.
And here’s a bad review:
A little book with a lot of white space and huge typography. It was a huge letdown and not worth it. It discusses exploitative methods when you have a thorough understanding of your opponent’s habits. This is something that happens very seldom in a minor event. Save your cash!
Applications of No-Limit Hold ’em by Matthew Janda
Rating: 8.6/10
Applications of No Limit Hold’em by Mathew Janda is another book that helped me enhance my poker playing. I’d go so far as to say that this book entirely transformed my perspective on the game.
I’ve gone back to test, tweak, and test again the hand ranges and examples Matthew provides in the book.
With just 8.6 ratings on Amazon, I believe this book is underestimated, but that’s just my opinion.
This book is meant for expert players and covers some high-level strategy, so I wouldn’t advocate diving into it just yet if you’re new to the game. Make a note of it and return to it later.
Matthew covers the crucial topic of ‘balancing your range,’ which may appear pointless to others.
However, understanding how to balance a range has the added benefit of knowing how to attack someone who does not have a balanced range (99 percent of all other players).
As a result, this teaches you how to effectively target and exploit other players, which is the essence of poker.
This book is my poker bible, and I hope to reread it shortly for a refresher. My paperback, unfortunately, has seen a little too much reading:
This book is essential reading for anybody interested in stepping up to small stakes and beyond.
The Two Plus Two Poker discussion on No-Limit Hold’em Applications may be found here.
Review on Amazon:
“Over the years, I’ve read over 20 poker books.” In comparison to few years ago, I’ve been fairly impressed with the quality of poker books today.
This is one of my top two favorite and most valuable poker books, with Will Tipton’s “Expert Heads Up No-Limit Holdem” coming in second.
His explanation of how to think about balance was quite helpful to me. Also, when playing out of position, I’ve discovered a huge flaw in my game. I’m a fairly aggressive player who nearly always prefers betting out monster hands over trapping since it increases the pot size. A classic rookie error, in my opinion, is to become overly sneaky-trappy, resulting in lesser pots than monster hands deserve. In general, my assertiveness vs. trappy strategy has worked out well for me.”
A terrible example:
One of the opening pages of the book should clearly declare that the method is an approximation and that the findings should not be used.
It is badly written as a theoretical work. I would give it two stars if it were marketed as a non-theoretical book.
Every hand, the best poker players make several estimations. How would they know how many hands an opponent has or what they intend to do with them? They APPROXIMATE what they will do based on previous experience.
Approximations aren’t perfect, but the closer you get, the more money you’ll make.
So, if you’re a moderately skilled poker player, do yourself a favor and study this book to enhance your estimates.
Mastering Small Stakes, No-Limit Hold’em by Jonathan Little
Rating: 8.6/10
Although certain broad principles apply to practically every poker game, the top players understand that specific changes are frequently necessary to maximize profits in a given situation. Mastering Small Stakes No Limit Hold’em by Jonathan Little focuses on particular methods that can help you greatly enhance your advantage in low limit games while also improving your outcomes.
To accomplish so, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone and frequently vary from what is commonly seen as “proper” poker. While your moves may not be ideal in theory, they will make you a lot of money at these restrictions since the opponent will almost always be unable to discover the proper solution to your style.
If you routinely play tiny stakes or simply want to see things from a fresh perspective, this book is worth reading. Little brings several really fascinating concepts and tweaks that you may find strange at first, but you’ll quickly see why.
Bluffs by Jonathan Little and Albert Heart
Rating: 8.6/10
Bluffing is an important aspect of the poker game. Knowing when to pull a bluff, how to size it correctly, and what to watch out for when doing so may make a tremendous difference in a player’s bottom line. Jonathan Little, a seasoned pro with over $6.3 million in live tournament profits, reveals everything there is to know about the exquisite art of bluffing in his book.
Little’s Bluffs will show you how to break out of your comfort zone, broaden your hand ranges, and target players who are most prone to back down from aggressive situations. Many hands-on examples and plenty of theory will help you master the finer nuances of bluffing in poker and really extend your repertoire. This book covers every aspect of a good bluff, from stack sizes to opponent kinds and table settings.
Here’s an Amazon favorable review:
Everything is stated extremely well, and the rationale behind it is well worked out in this book. To take your game to the next level, you’ll need this.
And here’s a bad review:
Jonathan Little is one of my favorite authors. Mastering no limit holdem and excelling in no limit holdem The best of the two is excelling at no limit holdem. This book defies expectations. Is only 140-150 pages long. It’s largely filled with charts showing which hands to raise and in what position. Which, if you’ve been playing poker for a while like me, you should have a very good sense of what hands to call with.
This book does not teach you how to bluff or provide any bluffing techniques. If you’re new to no limit holdem, you should probably get this book, but if you’re a seasoned player, save your money and look for something else.
Little’s books these days are drab, lifeless, and full of charts with hands you should play at certain positions.
Purposeful Practice for Poker By Patricia Cardner
Rating: 8.6/10
With so many training sites, training software, books, forums, and other resources available, you may find yourself moving from one thing to the next in search of the perfect content to study. But understanding how to study is almost as vital as knowing what to study (if not more so).
While this book will not directly teach you how to improve your poker skills, it will educate you how to create a study plan and how to train yourself to improve your game.
Purposeful practice gives you a structure for learning poker, from creating the correct mentality to studying strategies and templates to utilizing poker software and playing at the final table. This is a step-by-step guide to help you improve your game.
Many examples of “learning projects” are included in the book, which you may use to design bespoke projects for your game or use as inspiration for your own.
I wouldn’t suggest this book to a novice player, but if you’re an experienced player who spends a lot of time developing your game, it’ll be an excellent addition to your library!
Here’s an example of a favorable Amazon review:
This is the distinction between champions and pretenders… how they prepare for the big match! Dr. Cardner and Gareth James will walk you through the process of creating a methodical action plan that will help you improve all aspects of your game. I admire their candor in admitting that in order to improve, you must work on your game even when you are not at the table. When you do play, you will start to notice more pots come your way if you practice more and with a specific goal in mind (rather than simply randomly blowing through another poker book). I must depart! It’s time to practice!
And here’s a bad review:
The simple and quick-
This book will not teach you how to improve your poker skills. It will provide instructions on how to study poker so that you have a higher chance of remembering what you learn or practice. If you’re new to poker, this isn’t the best option. If you have a lot of expertise with online poker but can’t seem to raise your stakes, this may be a good option.
Mastering Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em by Jonathan Little
Rating: 8.6/10
Although certain broad principles apply to practically every poker game, the top players understand that specific changes are frequently necessary to maximize profits in a given situation. Mastering Small Stakes No Limit Hold’em by Jonathan Little focuses on particular methods that can help you greatly enhance your advantage in low limit games while also improving your outcomes.
To accomplish so, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone and frequently vary from what is commonly seen as “proper” poker. While your moves may not be ideal in theory, they will make you a lot of money at these restrictions since the opponent will almost always be unable to discover the proper solution to your style. If you routinely play tiny stakes or simply want to see things from a fresh perspective, this book is worth reading. Little brings several really fascinating concepts and tweaks that you may find strange at first, but you’ll quickly see why.
An Amazon review may be found here.
Excellent poker book. Jonathan’s wording and explanations make even the most difficult problems understandable. He demonstrates how to extract the greatest value from practically any scenario. He talks about the mistakes that most amateurs make in their games, how to exploit them, and how to avoid doing them yourself.
It is a must-read for everyone who plays low-stakes games and wants to increase their wins or move up to the medium stakes.
And here’s a bad review:
I opted to read this book out of interest as a 20+ year experienced poker player. Although the author is an excellent player, there are limits to arithmetic in poker, and this book is primarily about math and challenging percentages. Pot odds are essential, but so is manipulation and simply being able to perceive and “know.” There are far too many charts on the incorrect pages that refer to other sites.
Reading Poker Tells by Zachary Elwood
Rating: 8.6/10
Many of the classic poker tells that live poker players adopt are not available to online poker players. Live poker players, on the other hand, sometimes depend too much on tells and try to pin their opponent to a single hand rather than a range.
However, there is a lot of value in reading your opponents’ tells, and online poker players have a long way to go in this department. This is where Zachary Elwood’s Reading Poker Tells comes in – for both online to live converters and live players looking to enhance their tells game.
This book provides a thorough reference to poker tells and is the most well-known book on the subject, as well as my personal favorite. This book goes beyond my list of tells, which you can find here, with over 200 pages of content covering not just the most frequent tells you may use to read your opponent, but also how to defend yourself from giving out the same information.
This book will not supply you with hard and fast rules, but rather tools and strategies to analyze your opponent’s motions and actions on the table, as Zachery discusses in the prologue. But, like any talent, these instruments must be practiced in order to make the most of them at the table.
Expect remarkable benefits from just reading this book without doing any more work. Amazing results take time, experience, and a deliberate effort, but with this book as a guide and wonderful resource, you’ll be well on your way. This will help you to enhance your reading of your opponent’s tells far faster than if you hadn’t done it previously.
Here’s a glowing recommendation.
Although I shouldn’t be posting this review, I can’t help but support this game-changing effort. The author has devoted a lot of time and effort into creating a fantastic book that will benefit you and your game in ways more than merely choosing new lines and calculating pot odds. If you are a serious player trying to improve your win rate and hourly earnings, and you are prepared to put in the time to study and master the information in this book, it will pay for itself many times over. At the very least, it will make you aware of the information you are disclosing and assist you in protecting yourself at the table.
A terrible example:
There’s nothing new here. Unless it’s not true, he appears to constantly state something is true. Unless it’s not, this may be a hint. This book is difficult to keep engaged in.
I disagree with the reviewer’s point of view. In poker, anything is true until it isn’t; for example, “is your opponent bluffing or value betting in this spot?” Expecting him to only have one hand while he actually has a variety. Of course, there will be signals that aren’t always dependable, but being aware of them, recognizing that they aren’t always reliable, and being able to make an educated decision based on this can substantially aid your decision-making process and bottom line.
Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em by Ed Miller
Rating: 8.6/10
Ed Miller, a well-known poker author, has written an excellent book. This book contains all you need to know about beating small stakes no limit cash games. The ultimate poker manual has been described.
This book uses real-world hand examples to help you translate high-level poker theory into strategies you can use in your own poker game.
It’s been called the “ultimate poker manual” since it “lays out a compelling road to victory.”
This book offers real-world hand examples to help you convert high-level poker theory into methods you can employ in your own poker game.
Discover the 7 simple stages to No Limit Holdem success, as well as how to deal with aggressive opponents and utilize the weaker players to the fullest.
Other topics discussed include:
- Using steal equity and showdown equity to make judgments
- Beating 6-max games online
- Choosing the right bluff size and designing huge bluffs
- To enhance deception, balance your lines of play.
Here is an Amazon review:
This was the first and best poker strategy book I ever read. A veritable treasure of knowledge and ideas. I’ve been a casual gamer for approximately 5 years and have discovered something interesting on nearly every page. Excellent, well-written, and easy-to-understand information. It’s also just 6.25 on Kindle, so it’s a no-brainer.
A three-star bad review follows:
Will most likely harm rather than assist your live game. They believe that if you can win six-handed online, you can win live games as well. A poor hypothesis. For live 10-handed play, the statistics are completely different. They dedicate an entire chapter to stealing ties that would be risky in a cash ten-handed game. In a cash game, their barreling advise is likewise risky.
Competent players will notice that when playing full-ring live games, there will be certain alterations if you play 6max. The abilities developed in 6max, on the other hand, will be readily applied to full-ring live games.
The author isn’t recommending that you use everything in every game. This review appears to overlook that point.
This book is appropriate for intermediate to advanced players.
Note: Right now, you can get the kindle edition for a quarter of the price of the hardcover ($35 versus $8 at the time of writing), which is a fantastic value for anyone who doesn’t mind not owning the physical copy.
Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Cash Games by Jonathan Little
Rating: 8.6/10
For its in-depth cash game poker strategy, this book has a 4/5 rating on Amazon.
Jonathan Little began his internet career with only a $50 bankroll. However, throughout the course of his career, he has earned over $6.4 million in tournament victories.
Discover the perils and typical errors, as well as successful techniques for targeting your weaker opponent.
Stop blaming bad luck and discover the true key to dominating No Limit Hold’em games.
Review on Amazon:
Congratulations on two achievements this month: I just finished reading Jonathan Little’s newest book, “Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Cash Games,” and it’s likely to be a tremendous seller. Happy birthday, and best wishes for further success with your fantastic books. (This is a must-have for everyone.)
I like the “postflop skills talk,” the lesson everyone needs about “blocking hands,” and especially how to extract more value from specific types of players on the river, as several of my customers have requested. The kindle version (e-book version) of Johnathan’s book, which is only 77 pages of pure poker material and excellent guidance to encourage you to “observe,” “execute,” and “profit” even at the Small Stakes Cash Games, addresses the questions you have on your mind when playing the 1/2 NL stakes.
A terrible example:
The book does not live up to the anticipation. All of the strategies point to the same conclusion: “IT DEPENDS!” I would not purchase something in order to obtain an answer – IT DEPENDS. The author may be a terrific tournament player, but his low-stakes cash game IQ and experience are limited.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe the reviewer will be able to locate any poker books that will supply them with the answers they need.
In reality, each poker choice is influenced by a variety of circumstances. Good poker books, on the other hand, teach us how to think at each decision point, not when to do ‘x’ and ‘y’. For all the different xs and ys, not even a computer has enough memory.
Don’t buy this poker book if you’re searching for definite answers on how to play poker (or any poker book for that matter).
This should be one of the first books on your list if you want to enhance your game.
Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold ‘Em Poker Tournaments and Sit-n-Gos
Rating: 8.6/10
This book was written in 2009 by Lee Nelson, Tysen Streib, and Kim Lee with the goal of addressing tournaments and sit-n-gos. Despite the fact that it is almost ten years old, this book is still considered one of the greats of tournament poker literature.
Kill Everyone provides a variety of live and online tournament strategies that are still applicable in today’s game. For example, the Power Numbers idea proposed in this book is a simple approach to condense all of the difficult-to-remember push/fold charts essential for tournament success into a single chart.
Other ideas mentioned in this book, like as the bubble factor (how the value of chips fluctuates near the event’s bubble) and ICM, are still vital concepts that any successful tournament player must learn and apply in today’s games. This book is a must-read for all tournament players, in my opinion!
A favorable Amazon review:
This book provides an excellent overview of the current poker game. The author (Lee Nelson) and his colleagues have created a genuinely exceptional work that may help even seasoned players. Betrand Grospellier’s comments isn’t just a series of “I agree” statements; he really disagrees with Nelson on several areas and always explains why.
This book will teach you how to increase your aggressiveness, broaden your hand range, and even lighten up, as well as when to do so. Although the information is intended for tournament players, cash gamers might profit from it as well. While the book demonstrates loose-aggressive play, even players who are uncomfortable with this style should study it to see how others play.
And here’s a bad review:
A few intriguing thoughts, but primarily rephrasings of well-known tournament principles. Including the six-max cash game part had to be necessary to generate enough pages for a book!
The Poker Mind by Jonathan Bradley
Rating: 8.2/10
This book claims to teach you how to play poker like the top 1% of players and eliminate “extended losing streaks,” but I’m doubtful.
To begin with, no one book can teach you how to play like a pro. A book can help you get there, but it won’t bring you there by itself. As a result, I disagree with the subtitle. Furthermore, I disagree with the Amazon sales pitch that you can get rid of extended losing streaks.
Losing streaks are an inevitable aspect of poker – even the pros experience them, which is why a strict bankroll management approach is necessary. This book looks to be oriented for novices, which is good, but make it clear that it is, and don’t make false promises of magical tactics that will turn you into a pro.
The fundamentals and certain advanced techniques are discussed in the book, including player profiling, poker tells, betting and calling, ranging your opponent, and more. However, there is a lack of a game-theoretical approach to the game, which is important in today’s “top 1%” play. The book has garnered a lot of excellent feedback, including this:
Poker is perplexing to me. The goal of the game is to win the prize pool. Practically everyone plays poker; the only difference is how lucky you are or how good you are at predicting whether you will win or lose.
This book will teach you about the many types of poker hands and which suits beat particular combinations. You will be taught how to play various card combinations.
This book walks you through the basics of advice and rules. So, if you want to learn how to play poker, you should read this book. It is especially suggested for beginners.
However, they contrast with severely negative ones like this:
This book is little more than a rehash of information from previous poker publications. It explains basic to intermediate strategy without going into too much depth. I finished the book in under two hours. I possess over 100 poker books, and this is without a doubt in the lowest 10%. The book is 137 pages long, and the author utilizes a very large font to achieve that.
This book can be beneficial if you are a complete newbie. However, if you are attempting to join the top 1%, as the headline promises, this is a complete waste of time and a piece of garbage.
as well as:
Badly written, poorly presented, and useless to any poker player unless you’re 14 and have never heard of poker, in which case you should ignore the advise. The wording is so terrible that it encourages you to do the exact opposite of what is being recommended.
If you still want to read it, use the links below to find it on Amazon:
The Myth of Poker Talent by Alexander Fitzgerald
Rating: 8.2/10
Some people are simply born with abilities and are destined to be excellent poker players, right? According to Alex Fitzgerald, a man who has been successfully instructing poker players for years. Alex demonstrates in his book The Myth of Poker Talent: Why Anyone Can Be a Great Poker Player that talent in poker, like talent in any other sport, accounts for only a small percentage of a person’s overall performance. The rest is a matter of work and preparation.
This book is for you if you want to learn how to play poker but don’t know where to begin or how to go about it. Alex covers all you need to know about excelling at the game in a very simple and easy-to-follow manner. The book will help you reframe your perspective on poker, as well as teach you all you need to know about utilizing various types of poker software correctly.
Here’s an example of a favorable Amazon review:
I enjoy playing poker for fun. All forms of poker books appeal to me. This book was fantastic, and it was well worth the money. If you’re into it, the nuts and bolts are math-based strategic principles that are an easy read. He personalizes the book’s conclusion in an effective way. Overall, it’s a fantastic book. Excellent work.
And here’s a bad review:
If you play online, all of the online metrics that take up the majority of the book might be quite useful. However, reading this book is a waste of time and money if you play live. The book should have a warning that reads, “For online gamers only.”
Crushing Low Stakes Poker by Mike Turner
Rating: 8.0/10
One of three books in the series by Mike Turner that clearly explains how to play Sit ‘n Gos for modest stakes.
It is expected that you know some fundamental arithmetic, such as pot odds, implied odds, and position, thus this is not a book for total beginners.
Even if you don’t play Sit ‘n Go, you may benefit from this book because most of the information can be applied to cash games and tournaments.
An Amazon review may be found here:
I’ve played poker socially for a long time and have always loved watching it on TV, but I’ve never been the sort of player that goes beyond the fundamentals, such as “what is my hand?”
It astounds me that so many of the world’s best players keep making the final tables, so I decided to invest a little money and create a new account to play online.
Mike Turner talks down the skills needed to play in the lower stakes ($10-$12) games. Sit n Go tournaments provide us with some quite important information and guide us in the direction of some extremely beneficial tools.
Many of the suggestions and recommendations in this book were eye-opening to me, and I now find myself more equipped to read other players at the table and consistently finish in the money. I’m now making decisions based on the pot odds being presented to me vs the likelihood that my hand is excellent.
Also, a three-star rating:
The book’s strategy charts and calculations will provide novice players with a solid, brief, and easy-to-follow fundamental how-to, which is exactly what the book promises and gives for such a low price. Because of the low cost, there is an understandable and anticipated lack of substance. 3 instead of 4 stars because with a little more effort, everything included therein can be accessed with a few of Google searches.
This book is primarily for players who are new to Sit ‘n Gos. The main advantage of a book is that the information is structured in a logical order, making learning much easier.
While Google searches are free, you may miss out on essential information, and finding a credible source can be challenging at times.
If you’re a more experienced gamer, I wouldn’t recommend this book.
Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein
Rating: 8.0/10
Barry Greenstein’s Ace on the River is a one-of-a-kind book written by a poker great. It provides a lot of practical strategic advice and real-life examples, but it also touches on a lot of off-the-beaten-path themes. Barry has never shied away from discussing poker and his career, and his candor and expertise of the game shine through in this book.
Ace on the River will undoubtedly help you better your game, as Greenstein breaks down countless hands and provides several advice that you’ll find useful throughout your career. Other chapters, on the other hand, cover equally crucial themes like budgeting, managing social and work lives, and much more.
This book is a rare jewel that is absolutely worth a read, coming from someone who has traveled the world playing poker and has more than $8.3 million in live tournament winnings. It will not only help you improve your game, but you will also enjoy reading it.
Moorman’s Book of Poker by Chris Moorman
Rating: 8.0/10
Chris Moorman, often known as ‘Moorman1,’ is without a doubt one of the most successful online tournament poker players in history. Moorman has demonstrated time and time again that MTTs are his area of specialty, with cumulative tournament cashes reaching $16.4 million across numerous major sites.
He’s chosen to offer some of his wisdom and insights gained from years of playing at the top level in his Moorman’s Book of Poker. The book is particularly geared for players who are wanting to advance from low to medium stakes. This might be a frightening thought, but Moorman provides plenty of helpful hints and guidance on how to make it go more smoothly.
It’s written in a unique approach, with Chris going over tournament hands of a regular mid-stakes player and pointing out areas where he might improve.
Raiser’s Edge by Bertrand Grospellier, Lee Nelson, Tysen Streib & Tony Dunst
Rating: 8.0/10
Raiser’s Edge was created by a group of authors lead by Betrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier as a response to today’s aggressive games. The book focuses on tournament poker, specifically the more aggressive, LAG style of play that’s common in higher stakes events with excellent players like ‘ElkY’ and other Raiser’s Edge writers.
The book takes a deep dive into the world of these events, explaining the reasoning for aggressive 3-bets and 4-bets that don’t always make sense. It covers topics such as discovering thin value bets, sophisticated equilibrium techniques, meta-game progression, and much more.
Even if you aren’t mainly a tournament player, this book is a lot of fun to read and will provide you with some really useful information. Aggressive poker is typically profitable, but if you want to execute it correctly, you must first comprehend the rationale. Many things will become much evident after reading Raiser’s Edge.
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky
Rating: 7.8/10
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players, another superb book by renowned poker author David Sklansky, is exactly what it says on the tin. This book is designed for tournament players who want to enhance their tournament performance and acquire advanced methods to improve their tournament outcomes.
While it is not recommended for novices since it will be complicated and intimidating, this book provides excellent tournament poker instruction. You’ll understand how to efficiently modify your strategy to combat growing blinds and dwindling stacks, how to spot individuals you may target to win huge pots, and much more.
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players isn’t for the faint of heart. This is more of a textbook aimed to help you enhance your tournament performance. If you’re willing to sit down, take your time, and study, the time you put in will pay off well in your poker career.
Unfolding Poker by James “Splitsuit” Sweeney
Rating: 7.8/10
Splitsuit only recently launched a FAQ-styled book, titled Advanced Answers to the Most Frequently-Asked Poker Questions.
If you are unfamiliar with Splitsuit, he is a professional poker teacher who has published a wealth of information on his website Splitsuit.com.
His information was really helpful to me in my early poker days, and I cannot suggest his work highly enough.
Splitsuit created this book in front of a live Skype audience, where questions were properly chosen and answered with audience feedback. As a result, these FAQs were compiled by micro and low stakes players who couldn’t find answers elsewhere.
“Making Money in Tight Games,” “When Do I Hold or Fold Overpairs,” “How Do I Use My Table Image,” “Hand Reading in Fishy Games,” and many more issues are answered. This book is one of my favorites since it is simple to read and digest, and it is definitely one of the greatest poker books to read in little chunks.
The content is divided into short chapters, allowing you to pick up the book for 20 minutes, digest some useful poker information, and then return to it a few days later. This is in contrast to the Mathematics of Poker (MOP), which is so dense with math and theory that you must concentrate on each and every word, often rereading the same page three times!
This is not the case with unfolding poker, which is a breeze.
If you’re still not convinced, check out this Amazon review:
If you’ve listened to any of SplitSuit’s podcasts or read any of his blog postings, you already know what to expect from this book. His direct, no-nonsense approach is ideal for developing your game. He’s got you covered for way you choose to consume your material with ebook, audio book, and print formats. I prefer to listen to the audio book while reading the book to properly understand his techniques.
Poker’s 1% By Ed Miller
Rating: 7.6/10
Ed Miller’s book Poker’s 1% was released in 2014 and has now been made into a video course by SplitSuit. The entire purpose of the book is to look at poker from a frequency standpoint and determine the optimal percentages for folding, calling, and raising.
With the shift toward more GTO/unexploitable play since 2014, this idea has become increasingly significant. However, a number of reviewers claimed that the book lacked general depth, was obsolete, and was even deceptive in certain areas. For instance:
Some of the principles in this book are still valid, but many have been invalidated by contemporary solvers, resulting in you losing money at the tables, overcalling bets in many places, and overbetting, resulting in pot losses. The biggest issue is that the betting/calling frequencies do not take board texture into consideration, therefore they will offer you blanket guidelines for how often you should be betting/calling regardless of the board. This was a terrific book when it first came out since the author presented his gut sense on what may be best (before the introduction of solvers that allowed this to be studied), but he was way off with a lot of the techniques. If you want a GTO book that is more connected to contemporary theory/dynamics, I recommend Michael Acevedo’s ‘Modern Poker Theory.’
Another example:
Overly simplistic, deceptive, dangerous, and just inaccurate in many areas/details.
Ed’s method is one-size-fits-all, and he makes no mention of changing it to account for other elements, the most significant of which is board texture. He just asks readers to keep the same frequencies throughout all board textures.
Many of the arguments raised by the reviewers resonate with me. This general opinion is mirrored in the Amazon rating, which has been steadily declining as solvers have gained a better knowledge of the game.
If you want to learn how to comprehend and execute a frequency-based game, I recommend skipping this book and instead checking out Splitsuit’s video course on the subject. This course goes through the material in greater depth and avoids many of the pitfalls that this book does. If you still want to look at it, you may do so by clicking here:
Crushing The Microstakes by Nathan Williams
Rating: 8.0/10
Nathan Williams, the all-time microstakes champion, has written a step-by-step tutorial on how to dominate the 2nl and 5nl games.
Because it is not accessible on Amazon, there will be no Amazon review. However, I give it a 4/5!
Even after all these years, this book still presents a done-for-you method that shows how to follow in the footsteps of the micros’ biggest winner.
If you’re just getting started in poker, I believe this is one of the finest purchases you can make.
The following is a link to the Two Plus Two poker forum about the book, as well as a review from a WSOP bracelet winner:
Crushing the Microstakes is available for download at Nathan’s ‘Blackrain79’ blog.
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Your Best Poker Books?
So there you have it, the top poker books 2022 has provided you with a collection of some of the most significant books published to yet.
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