Beginner Books

[labergen]

Hello all, this is my first post on these boards. Can anyone provide for me the names of some good beginner poker books? Thanks.
Larry

[pufferfish]

Fundamentals of Poker by Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis.

Hold 'Em Poker by David Sklansky.

Hold'em Excellence by Lou Krieger.

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em (2nd Edition) by Lee Jones.

[The _Grifter]

The first book you should buy is " The Theory of Poker " - David Sklansky.

Spend a couple of months on that and then buy books that pertain to the game(s) you want to play.

Good Luck

The Grifter

[Dynasty]

The Theory of Poker is a bit too advanced to be your first book. I think you're much better often learning a game and then reading TOP.

[oddjob]

i agree. i'd start with Lee Jones' book. Winning low limit hold em. it's an easy read, and applicable to the games that you will most likely start off with. then move on to the more advanced books.

[The _Grifter]

" I think you're much better often learning a game and then reading TOP."

.....Take two beginners, one has read The Theory of Poker and one who hasn't. My money goes on the one who has read it.

My point is this...a player is better off starting out on the right track because sooner or later, he/she will have to do it anyway. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

[bernie]

".....Take two beginners, one has read The Theory of Poker and one who hasn't. My money goes on the one who has read it."

man what a BOLD statement....haha...wouldnt this wonderful statement be true with any begginner poker book also? in fact, since a beginner book will be more-so geared to one game, like holdem, wouldnt that put a beginning holdem player over just a TOP reader? id put my money on the guy who read the beginner book over TOP as a first book...

ill also put my money on the one that understands it and is able to see how the concepts transfer from game to game. this isnt always clear in TOP.

just because they read it, doesnt mean theyll comprehend it. in fact it could screw them up a little if they go to the table too quick too seriously with reading just this book...which many do.

a better book is one that deals with the basics of a chosen game.

i agree with dynasty...i shudder when i think of a greehorn starting with TOP. there are much better starter books out there....much more productive paths to follow.

b

[The _Grifter]

" wouldnt this wonderful statement be true with any begginner poker book also? "

In some cases, absolutely not. In other cases, you could make a valid argument. /forums/images/icons/ooo.gif

[andyfox]

Top is the greatest poker book ever written, but I wouldn't recommend a beginner read it until he has been playing a while. For example, in the chapter "Head Up On the End" we find:

"If you are first to act and have a hand that is a small underdog to win when your bet is called, bet if your opponent will call with more hands than he will bet, as long as some of the hands he would have bet, had you checked, would be worse than yours. Check and call if you think your opponent will check behind you with a significant number of hands beter than yours but might still bluff with some hands you can beat."

Not, IMO, the place to start.

[Clarkmeister]

Here is the reading regimen I put my girlfriend through. She was a total novice and had never been in a card room before:

1. First half of The Complete Book of Holdem Poker by Gary Carson.

2. WLLH by Lee Jones.

3. Holdem Poker by Sklansky.

4. The 2nd half of Carson.

5. Caro's Book of Tells.

Then would be TOP, HPFAP and ITPM followed by all 3 Essays books. She got sick of reading after #4 tho. /forums/images/icons/smirk.gif

[oddjob]

do you think caro's book of tells is that important? i've been debating getting this, more for just fun, because i don't really think tells apply to the low limits i'm stuck with.

[oddjob]

i'd put my money on the one who read the more basic poker book first.

you don't give a new physics student an advanced book till he's read and understood the more basic ones.

[The _Grifter]

You may be overlooking some tells that you'll find in Caro's book. It's worth it if you put the required concentration involved to pick up tells. Easier said than done. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Conventional wisdom says that tells are less significant to use at limit. Better to understand betting patterns. No-Limit, however, is a whole different ballgame. Most top NL players rely a great deal on tells.

[labergen]

Thank you all for your suggestions; I'm going to pick up a few of these books and go from there. Take care.
Larry

[SlyR]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
.....Take two beginners, one has read The Theory of Poker and one who hasn't. My money goes on the one who has read it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure, if they're playing each other. But put both at a full no-fold'em table, and my money goes to the guy who studied (didn't just read) Jones' book.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Clark:

So are you saying that carson made her sick? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Best wishes,
Mason

[Clarkmeister]

/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif


lol

[smilinjimt]

My first book was Lee Jones-Winning Low Limit Hold'Em. I bought it following my first trip to Vegas where I was introduced to Texas Hold'em. I sat in on the "free" poker lessons offered at the Excalibur. Those "free" poker lessons cost me three-hundred and forty-two dollars for the week. I'm not running down the Excalibur; I knew that I couldn't be proficient immediately, but it was an eye-opener. I learned that if I wanted to do this again (and I did), I needed to do much more preparation. I especially liked the test following each chapter. It was re-assuring to see that I was really grasping the concepts Mr. Jones felt were pertinent. It was roughly a year before I could return to Vegas to play again. The second time I was much better prepared (I re-read the book again on the four hour flight). I was able to win back all that I'd lost the previous year, plus a bit more. No, it didn't turn me into a poker whiz. Yes, I have losing sessions, but I also have winning sessions.

Since that time I've averaged two trips to Vegas a year. I've gone through many books since then: Both of Lou Kreiger books, the last Hold'em Excellence (both very good), Ken Warren's (listed just above post), Sklansky's Texas Hold'em and Theory of Poker, Psychology of Poker by Alan Schoonmaker, Cary Carson's Hold'Em Poker, plus a number of others. I also purchased Turbo Texas Hod'em at the Gambler's Book Store in Vegas. If ever you get to Vegas, this book store is worth a trip. Any information written on Poker or gambling can probably be found here. I purchased it because I wanted a realistic simulator to practice with. Nothing beats face to face poker for learning experience, but I do feel TTH has improved my overall play.

I do feel that I was fortunate to get the best book for a raw beginner (sometimes even a blind squirrel finds an acorn). There has been a lot of discussion on this site whether Theory of Poker (Sklansky) should be read first. I go with Jones here. Jones tried to make the game understandable for the great unwashed. I'm math-challenged, and I kept getting lost when Sklansky would go off on long dissertations involving the mathematic-problem solving. Some of the book I just wasn't ready for. Certainly Sklansky's background in math helped him, but it was too much for me. I continue to re-read TOP trying to absorb all of information, and I am gaining some excellent insights, but for a primer I recommend Jones. Good luck to you.

[tiltboy]

[ QUOTE ]
.....Take two beginners, one has read The Theory of Poker and one who hasn't. My money goes on the one who has read it.


[/ QUOTE ]
Ok, let's say the one who has read TOP has only read this poker book while the one who hasn't has however read WLLH, HEFAP, and Carson's Holdem Poker. Assuming similar levels of intelligence and no prior playing experience, in a game of Hold 'Em, I put my money on the latter player. TOP is a great book, but IMO it needs context, which is what the other books provide. It would be an interesting experiment.

[lunchmeat]

My first book was Sklansky and Malmuth's Hold 'Em Poker For Advanced Players. While most of the stuff was over my head when I first read it (most of it is probably still over my head for that matter), studying the hand rankings and memorizing which hands to play in which situations pre-flop allowed me to beat the .50/$1 tables from day one.

I've since read T.O.P. and just started WLLH, but I doubt I would have been an immediate winning low limit hold 'em player if I had read those books first.

[Sarge85]

Curious

I didn't see Super System mentioned at all. Is this because it's not for beginners, or because the information (like I have heard on other posts) is outdated?

Sarge /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[slamdunkpro]

Super System is a great "style" book . It will help you modify your style and win more pots, but you need to have a style first.