Top 10 Favorite Poker Books

[DyessMan89]

Apologize if this has been done, but I thought it would be a good topic and Im really interested in what books everyone has enjoyed. If you havent read 10, then a top 5 or 3 is fine. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[amulet]

no order and more then 10, but they are the most important books i have read.

The Theory of Poker
Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players
Small Stakes Hold 'em
Harrington on Hold 'em Volume I
Harrington on Hold'em Volume II
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players
High-Low Split Poker, Seven Card Stud and Omaha Eight or Better for Advanced Players
Sklansky on Poker
Gambling Theory and Other Topics
Getting the Best of It
Inside the Poker Mind
Middle Limit Holdem
Poker Esasys I
Poker Esasys II
Poker Eassys III
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players

[CrazyEvan]

1. The Theory of Poker

2. Harrington on Hold'em Vol 1
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players
Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players
Small Stakes Hold'em
Harrington on Hold'em

3. Caro's Book of Poker Tells
Super/System

4. Gambling Theory and Other Topics
Play Poker Like the Pros
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker - Reuben and Caiffone
Winning Low Limit Hold'em - Lee Jones
SuperSystem2 - Doyle Brunon ( and others)

99. Championship No-Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em - Cloutier
and McEvoy

[gila]

1. Theory of Poker
2. Holdem Poker For Advanced Players
3. Small Stakes Hold em
4. Play of the Hands
5. Super System
6. Inside the Poker Mind
7. Poker essay's 1,2,3
8. Big Deal
9. Internet Texas Holdem
10 Weighing the Odds

[MCS]

Ten seems like overkill. Here are five.

(1) ToP (Sklansky)
(2) SSHE (Miller et al)
(3) WLLHE (Jones)
(4) HoH vol 1 (Harrington/Robertie)
(5) IYP (Ciaffone)

[orange]

As a NL player, in no specific order-
-Theory of poker
-Harrington on holdem 1&2
-Reuben&Ciaffone PL&NL poker
-Inside the Poker Mind was good too.

[betgo]

Harrington on Holdem
Super System
Caro's Book of Tells

[Boylermaker]

In no particular order:

Theory of Poker - Sklansky
Holdem Poker for Advanced Players - Sklansky/Malmuth
Small Stakes Holdem - Miller/Sklansky/Malmuth
Harrington on Holdem (Vols. 1 and 2) - Harrington/Robertie
Super/System - Brunson et. al.
The Body Language of Poker - Caro
Middle Limit Holdem - Ciaffone/Brier
Pot Limit and No Limit Poker - Ciaffone/Reuben
Seven Card Stud for Adnaced Players - Zee
The Professor, The Banker and the Suicide King - Craig

[MCS]

[ QUOTE ]
Ten seems like overkill. Here are five.

(1) ToP (Sklansky)
(2) SSHE (Miller et al)
(3) WLLHE (Jones)
(4) HoH vol 1 (Harrington/Robertie)
(5) IYP (Ciaffone)

[/ QUOTE ]

I bought "How Good is Your Limit Hold'Em" today and I want to move it into the #4 slot.

[Skipbidder]

1. How to Play Winning Poker, Avery Cardoza
2. More Hold Em Excellence, Lou Kreiger
3. Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker, Ken Warren
4. The Archer Method, An Expert's Guide to Winning at Poker, John Archer
5. Winning Poker for the Serious Player, Edwin Silberstang
6. Hold'em Poker for Winners, Carl Anderson
7. Cappelletti on Omaha, Mike Cappelletti
8. Secrets of Winning Poker, George Coffin
9. Hold'em Excellence, Kreiger
10. Play Poker Like the Pros, Phil Hellmuth

These are my top 10 favorite books for you to read.

[kitaristi0]

1. TOP
2. HLSP7CSAO8BFAP
3. HOH Vol. 1
4. SSHE
5. AotR

[popniklas]

Here's my top five:

1. Theory of Poker
2. Improve Your Poker
3. Inside the Poker Mind
4. Harrington on Hold'em vol. 2
5. Small Stakes Hold'em

Close to making top five (no particular order): Ace on the River, HoH vol 1, Poker Essays 1-3, PL&NL Poker, Sklansky on Poker, Winning Poker Systems.

(Note: I haven't read the advanced player series. I'm excluding narrative poker books and books on gambling in general.)

[binions]

[ QUOTE ]
Apologize if this has been done, but I thought it would be a good topic and Im really interested in what books everyone has enjoyed. If you havent read 10, then a top 5 or 3 is fine. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Best poker books available, by topic:

1. Beginner
Getting Started in Holdem
Winning Low Limit Holdem, 3rd

2. General
Theory of Poker
Improve Your Poker
Ace on the River
Caro's Book of Tells
Holdems Odd Book
Poker, Sex & Dying
Inside the Poker Mind
Psychology of Poker
Poker Essays I-III

3. Limit Holdem
Holdem Poker for Advanced Players
Small Stakes Holdem
Weighing the Odds in Holdem Poker
How Good is Your Limit Holdem
Real Poker II - The Play of Hands
Middle Limit Holdem
Internet Texas Holdem

4. Big Bet Holdem
PL & NL Poker
SS - NLHE Chapter
How Good is Your Pot Limit Holdem

5. Tournaments
Harrington on Holdem I
Harrington on Holdem II
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players


6. Stud
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players
SSI - Stud chapter by Reece

7. Omaha
How Good is Your PLO
Omaha Holdem Poker

8. Hi/Lo
Hi/Lo for Advanced Players

[GoCubsGo]

[ QUOTE ]
1. How to Play Winning Poker, Avery Cardoza
2. More Hold Em Excellence, Lou Kreiger
3. Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker, Ken Warren
4. The Archer Method, An Expert's Guide to Winning at Poker, John Archer
5. Winning Poker for the Serious Player, Edwin Silberstang
6. Hold'em Poker for Winners, Carl Anderson
7. Cappelletti on Omaha, Mike Cappelletti
8. Secrets of Winning Poker, George Coffin
9. Hold'em Excellence, Kreiger
10. Play Poker Like the Pros, Phil Hellmuth

These are my top 10 favorite books for you to read.

[/ QUOTE ]
vnh

[benkahuna]

Here's my list:

TOP
HoH 1 and 2
SSHE
Caro's Book of Tells
Gambling Theory and Other Topics
HPFAP
SS
IYP
MLH
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book


I had a difficult time making the decision not to include the following two books:

11. HEP (Gary Carson)
12. Inside the Poker Mind

The moment you get away from instructional books, it's hard to not include The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King and One of a Kind (based on my first 45 or so pages).

I still haven't read the Zee Hi-Lo split book, the poker essays books (well only 70 pages or so), the Sklansky on (fill in the blank) books, most championship series books, Cappelletti, Blade, Schoonmacher, Vorhaus, Schulman, Cooke, Warren, Brunson other than SS1 and 2, and Caro other than his book of tells and the guide to SS.

I think there are definitely other books worth reading if you have the time and that you should read if you're going to be playing a particular form or poker, especially not holdem.

burn helmuth's book... -EV +++being an arrogant assclown and every other sentence is about one hand or another where he "read his opponent perfectly but thats probably too advanced for this book." every paragraph ends with an exclamation point. worst 20 bucks ive spent in my life.

[DyessMan89]

[ QUOTE ]
burn helmuth's book... -EV +++being an arrogant assclown and every other sentence is about one hand or another where he "read his opponent perfectly but thats probably too advanced for this book." every paragraph ends with an exclamation point. worst 20 bucks ive spent in my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Phil is a great player, but a terrible writer.

[afish]

I don't play tournaments, so there are no tournament strategy books.

1. Theory of Poker
2. HPFAP
3. Small Stakes Hold'em
4. Real Poker 2 (Roy Cooke's book)
5. Inside the Poker Mind
6. Poker Essays Vol. 3 (much better than 1 and 2)
7. The Biggest Game in Town (not a strategy book)
8. Positively Fifth Street (not a strategy book)
9. Caro's Book of Tells
10. Ace on the River
11. Improve Your Poker
12. One of a Kind (not a strategy book)
13. The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King (not a strategy book)
14. Big Deal (not a strategy book)
15. Shut Up and Deal (not a strategy book)

[DyessMan89]

It seems almost unanimous that Theory of Poker is the best one out there. Knew it was good, but didnt think that this many people would be in agreeance.

[ChuckyB]

I own 11 books right now. Here they are from best to worst:

1. Small Stakes Hold'em
2. Theory of Poker
3. Harrington on Hold'em
4. Caro's Book of Tells
5. Super System 2
6. Harrington on Hold'em 2
7. Killer Poker
8. Play Poker Like the Pros (Hellmuth) -- it was a good beginner book that taught me more than half the starting hands in hold'em are crap.
9. Hold'em For Advanced Players (I bought it way too early. When I read it again in 6 months I'll probably have to move it up the list)
10. Killer Poker Online
11. Championship Hold'em

[benkahuna]

[ QUOTE ]
It seems almost unanimous that Theory of Poker is the best one out there. Knew it was good, but didnt think that this many people would be in agreeance.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's weird, I never reread it (like a lot of people here do), but the reason it's on every list is because it's the single most important book on poker theory. Almost every other (decent) work in some way derives from its material. If you could successfully apply TOP to all games you played, you'd be an extraordinarily good player.

It's the Rodney Mullen of poker books.

Theory of Poker
Harrington on Hold Em V1&2
Internet Texas Hold Em
Super System 2
Small Stakes Hold Em
Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players
Positively Fifth Street
Biggest Game in Town

[greatwhite]

Theory Of Poker
Small Stake's Hold'em
Getting Started In Hold'em
The Advanced Player's Series
Omaha Hold'em Poker
Super System I&II
Harrington On Hold'em I&II
Tournament Poker and the Art of War
Pot Limit & No Limit Poker
Improve Your Poker

[SNOWBALL138]

I'll write my list in english because some posters don't speak 2+2ese. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

1. Theory of Poker by David Sklansky

2. Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players by Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee

3. Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by Mason Malmuth, David Sklansky, and Ray Zee

4. Ace on The River by Barry Greenstein

5. Harrington on Hold Em by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertee vol. 1


6. Getting the Best of It by David Sklansky

7. The Professor, the Banker, and The Suicide King

8. Small Stakes Hold Em by David Sklansky, Ed Miller, and Mason Malmuth

9. Improve your Poker by Bob Ciaffone

10. Real Poker II: The Play of Hands.

The books aren't exactly in order. Incidentally, I truly believe that seven card stud for advanced players might be the best poker game specific book ever written. Its absolutely amazing what Mason, Ray, and David put together.

Cheers,
Snowball

[gildwulf]

Top Ten Best Poker Books (note: I only really play hold'em so this might as well be called top ten hold-em related books):

1. Theory of Poker
2. SSHE
3. HPFAP
4. How Good is your Limit Hold'em
5. Harrington on Hold'em One
6. Middle Limit Hold'em
7. Inside the Poker Mind
8. Super System (it's outdated, overrated and somewhat poorly written)
9. Weighing the Odds- King Yao
10. NL/PL Hold'em-Ciaffone

I have yet to read Improve Your Poker but Ciaffone rules so I am expecting great things.

Some overrated books:

SS2- a good chunk of this is the same as SS1 and a few chapters are absolute garbage...Brunson's Chapter on Internet Poker is a joke

Poker Essays I (I haven't gotten through 2 and 3 yet): if you read 2+2 and have read the above books, don't even bother. It's filled without a lot of information that has been covered 100 times on the forum. Also very dated.

WLLH by Lee Jones: this book is just not very good in comparison to the other intro poker books out there. I don't have the new edition with SNGs though...that might be good.

Also avoid anything written by Cloutier or Hellmuth.

[SNOWBALL138]

[ QUOTE ]
1. How to Play Winning Poker, Avery Cardoza
2. More Hold Em Excellence, Lou Kreiger
3. Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker, Ken Warren
4. The Archer Method, An Expert's Guide to Winning at Poker, John Archer
5. Winning Poker for the Serious Player, Edwin Silberstang
6. Hold'em Poker for Winners, Carl Anderson
7. Cappelletti on Omaha, Mike Cappelletti
8. Secrets of Winning Poker, George Coffin
9. Hold'em Excellence, Kreiger
10. Play Poker Like the Pros, Phil Hellmuth

[/ QUOTE ]

Expect to get multiple heads up challenges.
GG.

[Bazuul]

these 12 are the ones i have either loaned out the most or i have bought multiple copies as gifts:

Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players - Sklansky
The Theory of Poker - Sklansky
Getting the Best of it! - Sklansky
Harrington on Hold 'em Volume 1 - Harrington, Robertie
Harrington on Hold 'em Volume 2 - Harrington, Robertie
Small Stakes Hold 'em - Miller, Sklansky, Malmuth
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book - Gordon
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players - Sklansky
Weighing the Odds in Hold 'em Poker - Yao
Professional Poker - Blade
Zen and the Art of Poker - Phillips
Getting Started in Hold 'em - Miller

[maurile]

The Theory of Poker
Harrington on Hold 'em Volume I
Harrington on Hold'em Volume II
Ace on the River
Improve Your Poker
Small Stakes Hold 'em
Super System 2
Weighing the Odds
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book
Real Poker II

1. Middle Limit Holdem Poker

(big gap)

2. How good is your limit holdem
3. HEPFAP
4. Inside the poker mind
5. play of the hands 2
6. killer poker series
7. Improve your poker
8. SSHE
9. Zen and the art of poker/tao
10. TOP

[gildwulf]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Middle Limit Holdem Poker

(big gap)

2. How good is your limit holdem
3. HEPFAP
4. Inside the poker mind
5. play of the hands 2
6. killer poker series
7. Improve your poker
8. SSHE
9. Zen and the art of poker/tao
10. TOP

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, how is Killer Poker number 6 and TOP is 10? Killer poker books are the fluffiest bunch of fluffs that ever fluffed.

[pipes]

[ QUOTE ]
Incidentally, I truly believe that seven card stud for advanced players might be the best poker game specific book ever written. Its absolutely amazing what Mason, Ray, and David put together.



[/ QUOTE ]

After reading it, I felt the same way. The 3rd street discussion is awesome.

[Peter McDermott]

I've read hoards of theory books, but truth be told for my reading pleasure, I prefer books about poker culture. As a change of pace, I'll offer you my favourites in that sub-genre:

1. Big Deal by Anthony Sampson - this was the book that first got me interested in poker.
2. Positively Fifth Street by McManus - this was the book that, ten years later, made me decide I was going to learn to play.
3. The Biggest Game in Town by Al Alvarez
4. The Education of a Poker Player by Yardley
5. Fast Company by Jon Bradshaw
6. Easy Money by David Spanier. (IIRC, there's a better Spanier book, but I can't recall the title off-hand.)
7. Aces and Kings by Kaplan and Reagan (Really an updating of Fast Company.)
8. Amarillo Slim in a World full of Fat People. (Yes, I know he's a terrible self-promoter, not as good a player as he thinks he is, and has recently been accused of child molestation, but I'm a real sucker for those old timey gambling stories, and he has a wonderful turn of phrase.)
9. Suckers Progress by Herbert Asbury. The author of Gangs of New York does a history of Gambling
10. Doubling Down by Donald and Steven Barthelme. (OK, I cheated slightly here in that this one is about blackjack, but it's a really poignant true life story about compulsive gambling from a couple of guys who write like a dream.)

Unlike Mason, I didn't hate Andy Bellin's Poker Nation. Personally, I quite *like* the idea that gambling circles are full of work-shy, low-life types. I don't think it's completely true, but wander a little way off the beaten track in Vegas and you'll soon see where people get that idea from...

[Jeff W]

For Limit Holdem I still read these sometimes after a year of play:

TOP by Sklansky
MLHE by Ciaffone&Brier
How good is your...limit by Brier
WTO by Yao
SSHE by Miller
Real Poker II by Cooke

HPFAP by S&M is okay also. ITPM by Feeney. Everything else out there is only worth reading if you're a novice.

I dont need to read 15 books all on the same thing.

Oh yay how to semi bluff raise, how to slowplay, taking a freecard, how to calculate pot odds etc.

This stuff is covered in half the poker books around so whether I reread TOP, HEPFAP, SSHE or some other book doesnt really matter.

Killer poker books are fluff but at least they give you something different to think about.

[silvershade]

I play largely limit so my choices reflect that. I got a lot of books but the only ones that stand out in my mind are;

Small Stakes Hold Em - Great book on the basics, the tight starting chart's good when you are really green and post flop sections are great stuff, this was the book I learned from initially and I still go back to it.

Middle Limit Hold Em - Teaches you how to think even if I wouldnt necessarily make the same plays against typical opponents in the games I play, I like this as the counterbalance to SSHE because it's taught me to think about my opponents, sometimes it's not right to be over aggressive, its ALL situational.

Theory of Poker - If you could only read one book on poker I think this would be the one, pretty much required reading IMHO.

Other books I'd give a mention too;

Internet Texas Hold'em.
Weighing the odds.
Inside the poker mind.
Ace on the river.
Hold Em for Advanced Players.

[King Yao]

These three books stand out to me now because they impacted me tremendously when I first read them.

Big Deal by Anthony Holden
I read this before I had any experience playing poker in a casino. The poker world was completely new to me at that time and I ate it up. If I was to read this book for the first time now, I think I would still enjoy it, but I wouldn't remember it as fondly.

Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
This was and still is a great book. When I read this back in the early 90s, it really opened my eyes on how a thinking player can beat the games.

Inside the Poker Mind by John Feeney
I read this book after I thought I was already a decent player. Say around a $20 an hour player in regular 20/40 casino games. This book impacted me similarly as the Theory of Poker did, but at a different stage in my poker life. It made me aware there was a different level of thinking, and I needed to get to that level.

[Andy B]

[ QUOTE ]
2. HLSP7CSAO8BFAP

[/ QUOTE ]
/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Andy B]

1) Positively Fifth Street
2) The Biggest Game in Town
3) Total Poker (this is probably the Spanier book that someone else was thinking of)
4) Knights of the Green Cloth
5) The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King
6) One of a Kind
7) Theory of Poker
8) Big Deal
9) High-Low Split Poker for Advanced Players
10) Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players

Someone mentioned Sucker's Progress. I bought that a number of years ago, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I'll have to do that some time.

[Piers]

Theory of Poker – DS
I remember when I first started playing poker, this was about the forth or fifth book I read. A couple of chapters in it suddenly hit me that this guy actual knew what he was talking about. A feeling that had been notably missing from the first few books I read.

Small Stakes holdem – EM etc
The book that has demonstrated to me the best understanding of limit holdem. (or maybe the author has similar misconceptions as me).

Getting Started in Holdem – EM
It amazes me how many people don’t understand the concepts covered in the No limit section.

Harrington on Holdem 1 – DH
Harrington on Holdem 2 - DH
The only two books worth reading on No limit tournament play.

Internet Texas Holdem – MH
Good comprehensive coverage of limit holdem.

Pot-Limit & No Limit Poker – SR & BC
There is not much on big bet cash games. I guess this is it, still not bad.

Kind of struggling, but I suppose

Ace on the River – BG
Really aimed more at the B&M player, but nether the less an entertaining well presented book

Inside the Poker mind –?F?
Well I liked his “Best poker player you will ever meet”.

HFAP – MM & DS
Really struggling, thought about adding GC’s book but was worried that would get me banned.

[BlackAces]

Theory of Poker
Harrington on Hold 'em 1+2
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker
Improve Your Poker
Tournament Poker for Advanced Players
Positively Fifth Street
The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King
Ace on the River
The Making of a Poker Player