Revised poll: what's the best/greatest poker book?

[betgo]

I think I came up with a better list of choices based on forum input.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Betgo:

In my opinion, the two books that impacted how the games are played the most was David's original Hold 'em Poker and our Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players.

The Harrington books should have the same effect on the tourneys, but it's still too early to tell for sure.

best wishes,
Mason

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Betgo:

In my opinion, the two books that impacted how the games are played the most was David's original Hold 'em Poker and our Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players.

The Harrington books should have the same effect on the tourneys, but it's still too early to tell for sure.

best wishes,
Mason

[/ QUOTE ]

My question was the best/greatest book, not the one with the most impact. I thought of including HPFAP and probably should have.

I know you posted before on the book with the greatest impact. While I don't disagree with the two you mentioned, I think "Super System" (mainly Brunson's chapter) also had a great impact, both on how the game is played and on later poker books.

[Jonny5]

The book that had the most impact on me was Super System (specifically Doyle's chapters) as it was the first book that got me to think differently and HUGELY effected my results in live (Single Table) tournies.

After that point I read everything I could get my hands on and my new personal favorites are
Theory of Poker
HoldEm for advanced players
Small Stakes Holdem
Harrington on Holdem 1&2.

[ QUOTE ]
I think I came up with a better list of choices based on forum input.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, but you didn't. You still haven't defined "best" or "greatest", or put them in context. The choices are all over the map, and cannot be compared.

Among other things, "best" is defined as " Most satisfactory, suitable, or useful". If something is most suitable or useful, it must be suitable or useful for something.

The books listed are worse than apples and oranges, they are fruit cocktail. Except for SS, none of those books are comparable to any of the others for a particular area of study. SS tries to be all things to all people, and there is generally a better dedicated book out there for any particular area discussed in SS.

You have asked the poker equivalent of what is the best motor vehicle. One person might answer a BMW sedan is best. Another might reply that a BMW is a horrible motor vehicle for hauling plywood, and a Ford F-150 is the best. In both cases, the lack of context makes the question, and the answers, meaningless.

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think I came up with a better list of choices based on forum input.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, but you didn't. You still haven't defined "best" or "greatest", or put them in context. The choices are all over the map, and cannot be compared.

Among other things, "best" is defined as " Most satisfactory, suitable, or useful". If something is most suitable or useful, it must be suitable or useful for something.

The books listed are worse than apples and oranges, they are fruit cocktail. Except for SS, none of those books are comparable to any of the others for a particular area of study. SS tries to be all things to all people, and there is generally a better dedicated book out there for any particular area discussed in SS.

You have asked the poker equivalent of what is the best motor vehicle. One person might answer a BMW sedan is best. Another might reply that a BMW is a horrible motor vehicle for hauling plywood, and a Ford F-150 is the best. In both cases, the lack of context makes the question, and the answers, meaningless.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you had a poll on what the best motor vehicle is, I don't think you would have one car getting 2/3 of the votes as here with "Theory of Poker". I also don't see what is wrong with a poll as to the best motor vehicle. There is no right or wrong answer, just opinions.

Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players is a great book, I've not read the other one, but are you really saying that these two books have had a greater impact on how the game is played than Super System, especially Doyle's chapter? I've picked up some great ideas from Hold Em for Advance Players that I have applied to NL, but the basis for my game comes from Super System.

The only reason Theory of Poker is running away with this poll is because you failed to include Play Poker Like the Pros.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Bear:

In my opinion, no question about it. HPFAP changed the games like no other book before or since, and this happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As for SS, you can't be more wrong. Virtually no one even read it for years, and as for Doyle's chapter, there wasn't any no limit games for close to 20 years with the exception of a couple of games here and there (with the there being mostly Northern California). SS didn't come back into favor until the TV shows began calling it the bible of poker.

By the way, "having impact" doesn't necessary mean its a great book in the way that most other people consider a book great. But HPFAP changed the way hold 'em is played by virtually everyone, even those who have never read a poker book.

Best wishes,
Mason

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi betgo:

I agree that your question is actually different. I do disagree with your comments on SS. As I state in my other post, virtually no one read it for many years. Now I don't have statistics to prove this, but I have many years of conversations with many people. SS only came back into favor when it began to be touted on the TV shows.

Best wishes,
Mason