The great thing about poker is that it welcomes players of every skill level. If a player’s looking to improve their game, there’s a wealth of information everywhere you look. Yet, given the sheer volume of information, it can be difficult to sift out the most legitimate sources. Well, look no further because we’ve done the hard work for you. Read below to find out the best poker book to boost your game!
The Beginner
Hold'em Wisdom for All Players (2007) - Daniel Negreanu
Written by none other than poker champion Daniel Negreanu himself, this 50-page book guides players through the pivotal elements of Texas hold’em poker. Negreanu’s direct and uncomplicated advice makes this the perfect option for novices. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t useful lessons to be gleaned by the experienced players also. To accompany his clear instruction, Negreanu scatters the book with useful personal experiences as a poker champion. This not only offers immense value but also makes for genuinely charming and entertaining reading.
Negreanu covers topics as diverse as the top 10 rookie mistakes and five reasons why you're losing at poker, bullying bullies, exploiting your table image, and strategies to equalise professional players. If you’re a beginner, consider this book your instructional guide to one of poker’s most popular variations. It will not only reveal strategy on how to play the game but dominate it!
The Theorist
Theory of Poker (1983) - David Sklansky
In short, consider this addition to our list the most important poker book ever written - because most of the industry does! Now, that may seem like a grand statement but we promise we can back it up. The Theorist was one of the first poker books to actually outline a lot of theories and strategies to the public. It walks the reader through several types of poker, along with key poker concepts such as position, odds, bluffing and psychology. Yet, despite being published in the 80s and access to poker advice being a lot easier in recent days, much of the information in this book still holds up. If you’re a beginner to intermediate player and want to become more confident in your game then run, don’t walk, to pick up your copy today.
The Mentalist
Reading Poker Tells (2012) – Zachary Elwood
Are you fascinated by the complex psychology of poker? If so, then Reading Poker Tells is a book that’ll take that interest and turn it into a bankable poker skill. Written by Zachary Elwood, this book pulls apart the various areas around player behaviour. Ideally, this book is targeted toward players who engage with live games as it primarily teaches you how to recognise and then interpret in-person behaviour. Elwood outlines tells in the form of expressions, posture, gestures and verbal cues. Not only this, but Elwood also guides players on how to mislead rivals with a trail of false tells. If you enjoy this addition to our list then good news, Elwood has written two further books on poker behaviour. This is definitely a worthwhile read if you want to reveal, not only your rival's tells but some of your own too!
The Low Stakes Player
Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments (2015) - Jonathan Little
If you’re looking to improve your small stakes poker game before moving on to bigger fish, this is the book for you. This addition to our list comes thanks to the efforts of a professional poker player, WPT Player of the Year and poker coach Jonathan Little. With a bio like that there’s no doubting his ability to teach any player a thing or two in the art of winning!
Throughout this guide, Little outlines three types of players you'll most commonly encounter in low stakes tournaments and how to deal with them. Not only that, but he also imparts experienced wisdom on players who play too passively and aggressively during these types of games. By mastering these elements with the help of Little’s straightforward advice, a player can take home the pot and solidify the skills necessary to progress to bigger games. As the author of 11 best-selling poker books, Little can show you exactly how to learn these skills and win much more money in the long term. If you like concise, actionable information you can start using right away, then you'll love Little's game-changing poker guide. Buy the book to start cashing out
The High Stakes Player
Super/System (1978) - Doyle Brunson
Some may know this book by its alternative title, How I Won One Million Dollars Playing Poker, and it’s aptly named given the success of its author. The original price for this 600-page poker system (in the 70s keep in mind) was an eye-watering $100. Yet, thanks to clever marketing and the benefit of having Doyle Brunson’s name attached, it sold consistently across three decades. Inside you’ll find sound advice on general poker strategy, including controlling emotion, watching competitors play and reasoning outplay. It’s important to note that Brunson isn’t the sole author of this book. In fact, there are several - each with their own speciality, imparting wisdom on the reader. Below we’ve outlined specific sections of the Super/System, along with who they’re attributed to. Topics include:
- Draw poker, written by Mike Caro. Among other things, Caro writes in detail about tells and how to gain information about an opponent's hand based on how they act. He is regarded as an expert on poker psychology and behaviour and would later go on to write his own seminal book on tells.
- Seven-card stud written by Chip Reese
- Lowball, written by Joey Hawthorne and Doyle Brunson
- Seven-card stud, high-low split by David Sklansky
- Limit Texas hold'em by Bobby Baldwin
- No-limit Texas hold'em by Doyle Brunson
The book concludes with a comprehensive list of probability and statistics calculated by Mike Caro. In addition to raw numbers, many scenarios are investigated and common questions are answered. With value like that, there’s no doubt that this book can be the doorway to winning for many players. It’s held up under scrutiny for just over four decades and is still offering valuable information. Do yourself, and your poker game, a favour and get it now!