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Take quizThe way we study poker has changed greatly since the early days, and poker books have lost quite a bit of their importance in the grand scheme of things.
Yet, there are quite a few poker books out there that can either help you become a better player after reading them or serve as a very fun read for any real poker fan.
If you were thinking of grabbing some poker books to add to your shelves, either to gain knowledge or simply enjoy some fun poker stories, you have come to the right place.
We are bringing you the list of the top 10 poker books you should read, along with a short rundown of what you can expect to gain from reading each particular book on our list.
The final part of Elwood’s trilogy on poker tells, Exploiting Poker Tells, is a book designed to teach you how to recognize and put poker tells to use in the game.
The book is made up of well over 100 hand histories detailing the ways in which poker tells were used by professional poker players to make the right play, as well as interviews with the pros on the different aspects of poker tells.
While poker tells may be a bit less important than some players would have you believe, they still hold a lot of significance in live poker games, and you should be able to use them to your advantage when possible.
Reading Exploiting Poker Tells is a great way to start thinking about tells in live games and looking form them as hands are played in order to give yourself the best possible chances of winning as much money as possible.
Whether you like it or not, poker is a game in which math plays an essential part, and understanding the different mathematical concepts of it is essential.
Poker Math That Matters is designed to teach you different mathematical aspects of poker, such as pot odds, implied odds, EV, bet sizing, and more.
The manual is made up of a theoretical part that explains the different concepts and a practical part that allows you to practice the newly learned skills through more than 100 interactive quizzes.
While there may be some other great materials to learn such concepts out there, Poker Math That Matters can also be a great way to start learning about the math of poker and getting deep into the numbers and percentages that mean everything in poker.
Another poker book written by an absolute poker legend, Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed, is a poker book that holds more relevance today than most people give it credit for.
In the book, Gus Hansen goes through each and every hand he played on his path to winning the 2007 Aussie Millions Championship, giving us insights into his thought processes in different stages of the tournament.
While tournament poker has evolved quite a bit since those days, many of the concepts Gus discusses in the book remain relevant today, especially when playing against amateur players or random people in the big field events out there.
Whether you are facing weak GTO pros or random feel players, Gus Hansen’s approach to tournament poker is likely to give you some ideas you can use to exploit them and give yourself a significant edge.
What’s even more, the Great Dane wrote the book in an appealing style and with a ton of fun little passages that will make you chuckle and enjoy reading through the pages as you follow him to the final table and the consequent victory in the event.
We have not seen too much of Berry Greenstein in recent years, but a couple of decades ago, he was one of the living legends of the game.
While Greenstein has since devoted himself to other endeavors and stepped away from poker for the most part, his Ace on the River remains a legendary book.
Ace on the River is a book that looks into poker strategy and how to play the game, but it also teaches young players about the importance of bankroll management, playing in the right games, and other “life skills” that a poker player must have.
What’s even more, the book is full of exciting anecdotes from Berry’s colorful life, which makes it a super fun and light read that you can bring with you anywhere and enjoy reading at any time without having to focus heavily on what’s being discussed.
Knowing when to bet, how to size your raises, and when to muck your cards are all essential poker skills, but the game is certainly not just about playing your cards right.
Tilt, fatigue, self-doubt, and physical and verbal tells are all very real parts of the game, and The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler focuses on all of them.
This book is designed to help players understand variance, avoid tilt, and control their emotions while going through the inevitable ups and downs of the game of poker.
There are probably thousands of poker players out there who have the technical skills to be winners but end up losing time and time again because of their approach to the game and their mental inadequacies.
Reading through this useful manual will at least put you on the right path of understanding poker from a different perspective and finding peace and serenity while playing poker at stakes you can afford and in environments that suit you best.
The first book on our list of top poker books you should read that is not a strategy manual on how to play poker, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King is an absolute must-read for any poker enthusiast.
The book focuses on the time Andy Beal walked into the Bellagio Poker Room and decided to take anyone who wanted to play him for any stakes they would play for back in 2001.
The Las Vegas pros, including the likes of Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey, all banded together and took on the billionaire in turns, with Beal getting the best of most of them.
The book tells the tale of how it all went down and how the legendary Phil Ivey eventually took Beal down and taught him a lesson on why he should be careful who he gambles against.
Regardless of the outcome, the story of Andy Beal vs. the Corporation remains one of the legendary tales in poker folklore to this day and is one you should get acquainted with by reading this book.
The books we mentioned so far are mostly somewhat older, and they offer a more general approach to poker, ideal for new players looking to start in the game.
Modern Poker Theory by Michael Acevedo is a book that focuses on the game theory optimal (GTO) approach to the game and allows players to get started with this new approach to poker.
The book will teach you how to think about poker ranges and frequencies and how to play your hands perfectly against any opponent anywhere in the world.
The concepts introduced in Modern Poker Theory are quite a bit different from those you will find in older poker literature, which is why this is a great book for players looking to be competitive in mid to high-stakes games these days.
Another great book for anyone looking to start with poker tournaments, and one that’s a lot more contemporary, is Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments by Jonathan Little.
The book covers all important aspects, from the basic ABCs of tournament poker to exploiting weak players in big-field events, and teaches you how to get started and win against players in small-stakes tournaments online or live.
Jonathan Little is one of the best poker teachers out there and his books are designed to teach players who are not amazing poker players yet about topics and concepts not yet known to them.
This book is perfect for complete poker novices and players who have little experience with Texas Hold’em and are looking to take their poker game to the next level.
If you want to learn how to dominate tournament Texas Hold’em Poker, the two volumes of Harrington on Hold’em remain some of the best books on the topic even today, twenty years after they were written.
Dan Harrington was one of the best tournament players of his era and a Main Event champion, and his books have become legendary and obligatory reading for tournament poker players.
If you have doubts about what a 20 year-old book could teach you about the game of poker, you should forget about them, as Harrington on Hold’em focuses heavily on mathematical aspects of the game that hold true regardless of the era you are playing in.
Of course, no single book will teach you how to jump into the high rollers and crush everyone, but Harrington on Hold’em will definitely give you plenty of knowledge you need to get started with tournaments and do well against competition in big field events.
Doyle Brunson was called the Godfather of Poker for a good reason, as he mastered many different poker variations decades before the Poker Boom, online poker, solvers, or any other fancy tech.
Back in 1979, Doyle Brunson released The Super System, a book that was considered the Bible of poker for decades, all the way up to the days of the Moneymaker Boom.
The Super System may not be a book that will teach you how to play GTO poker or make the perfect play in every situation, but it remains a great introduction to the game of Texas Hold’em to this day.
Some of the tips and advice in Super System are a bit outdated, but others remain just as relevant today as they were the day they were written.
What’s even more, the book contains chapters written by other poker legends like David Sklansky, Mike Caro, Chip Reese, and Bobby Baldwin, who touched on a variety of topics, including mixed games, poker tells, and much more.
Doyle Brunson’s Super System is no longer a book that will teach you how to beat poker at the higher levels, but it is one that any self-respecting poker player should find the time to read, even if just to get a feel for how poker used to be back in the day.
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