The 10 Most Essential Poker Strategy Books: Must-Reads for Every Player

Poker is not just a game but a battle where each person not only follows certain guidelines of the game but also tries to gain privileged information. Enter poker strategy books: these are some of the most precious sources any player can get as they are written by some of the geniuses of this game who provide tips that any player aspiring to get to the next level needs to know. Every book in this collection is made with great precision with the main goal of enlightening the players with loads of theory with realistic tips and realistic strategies to turn a simple night of poker into a series of wins. Not only will you obtain detailed knowledge of the workings of poker when reading these expert-written guides, but you will also get to learn about the kind of strategies that separate the players from the boys. Irrespective of whether you are a complete stranger to poker or an experienced player who wishes to fine-tune his strategies, these ten books must be in your library as they will help you reach unimaginable heights of poker playing.

1. The Theory of Poker

Being recognized as the leading work in the field by game theorists and those dedicated to poker, “The Theory of Poker” written by David Sklansky is 276 pages in length and subdivided into 25 chapters. This work goes straight to the point of detailing all recognized key strategic aspects which a poker player should learn. Whereas it does not amuse the everyday reader, its use is greatly based on its density of sound and tightly argued poker concepts. The subtitle, "How to Think Like a Professional Poker Player," encapsulates the core essence of the book: updating it from just asking the question, “What do you do in such and such a situation?” to ask the far more searching question “What do you think in such and such a situation before deciding what you do?” The change in emphasis that results from this makes “The Theory of Poker” incomparable in the sphere of poker strategy. It has become the standard by which all future conversation and deliberation in poker theory is based, and anyone who wishes to take poker seriously has either read this work or acknowledges the magnitude of this work’s importance in the overall timeline of poker understanding.

2. Super/System 2: A Course in Power Poker

Two-time world champion Doyle ``Texas Dolly” Brunson "Super/System: ”A Course in Power Poker”, an obscure text recently mass-produced in the last few years after initially being published in the late 1970s, the book’s $100 price tag was neatly over $400 in today’s currency; over the course of three decades, this book became a bestselling tome. Its fame was revived by a much anticipated repulsion as a paperback edition from Cardoza Publishing. 600 pages of solid poker knowledge that any player can hardly dispute and placed into a heavy black cover that makes it look almost religious, like the Bible. In addition to the strategic aspect, there are unpretentious and quite entertaining narrative chapters, where Brunson shares his experiences of poker playing. Interestingly, it was the first book that included annotations by the leading players generally considered to be the best in their respective games. Far ahead of its generation, ‘Super/System’ is an absolutely exemplary work, which can be easily argued as the best poker book, be it in terms of number or quality.

3. Harrington on Hold’em

First, let me state that ‘Harrington on Hold’em’ is the biggest selling poker book of all time having now sold over 300 thousand copies and been translated into thirteen languages. Dan Harrington, who won the world poker championship in 1995, wrote his book at the pinnacle of the poker boom to capture its spirit and, as an outspoken opinionated personality of the poker world, Harrington adds quite a bit of credibility to the words written in the book. Co-authored with Bill Robertie, a master chess player and game theorist, this seminal work was followed by "Harrington on Hold’em: Several others include; “Volume II” and “Volume III,” and “Harrington on Cash Games” all of which, have, over the years, attracted similar raves. All in all, these books that were written eventually added a new level to the understanding of poker strategy and made the game much more difficult to fleece. Though, the first volume is considered one of the best works dedicated to strategy and up to date it has influence on players who are considered to be serious strategists.

4. Hold’em Poker

The book, “Hold’em Poker” by David Sklansky is noted to stand the record of being the first dedicated text about hold’em poker made available to the public. When this poker variant was published it was not all that popular in many areas, and could mainly be found in some parts of the Southern United States and Las Vegas. Indeed, the level of knowledge about this game must have been relatively low even before World War I, and certainly only a few thousands of people could play the game. The management or awareness of foresight from Sklansky or maybe even the realization of the WSOP’s persistence led him to notice hold ‘em’s future long before it was apparent to the rest of the card playing community. Following the release of the “Hold ‘em Poker”, the numbers of players have grown drastically to hundred and thousands and later on to millions. This now proved the first base for facing the basics of limit hold’em and learning how the game can be won. Although the first edition is somewhat old-fashioned since most contests at that time had just involved one blind, Sklansky revised the book in 1997 including the new double-blind formation. Although it is among the shortest books on this list, it is among the most historical books ever written and any poker strategy aficionado should read it.

5. Winning Low Limit Hold’em 

To a lot of players ``Winning Low Limit Hold’em” by Lee Jones was “the book” for nearly a decade, some still consider it their bible today. Perhaps, more people were introduced to the fundamentals of limit hold’em through this book than through any other book in the world. The book’s greatest strength lies in the fact that it is naive – although this term may sound rather uncomplimentary, it is, in fact, perfectly suitable here – while at the same time offering great strategic tips. Unlike most poker books, it does not resemble a textbook; the author has simplified his writing style and breaks down most of the information as if Jones is having a conversation with a person directly. After the publication, Jones rose in rank to become a Site Manager for PokerStars. com, from where it became the world's largest poker site. Of course, his profound insight on the mental profile of the average player, which can certainly owe much to his becoming that decisive player, is constantly revealed in the pages of what is, without doubts, one of the most crucial strategic manuals ever.

6. Winning Poker Systems

Probably ninety percent of the readers have perhaps not read about, or even heard of ‘Winning Poker Systems.’ Even professional poker players may possibly have a hard time recognizing the book. Still, this book should be recalled with much warmth as it is a truly engaging one. Without any doubt he included ‘‘Winning Poker Systems’’ as a great and one of the monumental works in the field of poker theory. Though published in 1973, at that time it was almost impossible to find any poker books in store; indeed it set the ball rolling to run the race to ascertain those strategies which are most efficacious. Though now sadly out of date—not only does it pertain almost exclusively to such belts as five-card draw and lowball, which were the only games legal in California when the book was written—it was the first book to map out starting hands and emphasize the significance of position. Norman Zadah was then a young doctoral student at Cal-Berkeley studying Applied Mathematics David Sklansky has also frequently recommended this book and its author warmly. That being said, it is possible to state that “Winning Poker Systems” was the work that was instrumental in creating foundational concepts for the future literature on the subject of poker strategies.

7. Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players

Mason Malmuth is one of only two authors that has two entries in the list of top ten poker books. If there was a single book that probably every poker player should read for the entire nineties it was Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players first issued in 1988 and later republished several times. This is a limit hold’em primer that rules the charts and sets high the bar and the standards. Given that nearly all hold’em played up until 2003 was limited, this book significantly influenced the game and the players who triumphed in it. Among those it is possible to identify the term ‘semi-bluff’ which was initiated by Malmuth at the early stages of the game’s theoretical evolution. Malmuth analyzed many types of scenarios that revolutionized fundamentally various kinds of the games, in particular starting from 1988 – two years after the flop games were legalized in California, up to 2003, when the limit hold'em gradually started to lessen in popularity.

8. Poker Essays 

Of all the books Poker Essays is one of the best books that a poker enthusiast can buy. It receives no style points, as the concept is almost too simple: A set of writings—or thoughts—of one of the game’s strategic thinkers, namely Mason Malmuth. This is individual because unlike the majority of the books of its genre this work is not only devoted to the description of the strategy but also to the farther perspectives of a game, to the promptings concerning interlocution of a card room and, in general, to the number of useful addresses connected with constant poker progress. Here’s a challenge: If you want to read it now, twenty years later, you are going to find that many of the issues and prognosis of Malmuth have indeed materialized. I always thought he might be going out of his mind when he penned some of these things, though, I must admit, he was largely accurate.

9. The Body Language of Poker 

Mike Caro was and still is considered a pioneer of poker tactics. Over the years and to the present, he has penned numerous articles and reports on poker science. He also is a great motivator with traveling poker seminars that have been conducted for almost 3 decades. Thus, in 1984, Caro published the first version of “The Body Language of Poker” that outlined readers’ nonverbal behavior or poker tells, such as positioning, facial expressions, voice, and others. His first book was revised and republished 10 years later with more pictures and better interpretation. Despite their irrelevance to today’s current state of affairs and one could argue that their applicability, if any, is confined to recreational low-stakes games at best, this was a revolutionary piece that was often cited and referred to during many games. At 277 pages of photos and explanations squeezed in a lot of information and what surfaced was that the real money isn’t to be made by looking at the cards but rather, in watching your opponents.

10. Every Hand Revealed

“Every Hand Revealed” published by Kensington but may startle some as being from a mainstream publisher, but this is nonetheless a great poker book aimed strictly at NLHE tournaments. This book is written by three-time WPT world poker champion Gus Hansen and one of the most exciting and unpredictable poker players captures your thought process from the moment the chips are in the ‘on’ position to your first hand and all the way to the final table. Chip Reese, who has penned the foreword to this book, had this to say about Hansen: “He has opened the gateway of originality on an ageless game; many of the ideas from him on the way to play poker have made me rethink some traditional theories I considered as gospel.” This book is no-nonsense; it gets straight into the matter. A critical success and an innovation in game theory, the book remains somewhat unnoticed and thus deserves to be on this list.

Conclusion

If you are into poker, it is very important to have ample knowledge about the game including its smaller details. These are general rules for every player with recommended literature that must be read to get to the next level from amateur to pro. This compilation contains such instant best sellers that present the fundamentals in clear and concise manner as “Winning Low Limit Hold’em”, as well as such advanced works that substantially influenced the perception of limit hold’em, as “Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players”. You will also discover other great reads such as, ‘Poker Essays’ by Mason Malmuth not only covers the game’s strategy but outlook into the future and development of the game as well. Many books focus on tournament play and one of the most interesting books which has this theme is ‘Every Hand Revealed’ by Gus Hansen where every decision of the match is discussed. Veteran materials, even “Winning Poker Systems,” are as good as they are because the information in them remains relevant to this date. Each book adds up to the different areas of poker beginning with body language discussed in ‘The Body Language of Poker’ to the various components of higher-level strategies. After you’ve gone through all of these books and have gotten the basic knowledge of poker and the strategies connected with it and feel that you’re ready for the real thing, play for real money poker. Try out this website to have the feel of the best poker.