poker books
Doyle Brunson's Super System by Doyle Brunson
Poker's popularity has steadily increased in the last 25 years and part of the reason is because of all the information that has become available to the players. This book (super/system) is one of the major resources that have contributed to the enormous increase in popularity.
This book starts off with some beginning comments and has reflections on the "Texas Dolly's" poker career. Brunson mentions in his introduction the importance of keeping your emotions cool under pressure, checking out your opponents, and playing patient, plus many others. This is great advice, but for the majority of today's poker players this is information that they have learned already.
Brunson has assigned some of his fellow players who he considers experts at a specific poker game to write and explain their concepts throughout this book. For instance, he has Mike Caro talking about draw poker, Chip Reese was given seven-card stud, Joey Hawthorne explaining all the different types of lowball, David Sklansky was responsible for seven-card stud high/low split, and Bobby Brunson and the Texas Dolly himself discussed Limit and No Limit Hold'em, respectively. The players that Doyle had collected for this publication were outstanding and help make this book what it is; a classic. The book finishes off with a glossary and an overview of poker numbers and charts assembled by Mike Caro, which explains the number of possibilities for different outcomes in the games that were covered in the book.
There have been substantial changes to a number of the games that were discussed in Super/System. For instance, the structures in Limit Hold'em are quite different today then when the book was first published. Also, in card rooms today you would find it difficult to locate a high game spread, or even lowball, which at one time were the majority of games. Therefore, some of the advice given in this book has its limitations. The best section in this book for today's players is the Texas Dolly's personal section on No Limit, and this makes this book a required reading for any player who is looking to play this particular game at a high level.
This book gives the reader a lot of good advice. However, the majority of the advice is towards games that really are not played any more or are played with different variations to them compared to today's games. Even if some of the strategies have changed since this book was originally distributed, the book is definitely an entertaining read and it also presents a historical value to it. It is recommended that all serious poker players should have a copy of this book in their personal library. It is just not considered the bible of poker that it once was.
Super/System is a poker classic that contains more of a historical benefit to the readers than it does as valued information. Nonetheless, there is a lot of key information in the pages of this book, especially in regards to No Limit Hold'em. This book is well worth reading and you should have a copy of it on your shelf.
Doyle Brunson's Super System II by Doyle Brunson
When you are considering improving your poker game through the use of a book you don't need to look any further than this book, as you will be hard pressed to find anything better. Super System 2 is a great addition to anyone's poker library. The key chapters in Super System 2 are Hold'em, Stud High/Low, and Pot Limit Omaha.
One of the strengths to this book is that it covers such a variety of different games that you will have a hard time finding anywhere else (such as stud high/low and pot limit Omaha). Each different card game is covered by a different world class player written in approximately sixty pages, and the great thing about each section is that the material they cover is not found anywhere else. This format will make it much more enjoyable to the reader and definitely more interesting. Also, the majority of the sections assume that as a player you already know the basics, therefore it leaves a ton of room for the advanced concepts and play. Awesome stuff.
Doyle Brunson took care of the No Limit Hold'em section and it definitely has been revised from the original Super System. This man is a legend that continues to grow and any knowledge you can gain from him is worth noting. For those of you that are fans of Stud Eight or better, this section is delivered by Todd Brunson and it's awesome. Again, he covers so much material that cannot be found anywhere else. I would say it is required reading for all of you that play Stud High/Low. If you own a copy of the original Super System, the stud High/Low section in that book (written by David Sklansky) combined with this new section is all the info you will ever need to know.
Jennifer Harmon puts her knowledge to the test with the section on Limit Hold'em. She does a tremendous job describing new concepts and theories that are not available in any other books. As far as Hold'em players are concerned, this is a must read. Another tremendous chapter to look at is the Pot Limit chapter covered by Lyle Berman. This chapter is written by the best living Pot Limit Omaha player and he produces the best chapter ever written on Omaha. Lyle introduces several new theories on Omaha, and like many other chapters in this book, it's a can't miss.
The one surprising chapter in this book is that Doyle chose Daniel Negreanu to write about the relatively unknown poker variation triple draw. That was a little surprising considering that today there is so much emphasis on poker tournaments, especially Hold'em tournaments, which are among Daniel's strongest games.
Overall Super System 2 is a tremendous book that you should definitely check out. If you were to only read one book with regards to poker strategy, this should be it. You will find something new each time you pick it up and read it. Certain sections are stronger than others as is the case with most books. This is a book for a player who needs to understand strategies for all different types of games.
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
David Sklansky believes that when you decide to sit down and buy into, a Hold'em, Low-Limit or No-Limit game, you should have only one goal in mind. That goal is to minimize your mistakes as much as possible and try to force your opponents into making as many mistakes as you can.
Let's get right to it. The Theory of Poker does not incorporate a lot of information on how you should play certain hands, and in those certain circumstances where Sklansky mentions different hands it is used only to further elevate a bigger point. The knowledge that David Sklansky is trying to get across is to make sure you understand the common situations you might find, and to not get into specific circumstances that you as a player might come across when playing. That is why this book really is the Theory of Poker.
This is an important book, and a book that any player who wants to become better should read. That doesn't mean it is an easy read, or doesn't have its issues. You might find you will not get much out of this book in your first go around. In order to gain rewards from this book you will need to read it several times.
David discusses numerous concepts that are critical to poker. He discusses pot odds, implied odds, reverse implied odds, and effective odds. He also covers in detail the importance and strategies of the semi-bluff, how to defend against the semi-bluff, slow-playing, and the ever present check-raise. There are really no topics that David doesn't cover in this book. He even refers to advanced topics of game theory, psychology of poker, and how you go about reading your opponents' hands.
The best part of this book is the chapters where he discussed semi-bluffing. He seems to thoroughly enjoy this topic and it shows in the details that he goes into on this topic. The other strong sections in the book that you should check out are on bluffing, check-raising, slow-playing, and raising. Because of the depth and broadness of what this book covers you the readers will have to spend a lot of time working on your game to apply the information that you will get from this book. The information given in this book comes across in a clear manner, but there is reason to believe that there will be times that you could misunderstand his principles or use the principles that he suggests the wrong way. Remember, this is a great book but at the same time it can be a tough read.
To summarize, the Theory of Poker is definitely a book you don't want to miss out on and it is a text that any poker player will benefit from having in their book collection. Just remember that to get the best results from this book, you will need to read it over a couple of times.
Play Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth
Not only is Phil Hellmuth the youngest player to ever win the main event at the World Series of Poker (1989), but he has won numerous titles since that time. Phil is considered by many as one of the finest players in the world, not to mention he is the self proclaimed best player in the world. Phil can often be found playing online at UltimateBet.com, or at the highest limit money games he can find. With the steady increase in poker popularity and combine that with Hellmuth's star status it is only fitting that the poker brat shares his knowledge and experiences with the rest of us. That is exactly what he has done with his book Play Poker Like the Pros.
This book gets started by explaining Texas Hold'em at an introductory level. His introduction to the mechanics of the game does a reasonable job of covering the basics of poker. He moves along quite quickly in this book, as you will find yourself learning about the strategies involved at all different levels in no time. Phil covers a number of different games in this book as they range from Limit Hold'em, No Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em, Limit and Pot Limit Omaha High, Omaha High-Low, Seven-card Stud, Razz, and Seven-card stud High-Low. Phil's final chapter discusses the intricacies of online poker. Everything is covered in this book. His book finishes off with some appendices covering different ranks of poker hands, Hellmuth's champion of the year award description, he gives you a list of the prestigious poker tournaments that are played today, and he gives us a little insight on what it is like to play in the World Series of Poker.
The major complaint about this book is that in almost all of his examples Hellmuth assumes you are playing heads up when it's time to bet (or not bet) on the end. Even though this is often the case, it would have been better if he had spent the extra time to describe each particular situation. I will say that once you understand a given situation, the advice that he gives makes a whole lot of sense.
Hellmuth's discussions on the variety of games obviously could have their own book written about them. With that being said there is a lot of detail that was left out of each game. Even though the strategies written in this book are not the most complete, that does not mean in any way they don't contain important information. I definitely think that his best sections and strategies in this book are on No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Omaha High, and Omaha High-Low.
This book aside from a couple of sections, targets the inexperienced poker player. The inexperienced player who understands and follows Phil's advice will definitely become a much better poker player. However, I feel this book has some limitations, as you become a better player you might need to find another resource that will help further your improvements in poker. But, this book also demonstrates good tricks that an advanced poker player would find useful and therefore makes this book a useful tool for them as well.
I definitely recommend you add this book to your library. Even though it was mentioned that this is a great book for the beginner there are definitely situations in it that the advanced player can learn from as well. If anything this book contains additional information that anyone can add to their poker arsenal. The quality of the material in this book is a little rough, and because there were so many chapters being covered there was significant information that was left out for each game. With all that being said, you should pick this book up and give it a chance and see what you think.
Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro
Mike Caro's book of poker tells has been one of the most widely read poker books across the nation over the years. This book is in its third major revision since its original publication.
This book begins with some introductory discussions that explain to the reader what the book entails. He gives an explanation of the terminology that is used, he provides Mike Caro University poker charts (is a method for presenting hands), and there is also a piece concerning "Caro's Law of Loose Wiring". The introduction to this book gives the reader a tremendous idea as to where this book is going and what it is all about.
The next four sections of this book reflects on certain situations where players might indicate tells. For those that don't know, tells are information that players give away about the strength of their hands from their actions at the table. Each of the first four sections describe in great detail the different tells that are out there. Caro has named these tells as follows: Tells from those who are unaware, Tells from actors, Some general tells, and the Sounds of tells. The great thing about these sections is that for each tell, you are provided with pictures showing a certain behaviour a player might demonstrate, an analysis of each tell, followed by an explanation of what it means, an examination of what motivates certain behaviors, an estimate of the reliability that these tells provide, and finally an estimate of its value to an alert player. As you can see from this description of each section you are provided with tremendous detail and it will only help out your game.
The conclusion of this book includes a summary of information, it also provides you with a quiz on the book material, and it concludes with some final thoughts by Mike Caro himself. This book was well written and each topic flows nicely from one to another. In certain situations it was tough to determine the behavior that was on display in the pictures, but when there was a little bit of doubt the explanation following the picture was so well done you knew right away what he was trying to get across.
Caro's book is one of the most important poker books ever written. This book obviously applies more towards the player that plays live games as opposed to the online players. However this book is likely to benefit any player playing any brand of poker. This book should be found in any serious poker player's library, especially if you are considering improving your game.
Harrington on Hold'em by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie
Dan Harrington works with renowned Backgammon champion and author, Bill Robertie, to present his thoughts on playing No Limit tournament poker. For those that don't know, Dan Harrington won the World Series of Poker in 1995 and had two consecutive top four finishes (2003 and 2004) in two of the largest fields ever at a World Series event. Dan Harrington has so much knowledge and experience on No Limit that this book is the first of an expected two volume set.
The first volume of Harrington on Hold'em covers the majority of topics that a player would want to know about No Limit tournament play. This particular volume will focus on the play in the early stages of an event. You will find that Volume 2 will cover more advanced topics in tournament play, special situations that might arise, and how your strategies could change when you get into the later stages of tournament play. Volume 1 is a substantial book containing just short of 400 pages of solid poker information.
The book begins with some brief introductory material. These two author's then get into examining common playing styles, the variety of tournaments to play, advice on feeling out your table, as well as hand and odds analysis. This is all important information that each player should know about, and it is presented in a format that is nice and clear-cut. These two have produced a very informative book that is a nice easy read.
The second half of this book brings the goods. This is where you will find explanations on how to play certain hands during the different betting rounds. You will find a number of examples with regards to real life scenarios that you will most certainly come across when you are at the tables. The great thing about learning from a champion like Dan Harrington is that he has such a great ability to play hands, and he understands exactly why these hands are played. He fills the readers in on his concepts for certain hands and that alone makes this book a must have.
This book provides you with an opportunity to learn different ideas and strategies from such a terrific champion and it will only benefit your game. They give great examples and there explanations for these examples are given in great detail. Not only is this book for the tournament player, it will also benefit those players that are frequent visitors to cash games.
This is clearly one of the best new poker books to come out on the market today. Once you get this book, you can look forward to the release of volume two. Harrington and Robertie have produced a tremendous book on No Limit Hold'em tournament poker. This book is definitely recommended for you poker players that enjoy playing No Limit Hold'em and you should have this book in your library and keep it right in front, as it should not get too far away from your reach.
poker DVDs
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