The Best Poker Books Reviewed

Playing poker is very much a learning curve no matter how long you’ve been involved in the game. There’s no real replacement for experience and that can only come by spending time at the tables and learning from every bad move you make, every bad beat and every good piece of play that you see from other players.
The world of poker is crammed with literature that has a tendency to overwhelm new players. Terminology tends to be geared towards those who have been playing the game for long enough to know most of the content that’s being offered to them, while beginners books just about cover the basic rules of poker without giving new players any valuable insights into improving their game.
We’ve taken a look through a wide range of poker books to provide you with a short list of some of the most respectable and helpful publications that can provide a definite advantage to players of all abilities.

Harrington on HoldEm - Volume One by Dan Harrington

A fantastic offering from Dan Harrington and written in conjunction with Backgammon legend Bill Robertie.
Harrington’s reputation as a serious poker player is backed by a World Series of Poker gold bracelet win in 1995 and back-to-back appearances at the final tables of the event in 2003 and 2004. There can be little doubt that Harrington knows the game of poker as well as anyone.
The book provides a terrific insight into the best methods of tournament play and gives the beginner every possible strand of information in tightening their game enough to reach the money stages of competitions. Although there’s a strong concentration on the early stages of tournaments without much indication of where to go once you reach the final tables, Harrington offers enough information to give newcomers the chance of building their own playing strategies.
Every chapter ends with a short quiz that forces readers to make decisions based on real-life hands, and encourages them to explore a wide range of styles, betting patterns and variations in play.
Harrington has produced two subsequent volumes that work particularly well with the first edition.

Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein

A fantastic read that offers a superb look into poker lifestyle and is especially useful for players of an intermediate level who may be considering the next step up in their game.
Greenstein pays particular attention to the pitfalls and perils of advanced poker play and the temptations that players face along the way. The book describes poker as a tool that requires skill, discipline, patience and remarkable levels of self control in order to prosper.
There are a range of disciplined strategies with some awesome illustrations that are easy to understand for novice players but detailed enough to benefit those who are moving up to the higher levels of the game.
This is a remarkably easy read with snippets of valuable information to improve the games of most types of players.

The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky

Arguably the best piece of literature that a newcomer to the game can pick up.
Although the book stays away from specific hands or occurrences, there’s a comprehensive leaning towards dealing with every conceivable general situation that can arise in the game of poker. New players with a receptiveness to disciplined play and proven ideas will see a dramatic improvement in their game as soon as they go back to the tables.
The book excels in strategy play and comes into its own when learning about the various characteristics of other players. The Theory of Poker will be a constant source of reference to those that believe in what it has to offer, and is especially valuable as a refresher to intermediate players who may be losing their way. Very highly recommended.

Internet Texas HoldEm – Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Matthew Hilger

A priceless read for anybody that plays the game online and one that should be kept beside any home computer by players who want to maximise their poker abilities in the online version of the game.
Hilger provides a reference to every conceivable hand or position that most beginners will find themselves in. With entire chapters allocated to a single hand position, there’s very little that gets missed and the test provided at the end of each section serves to reinforce everything that has been learned.
The world of poker literature is particularly blinded by books about the online game. This one is up there with the very best of them and comes as essential reading for those that are using the internet for their regular poker fix.

Phil Hellmuth’s Texas HoldEm by Phil Hellmuth

Absolutely priceless piece of work from one of the biggest names in world poker.
Simplicity is the key to this wonderful publication that focuses on the tight player and the very best hands that they should be playing. Disciplined poker enthusiasts will find a wealth of information to suit their styles and learn how to maximise the best hands with a mixture of aggressive pre-flop betting, hand disguise and drawing value all the way down to the river.
If one book is every going to throw you into profit quickly, this is it. A great piece of work.