Poker Books and Reviews

Hold'em poker has become more strategically complex. This book teaches strategies in Hold'em that vary with the style of the game. For instance the tactics used in the tight Las Vegas games are not the same as those used in the very loose and aggressive games of southwest Louisiana.

This is a gem of a memoir on poker. Spanier describes his initiation into gambling and then turns to describing the game he loves best...poker. Full of frank and amusing personal anecdotes and observations about poker this book is an absolute pleasure to read.

Completely updated and revised, this edition contains the entire spectrum of poker terminology, from the common ('Texas hold 'em') to the obscure ('Dewey Duck'), illustrated by thousands of colorful examples actually heard in cardrooms. If you've ever wondered about the correct way to use a poker term or were bewildered by what your poker-playing cohorts were saying, here's the one book that explains it all. You will find The Official Dictionary of Poker valuable as a reference; you will return to it frequently as a fun read.

A book of lists for poker enthusiasts, this work includes information as basic as a list of the rank of hands, and as amusing as the most bizarre things used as collateral during a game. Filled with lessons learned from some of poker’s biggest names, it features: Phil Gordon's ten poker commandments, Five ways to cheat—and to spot a cheater, The eight best poker movies, Mike Caro’s nine most common tells, Amarillo Slim's most famous sayings,The best snacks to have at a home game, including recipes, Clonie Gowen on the advantages of being the only woman at the table, Twelve famous players' good luck charms, and Six secrets to winning at online poker.

The author, an executive with Morgan Stanley, holds a degree in applied mathematics (Harvard) and in finance (University of Chicago). In both institutions, he played poker with the rich and future famous. In this work he focuses on the odds and skills underlying the mercurial crafts of risk taking and shows how poker and Wall Street are easily intertwined. He reveals why the modern game of poker and modern finance have more simlarities than differences and what they mean for players at each kind of table.

The authors answer the question of what 'secret' separates top poker players from poker wannabes. They explain that pros use a series of established approaches and behaviors that enable them to bring their best game to the table session after session, regardless of short-term results. Taylor and Hilger lay bare, the seven core attitudes and concepts that ensure you have the optimal emotional, psychological, and behavioral framework for playing superior poker.
Read Full Review of 'The Poker Mindset (Essential Attitudes for Poker Success)'

An unusual title to be sure so an explanation is in order. The Professor is Howard Lederer; the Banker is Texan Andy Beal and the Suicide King is the King of Hearts (for if you look at this card, he appears to be holding a broad sword behind his head -- or at it). This is a book about poker and people, what makes the players tick, what draws them to the cutting edge of the game, who the best are, how and why they play and why they chose the life they live. It is packed with history, biographical and background material on some of the biggest names ever to play the game, taking you from poker's early days in Las Vegas to modern times and the red-hot action nationally, internationally.
Read Full Review of 'The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King'

This book provides comprehensive rules for all the major poker games, making it an ultimate poker argument settler. Many rules are annotated with examples and interpretation notes so that nothing is lost in translation. The book is fully indexed so it is any easy reference is the casino, or where ever you may be playing.
Read Full Review of 'The Rules of Poker: Essentials for Every Game'

Twenty chapters cover some of the most vital areas players have been asking for years. Here are some chapter headings: Limit Hold'em; Texas Hold'em No Limit; Pot-Limit Texas Hold'em; Aces-5 Lowball (With Joker); Deuce to Seven Draw (No Limit); Limit Omaha; Pot Limit Omaha; Omaha Hi -Low (8 or Better); Seven Card Stud; Seven Card Stud (Hi-Lo Split); Seven Card Razz; Strategies for Low Stakes Rebuy Tournaments; Satellite Strategy.There are discussions of how to maintain emotional stability; going into partnerships to finance your way into a tourney; keeping records; toking; and working a deal at the final table.
Read Full Review of 'Tournament Poker'

This is a book about understanding yourself as a player while understanding who you have to face in battle and learning to survive--a key element in no-limit poker tournament play. Risk, deception, exploiting a situation to your own benefit, waiting for the right time to eliminate an opponent, and adjusting your play accordingly are all factors to understand and master.

Testing you opponents, the power of keen observation, project a strong table image--these areas have been discussed in other books, but rarely with such keen examples, in short powerful bursts of advice.

Read Full Review of 'Tournament Poker and The Art of War'

Covering limit and no-limit poker among its 10 chapters (illustrated), Burgess makes a valid point about Mike Caro's original book on the subject -- it was written before hold'em became the hottest game, when draw poker or stud was popular. Plus, another generation or two of players have honed their camouflage skills behind sunglasses, hoods, funny eyeglasses and stone-cold stares to counter reads by opponents. The book should help improve your own game, whether a beginner or hard core pro and to smooth out your own table etiquette while disguising your mode of play.
Read Full Review of 'Ultimate Guide to Poker Tells'

This is no ordinary hold'em book. Yao, a former derivatives trader shows how to think through the various situations you may encounter at the poker table. The chapters build upon each other in order to build an understanding of the mathematical and analytical aspects of a limit hold'em player. You do not, need to be strong in math in order to benefit from the information; rather this book challenges you to think about the game so you can understand how your opponents play and respond to different actions. The four sections include the foundation chapters that demonstrate how to identify and attack different player personalities, the basics of expected value, an explanation of outs, non-outs, unknown cards (and how to count outs), how to figure pot odds quickly and accurately and the different positions and their values. The strategic chapters cover when and against whom to raise for free cards, when and how to bluff, the importance and value of semi-bluffing, and when to use deceptive strategies such as slow play and check raise. The hand development chapters cover playing different hands, how to evaluate the flop, what to think about on the turn and how to make decisions on the river.
Read Full Review of 'Weighing the Odds in Hold'em Poker'

Two of poker's tournament and satellite tournament winners have joined forces to provide players with the key elements to entering and winning those valuable satellite tournaments that can get you into the big leagues for, as the cliche goes, pennies on the dollar. This book gives you specific, proven strategies for most satellite structure and situations. In addition to learning 10 Ways to Win a Seat for the World Series of Poker and other major tournaments, you also will find out how to: win limit hold'em and no-limit hold'em satellites; win one-table satellites for big tournaments; win online one-table satellites and multi-table satellites; play super satellites for the World Series of Poker; and play the final table of a super satellite.
Read Full Review of 'Win Your Way into Big Money Hold'em Tournaments'

Though many books cover Texas hold'em, few concentrate on the tougher aspects of short-handed hold'em, particularly in the high-stakes limit hold'em games often found in the online poker arena. Both authors, who were fraternity brothers, gained most of their needed experience online. The authors start with a detailed explaination of the typical players at various limits, starting at the $3-6 level and progressing to the $150-300 and up limits. Their work is peppered with charts that verify the concepts and theories they teach and include pre-flop play (opening with a raise, playing to steal, isolating players, restealing, limping, etc.), defending the blinds (three bets, four bets, handling passive and aggressive blinds), post-flop heads-up play (responding to check raises on the flop and turn, betting the river as a stone bluff, turn value check, the semi-bluff, and more) plus miscellaneous topics. The final sections include sample hands and discussions of them, quizzes and a summary.
Read Full Review of 'Winning in Tough Hold'em Games'