Poker Books and Reviews

The Kill Phil strategy is designed to take advantage many feel is a weakness in no-limit hold'em tournaments -- the over-emphasis on the all-in move in the later stages. It's both instructive overall, by analyzing players and their styles and covers much territory often neglected or skimmed over by other books and theorists.
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In this book, a long-awaited follow-up to The Pro Poker Playbook, he explains the difference between being a good, effective poker player and being a great poker player. He follows that explanation with lessons on how to leave your inhibitions at the door, analyze and fix your own flaws honestly and gain confidence and then play some of the best poker of your life by completely changing your state of mind. High points include how to turn marginal hands into big winners, how to use other players' powerful images against them, how to read minds at the table, how to energize your game with self-awareness that winning poker requires
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This new book by an exciting new author, CalTech graduate Tony Guerrera, introduces mathematical analysis as a vital tool in winning at no-limit hold'em. Seven major sections offer understandable material on probability, permutations, and combinations. Tony shows how to conduct solid analysis of hands, hand distribution, expected value, and how to apply these findings. Another section looks at unpaired & paired flops, followed by winning with pocket pairs (including flopping a set or better, and playing a set against made known hands). One chapter discusses drawing hands includes playing draws from early and late positions. Shorthanded play is discussed. Packed with charts & explanation, Killer Poker by the Numbers is a goldmine of mathematical ideas for gaining an edge, without intimidating formulas. The 8-page index makes it easy to locate a specific topic.
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It's time to take your game to the next level! Texas Hold'em, the most popular form of poker in casinos and tournaments today, has been said to take five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. Not anymore. In this revolutionary workbook, renowned poker journalist John Vorhaus shows you how to play smart, fearless hold'em, read other players' tells, exploit their flaws, and turn every hold'em session into a winning one. Vorhaus explores the specific strategies and tactics used by such hold'em archetypes as the Newbie, the Weakling, the Maniac, and the Rager, and includes an innovative diary system that reveals each type's thought processes, including his own.

Vorhaus has contributed much to poker via the written word, much of it dealing with the mental part of the game. In this book he continues that slant, bringing a perspective to the online poker game not yet researched by others. His initial advice is to scrap your live-game strategy, which he follows with advice on how to develop a killer Internet game. He includes information on the common pitfalls an dbankroll cripplers, online tells, your margins of error and the intensity of the accelerated pace. In two chapters (The Dark Side and Pitfalls) he discusses cheating, collusion--how to detect it and what to do about it--and the problems with random number generators. However, even though he deals with these subjects, most of the book deals with learning how to play and beat online poker.

Vorhaus, author of a slew of well-respected titles, brings you the latest in his Killer Poker series. teaches you how to analyze and improve your own play in a variety of situations. Included are discussions on developing a "style of play" while teaching you how to identify your opponent's style. Included is solid advice on playing suited aces, "problem flops", and how to avoid underbetting in specific situations. The book includes an examination of "orphan flops" (the types of cards sensible players are unlikely to hold). In Killer Poker No-Limit, Vorhaus will expand your terminology with a glossary and chapters about little-talked-about scenarios. This is a general book, dealing with cash & tournament games, that will help players find holes in their playing, and their foe's playing. Table image, 'shifting' your style, managing your bankroll are included. A notebook area is provided at the end of the book.
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This is the next step after Apostolico's Lesson's From the Pro Poker Tour. Here he takes those lessons and turns them into action. He shows you how to apply the advanced techniques to an array of no limit hold 'em tournaments. This book is designed to help you win in every level of the arena. Provided is in depth analysis of real-life hands that the author has encountered. You can learn how to make the best decision possible regardless of your cards, or the circumstances. This book is designed to help you improve your skill, your odds, and your enjoyment.

The invitation-only Professional Poker Tour is limited to the top 200 players in the world. David Apostolico is one of the elite, and he found that going up against other poker masters every day was like attending an incomparable seminar. He takes you through specific hands that he either played or observed, giving detailed analyses that will teach you how to think like a pro. Assessment and adaptability are key factors for survival and success in fast-moving games with experienced players. Smart strategy is your greatest asset, and by studying the extensive hands in this book, you’ll learn the tactics and approaches of legendary winners.

Limit hold’em games featuring 9 or 10 players sometimes frustrate skilled players because they don't present many opportunities to exploit weak play and because good hands often don’t stand up. Short-handed limit hold’em games feature a maximum of six players and are becoming increasingly popular because: you get to play a lot more hands, you have more chances to exploit opponents’ weaknesses and you get more opportunities to use all of your poker skills.But short-handed play differs from full ring play. Here, three expert short-handed players analyze the skills needed to succeed in short-handed play, discussing such topics as:Attacking and defending blinds, watching and reading the opposition, being aware of your own image, playing with controlled aggression.
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In Tournament Poker and the Art of War, David Apostolico showed players how to use the strategies explored in Sun-tzu's military manual to dramatically enhance their tournament play. Now he focuses on that other timeless masterpiece of tactical thinking—Machiavelli's The Prince—and reveals its uncanny application not just to tournament play, but to all forms of poker.
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Poker has often been played as a game, by those who have learned it as a game and who have relied on thier ability to play well, to play good hands, and to read other players tells in order to improve thier chances of winning. However, there is now a new set of players who do not rely on these things, but have turned the game of poker into a game that can be won by applying the tools of computer science, and mathematics to thier hands. This new approach relies on quantitative analysis and mathematics. This book strives to take this seemingly difficult task and make it easy and understandable for players with less mathematic knowledge or skill.
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Read Full Review of 'Middle Limit Hold'em Poker'

Americans, gamblers in particular, love to invest (or bet) a little to win a lot. And when it comes to poker, since the beginning of major tournaments players have fantasized about peeling off a couple of twenties and winding up with millions and the adoration of the world. It's a lofty goal but Chris Moneymaker lived the dream, winning the 2003 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and inadvertently changing the perception of the game for millions more--nationally and internationally. Now, two years later comes a well-crafted, colorful, entertaining work about the player, the game and the event, titled Moneymaker (How An Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 Into $2.5 Million At The World Series of Poker).
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This is a new expanded edition which goes beyond the basics; it takes you into the mind and decision-making processes of professional poker players by providing solid information and advice on a broad spectrum of sophisticated topics. Krieger covers the importance of proper decision-making; why patience and position are vital; the flop; early, middle, and late position; common mistakes; how to play in loose, aggressive games; tells and much more. Includes the Lou Krieger full color 'Start Chart', showing which hands are playable in which situations.