Top 10 Poker Books
What are the most popular poker books?
1. The Theory of Poker
David Sklansky’s The Theory of Poker is known as one of the most popular and best poker books within the professional poker playing world. This book contains the basics of poker strategies to extremely complex and interesting strategies for more advanced players. The Theory of Poker spans over every possible scenario a poker player may encounter during a match and also what a player should do during each scenario. Fans love this book because of the amount of poker knowledge Sklansky poured into this book and how it can help any professional poker player no matter what their skill level may be.
2. Super/System 2: A Course in Power Poker
Super/ System 2: A Course in Power Poker by Doyle Brunson is a poker book written by two-time world poker champion Doyle Brunson, also known as the “Texas Dolly.” In this book, Brunson reveals all of his professional poker playing secrets which helped him win millions; the book was so popular that it was sold for $100 when it was first published. Brunson recounts his early poker playing days in this game and also goes in depth about what he was thinking during specific iconic matches during his days as a professional. Fans love this book because of the high quality tips included in it and other top poker player contributions to the book.
3. Harrington on Hold’em
Harrington on Hold’em is a book written by Dan Harrington and is the best selling poker book in the history of released poker books. This book was released in 2006 which was the height of the poker craze in the world, was highly anticipated by fans because of Harrington’s independence as a poker player. Harrington on Hold’em was co-written with Bill Robertie, a game theorist. Fans were excited and loved this book because it included many game theories and ideas for poker players from two amazing players and theorists. The strategies included in this book are unmatched and extremely respected within the professional poker world.
4. Hold’em Poker
Hold’em Poker is another classic and well respected poker book written by David Sklansky in 1976. At the time of its release, poker was not extremely popular in the United States yet, and was only known in the South and Las Vegas at the time. However, Sklansky’s book was utilized by hundreds of thousands of people in order to learn more about the game and win at it as well. Hold’em Poker taught many just about the basics about the game and then went more into detail about how these “newbies” could win the game too. Fans love Sklansky's explanation of how to learn the single blind structure, which later had to be updated for the double-blind structure.
5. Winning Poker Systems
Winning Poker Systems was written by Normal Zadah in 1973 and is appreciated and respected by many top professional poker players, like Dan Harrington. Winning Poker Systems was released before poker books grew in popularity and flew off the book shelves. However, this book provided amazing details for popular poker games at the time such as five-card draw and lowball. Zadah stressed the importance and risk of what position a poker player may be in during a game. Fans love this book because it is one of the original poker books and acknowledges how important it is to refer to the basics of any sport.
6. Winning Low Limit Hold’em
Winning Low Limit Hold’em was written by Lee Jones and published in 1994. Fans love this book because of how Jones acknowledges the importance of relearning the basics of poker within the book. This book is easy to understand which is another reason why it is such a hit with fans. Poker players reading this book feel that they are having a conversation with Jones rather than feeling like they are reading a text-book about poker which can make it difficult to understand. Jones also went on to become the Sit Manager of one of the largest poker sites in the world, PokerStars.com.
7. Poker Essays
Poker Essays was written by Mason Malmuth and published in 1996 and is regarded as one of the most simple poker books on the shelves to date. Malmuth does a fantastic job of making difficult poker strategies seem simple enough for a child to perform them. Amazing strategies are written in this book as well as focusing on what a player should do after a game and how they could constantly be improving how they play the sport. Malmuth acknowledges that players can always be advancing no matter where their skill level is at, which is something that fans love about this book.
8. Hold’em Poker for Advance Players
Hold’em Poker For Advanced Players is another classic professional poker book written by Mason Mamuth and published in 1993. This book was extremely popular in the 1990s because it was the sequel to Hold’em Poker, a book for beginner players. This book featured the iconic move the “semi-bluff” which is one of Malmuth’s most popular moves in the sport of poker. Fans also like this book for all the different situations poker players may encounter during a game and what to do when they are in those situations. Many fans attribute the game of poker changing due to what Malmuth wrote in this book.
9. Every Hand Revealed
Gus Hansen’s Every Hand Revealed was published in 2008 and was highly praised when released due to its amazing strategies and revelations fans went through while reading it. Gus Hansen at the time was a three-time World Poker Tour champion, and was known for his crazy and bold choices during poker tournaments, which is why fans were so excited for the release of this book. Hansen provided in depth details about his original and incredible thoughts during poker games, as well as tips for how poker players could recreate these ideas during any match. This book is very informative, interesting, and straightforward.
10. The Body Language of Poker
The Body Language of Poker was written by Mike Caro and published in 1994. In this book, Caro focuses on the science behind poker and how a player makes their decision during a match, something that was never written before at that point in time. Caro emphasized the importance of a player's posture, facial movements, tone of voice, and other mannerisms during a poker game. Fans love this book because it made them realize there is much more that goes into a poker game than focusing on your own strategies during a match. Everything Caro wrote in this book still reigns true today in the world of professional poker.