Poker Book Report

Mike Caro's Book of Poker Tells: by Mike Caro
The first time I saw this book was in the 1997 classic hold'em movie Rounders. It was face-up in Mike McDermot's drawer as he collected cash to make his run at the beginning of the movie. The cover looked intriguing, so I knew I should get it. Little did I know at the time that it was required reading for all poker players.poker book review

Tournament Poker for Advanced Player
David Sklansky is one of the pioneers of poker educators, and this groundbreaking book, (although somewhat dated now) represents some of his most important concepts about poker tournaments. You simply are not going to find any professional tournament players who have not read this book. Further, not knowing the GAP concept discussed at length in this work will put you at a disadvantage in virtually every tournament you play. tournament poker book

Big Deal by Anthony Holden
Intelligent, humorous, and adventurous this is a story of a man and his poker. We follow the exploits of Mr. Holden himself (a writer) on his quest to have a profitable year of traveling the world and playing (mostly tournament) poker for money. From one WSOP in the money finish, to the following year back at the WSOP Holden's journey wraps around the globe and his brain ...poker book review

Super System
Doyle Brunson's original collaborative piece that really was a series of chapters composed by him and his friends. Surely, this is Brunson's best work, but as writing goes, that isn't saying much. some decent concepts here from Doyle's section, but mostly pertaining to games and riches far beyond us. There really isn't much value in this book anymore, save for saying you read it, and discarded the outdated information. Everything and more is available in other writers' works. Brunson

Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones
Amongst many professional players, this book is a library staple. Lee Jones set the stage for a lot of other writers in addressing a need for a reference book for new and low limit players. This book was the first to actually explain (for example) why it sometimes is a good idea (or mathematically correct) to hang around for that gut-shot straight draw. book review

The Complete Book of Hold'em Poker by Gary Carson
I only refer to this comparatively young publication (2001) because of it's value to learning the game and the volume of content. An excellent study for beginners, this text may seem a little dull at times, but thorough to be sure. If you had to start in one place to learn poker, between these pages are the necessary fundamentals.poker book review

The Psychology of Poker by Alan Schoonmaker Ph,D.
Some deep thinking here that analyzes your opponents and yourself while throwing in some game situations courtesy of David Sklansky. This book is quite the reference for The Style Grid, where Schoonmaker categorizes your opponents in the classical quadrants of tight/aggresive, tight/passive, loose/aggressive, and loose/passive. The fifth category being a " theoretical " average. After you know the basics, this is one of your next books.psychology of poker