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Poker Book Reviews by Teppo Salonen | 04/10/2009 |
The following reviews cover majority of the no-limit hold'em books on the market, and most of the poker books I have read since I started studying the subject several years ago (with the exception of about a dozen more Limit Hold'em or Omaha specific books, foreign language books, and ebooks). I will try to keep this list updated whenever I read a new book, or even if I just happen to re-read one of the older ones and change my mind about it's rating.
For some of these books it's been 5 years since I have read them, and I apologize for any inaccuracies this may have caused in my written reviews. Just keep in mind that no book review, by anyone, can ever be objective but is simply a personal opinion of the reviewer.
Finally, since I'm primarily focusing on no-limit holdem, the parts of the books that deal with other forms of poker may have been either partially or completely ignored in these reviews.
The ratings go from zero to five, with five being the best:
5 - Must-read for anyone playing poker
4 - Must-read for anyone interested in the topic of the book
3 - Recommended for anyone interested in the topic of the book
2 - Recommended if you think any new idea makes a book worth reading
1 - Recommended only if you think any new idea makes a book worth reading, and if you are very critical of what you read and don't take any advice literally
0 - Not recommended for anyone
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4
Harrington on Hold 'em Volume I: Strategic Play Volume II: The Endgame Volume III: The Workbook Rating: 5/5 |
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The Harrington on Hold 'em books are probably the most revolutionary books on poker I have ever read,
if judged by what I knew about poker before reading the books and what I knew after reading them. |
The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition By Andy Bloch, Richard Brodie, Chris Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Rafe Furst, Phil Gordon, David Grey, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, Michael Craig Rating: 5/5 | |
Chris Ferguson's and Andy Bloch's chapters make this one of the most valuable poker books in my library. |
Power Hold'em Strategy By Daniel Negreanu Rating: 5/5 | |
I was positively surprised by the the quality of this book as a whole (including the other authors' chapters),
but at the end it is Daniel Negreanu's chapter on small ball that really makes this book extraordinary. |
The Theory of Poker By David Sklansky Rating: 5/5 | |
The Theory of Poker is a classic, and one of the very first books on poker I had ever read. And I have to admit to a cardinal sin of not
having reread it since (even though I know I should). |
Harrington on Cash Games Volume I Volume II By Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie Rating: 4/5 |
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Harrington's cash game books are the first I've seen that attempt to incorporate true game theoretic thinking along with the
hand analysis. They recommend not only the best single action for each situation, but a distribution of actions as well
(for example "raise 30% of the time, call 70%, fold 0%"). I would also praise these books for covering post-flop play in multi-way pots
better than any other no-limit hold 'em book I've read so far. |
Secrets of Short-Handed No Limit Hold'em By Danny Ashman Rating: 4/5 | |
The hand examples in this book teach cash game hand reading better and in more detail than any other book I've read. For that reason alone,
Secrets of Short-Handed No Limit Hold'em is a must read for anyone interested in deep stack no-limit hold'em cash games. |
Kill Everyone By Lee Nelson, Tysen Streib, Kim Lee Rating: 4/5 | |
This is the best book I have ever read regarding the theory of poker tournaments. It does an excellent job explaining the different
types of adjustments that are needed for tournament play in comparison to cash game strategies. |
The Mathematics of Poker By Bill Chen, Jerrod Ankenman Rating: 4/5 | |
Initially this is probably the least practical poker book you will ever read, but re-reading and re-re-reading will continue revealing new
insights to the game as you get deeper understanding how the various "toy games" relate to real life poker. |
The Poker Mindset By Ian Taylor, Matthew Hilger Rating: 4/5 | |
If you are looking for a book that assists in developing your mental abilities as a poker player, start by reading The Poker Mindset. |
Every Hand Revealed By Gus Hansen Rating: 4/5 | |
Every Hand Revealed offers an interesting and highly entertaining glimpse in to the mind of a player who has consistantly been beating
major tournaments with his unique and sometimes criticized loose-aggressive style of play. |