Poker Books and Reviews

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'

Now in it's 3rd Edition! For the last ten years, Winning Low Limit Hold'em has been the reference standard introduction to Texas Hold'em. Experienced hold'em players give this book to their friends who want to learn the game. Recently updated and expanded to include coverage of online poker and no-limit hold'em single-table tournaments, this is the one book that you need to start your hold'em career.
Read Full Review of 'Winning Low-Limit Hold'em'

Fornatale interviews 18 professional poker players with a combined 20 World Series of Poker bracelets in an attempt to discover what separates them from the recreational player. Besides reading how Phil Hellmuth tries to control his temper to Jennifer Harman talking about the nerve-racking scene of playing in the world’s biggest poker game, Fornatale interviews Max Pescatori, David Sklansky, Matt Lessinger, an Anonymous Midwestern pro, Liz Lieu, Jesse May, Daniel Negreanu, Ed Miller, John Phan, Alan Boston, an anonymous Downtown pro, Ted Forrest, Padraig Parkinson, Matt Matros, Morten Erlandsen and the anonymous pro from Hell’s Kitchen.
Read Full Review of 'Winning Secrets of Poker'

Discusses in depth the critically important aspects of hold'em that other authors generally gloss over. The authors atempt to improve your understanding of the game by focusing on a few key elements such as  the importance of planning ahead, when and why to switch betwteen and optimal and exploitative strategy, understanding the differences between deep-stacked and short-stacked play, and a comprehensive exam of bet sizing.
Read Full Review of 'Winning Strategies for No-Limit Hold'em'

In Your Worst Poker Enemy, psychologist Dr. Alan Schoonmaker shows you how to reap the full benefits of the poker knowledge you already have by helping you to identify and stop psychologically based mistakes. This must-have book also features detailed sections that examine crucial points far beyond the scope of most other poker strategy guides, including: Using Intuition vs. Logic; Evaluating Yourself and the Opposition; Understanding Unconscious and Emotional Factors.
Read Full Review of 'Your Worst Poker Enemy -- Master The Mental Game'