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Matthew Hilger - Internet Texas Hold'Em
On any given night, thousands of players are playing poker for real money on the Internet. This book is good tool for players at all levels to be successful at limit Texas Hold'em with specific topics focused on Internet play.
A comprehensive overview of Texas Hold'em is presented including general poker concepts such as probability and odds, bluffing, raising and check-raising. Various deceptive tactics are also discussed such as free cards, slowplaying, and inducing bluffs and calls. You'll learn the correct strategies for starting hand play as well as playing on the flop, turn, and river. You'll learn the intricacies of playing on the Internet and the differences in strategies between Internet and live play. Finally, you'll be able to practice all of these strategies on over 200 actual Internet hands.
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Ken Warren - The Big Book of Poker
The one thing that most recommends Warren's book on holdem, as opposed to, say, Sklansky's, is it's simplicity. Spelled out, in black and white, is a basic, WINNING, strategy for holdem. Yes, play must be varied game-by-game (as any serious poker player knows, a holdem game with 8 players seeing the flop for a single bet every hand is MUCH different from one where 3 players see the flop for 3 bets apiece), however, most beginning players do not have the sufficient skill or knowledge to do so. So what Warren offers is a cut-and-dried strategy that, if followed, will allow more-or-less rocklike success at a holdem table. To some, his strategy seems too tight, and for many ram-and-jam games, I agree. However, making up for any strategic errors he might put into print (I'm reluctant to say "did put into print," mainly because his advice is dead-on for certain types of games), is a chapter on statistics that is flawless. Ever want to know the odds that someone's holding a stronger hand than your ace-eight suited? It's in there. How about the probability of flopping an open-ended four-straight-flush with a 2-gapped suited connector? Of course. In fact, the stats chapter alone is worth the cost of the book, in my opinion. It's wonderful for beginners (and experts looking to polish their game), but can get a little simplistic in some parts, and overly technical in others. However, for a cover price, it's hard to beat.
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Ray Zee - High-Low-Split Poker
The best writing in print I've seen on Stud High/Low and Omaha High/Low. While the Stud High/Low section appears to me to be better written than the Omaha High/Low section, they are both very strong and well worth serious study. I believe there is probably enough extra information that could be written about these game to justify expanding each section and splitting this volume into two separate books, but I recommend it as it is now nonetheless.
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Blair Rodmand and Lee Nelson - Kill Phil!
Tournament poker has undergone an incredible change over the last decade. The theory books development has followed que - and new theory can give new strength a the poker tables.
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Roy West - 7 Card Stud: The complet course in winning at Medium and Lower Limits
Noted poker teacher Roy West gives his readers 42 lessons on how to play and win at seven-card stud in medium and low-limit games. His "Complete Course in Winning" includes instruction for each street in seven-card stud, plus strategies for stealing the antes and remembering exposed cards. West's book is widely heralded as the best beginning and intermediate seven-card book on the market today. "It's a classic," said June Field, 1982 Women's World Champion of Poker. Also includes a major chapter by Tom McEvoy on how to win seven-card poker tournaments.
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Dan Harrington - Harrington on Holdem, Volume 1
I'll start by saying that, bar none, this is my favorite poker strategy book of all time [note: while the book is split up into two volumes and sold as two books, it's essentially one text that got split up simply because of the length, so I'm just going to refer to it as a single book]. When people ask me to recommend poker books, this is always the first one out of my mouth, even if they're not looking to learn about tournament play. My opinion is that this book will help you think better about poker - that's how well it's written and how much depth it provides.
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Dan Harrington - Harrington on Holdem, Volume 2
I'll start by saying that, bar none, this is my favorite poker strategy book of all time [note: while the book is split up into two volumes and sold as two books, it's essentially one text that got split up simply because of the length, so I'm just going to refer to it as a single book]. When people ask me to recommend poker books, this is always the first one out of my mouth, even if they're not looking to learn about tournament play. My opinion is that this book will help you think better about poker - that's how well it's written and how much depth it provides.
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John Feeney - Inside the Pokermind
Purchasing a few books on psychology can be money well spend! And this is a great book and an absolut must for those of us, that would like to move from small limit to middle limit. The book consists of essays on various topics and there will for sure be some that you can use - also the people that play 100/200 (but they have already read it). NB: Is only about limit holdem.
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Douglas W. Frye and Curtis D. Frye - Winning Secrets of Online Poker
A lot of fine technical advice for analyses. However, not so much theoretical insite.
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Phil Gordon - Phil Gordon's Little Green Book
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book is a conversational exposition on the author's strategies for playing no-limit hold'em, especially in a tournament setting. While the book isn't quite comprehensive enough to be a good introduction to this brand of poker, the depth of the descriptions and the quality of the insights provided by the author makes this well worth reading for intermediate no-limit players. Even advanced students of the game are likely to find some of Gordon's ideas and analyses to be novel and interesting. The book isn't perfect, but it's easily good enough for me to recommend.
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Mason Malmuth - Gambling Theory and Other Topics
Gambling Theory and Other Topics is a very strong book on gambling issues by Mason Malmuth. This is one of the first places a large number of important ideas were first discussed in a substantial manner, and the book has remained pertinent. Although Malmuth almost seems to go out of his way to state some ideas in a controversial manner, he's usually correct and, at worst, his ideas are almost certainly worth serious consideration. I recommend that all serious students of gambling read this book, although I don't see any reason for owners of earlier versions to upgrade to the most recent edition.
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Lee Jones - Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em
This book is as good an introduction to winning play at low limit Texas Hold'em as I've seen. Even though the book is not without flaws, there are many thousands of players in card clubs all over the world that could save a great deal of money each year by reading this book. In addition, Lee Jones covers enough material in new ways to make this book worth while to more advanced players. Winning Low Limit Hold'em does not replace Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players, but it does serve as a reasonable and accessible introduction to it.
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Bill Boston - Omaha High-Low: Play to Win with the Odds
Computer simulations are a dangerous basis on which to base poker strategies. Nonetheless, with the right perspective, they can be very valuable tools. Omaha High-Low: Play to Win with the Odds provides some good supplemental information that could be very useful to an experienced Omaha8 player. While the book has some problems, and it certainly shouldn't be the first, only, or primary book for Omaha8 players, I believe it would be worthwhile to serious students of the game.
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David Sklansky - Hold 'Em Poker
Texas Hold 'em is not an easy game to play well. To become an expert you must balance many concepts, some of which occasionally contradict each other. In 1988, the first edition appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and the hold 'em explosion had begun. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including extensive sections on "loose games," and "short-handed games." Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed include play on the first two cards, semi-bluffing, the free card, inducing bluffs, staying with a draw, playing when a pair flops, playing trash hands, desperation bets, playing in wild games, reading hands, and psychology.
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Amarillo Slim - Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People
If there's anything I'll argue about, I'll either bet on it or shut up. And since it's not becoming for a cowboy to be arguing, I've made a few wagers in my day. But in my humble opinion, I'm no hustler. You see, neighbor, I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a champion and make a sucker out of him."
Amarillo Slim might be the greatest gambler who ever lived, but it's his down-home charm and folksy storytelling that have made him an American idol and media darling. Slim is a legend, as American as Paul Bunyan, Jesse James, and P.T. Barnum. In Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, T.A. "Amarillo Slim" Preston will tell the tall tales of his fascinating life. Slim will describe some of his greatest gambling exploits - from winning the World Series of Poker to creating extraordinary proposition bets to running the biggest black market in Europe during the war while giving pool exhibitions (read: hustling) on military bases for Uncle Sam. Among others, Slim beat Willie Nelson for $300,000 playing dominoes; Larry Flynt for $2 million playing poker. He has played poker with presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and drug lords Pablo Escobar and Jimmy Chagra. He was also one of the pioneers of Las Vegas. Plain and simple, Amarillo Slim is America's greatest gambler of all time.
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Roy Cooke & John Bond - Real Poker II, The Play of Hands
Roy Cooke has been beating the hell out of poker games since 1972. His Card Player Magazine column is poker's longest continuously running commentary. He was a pioneer in the Internet Poker Industry. His rule book has become an industry standard. He is a champion for players rights, fighting harder than anyone for more protection against cheats, especially online. Real Poker II contains all his Play of Hand columns from 1992-1999, and is widely considered an essential on any poker players bookshelf.
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Doyle Brunson - Super System
The big Bible - a little old though.
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Doyle Brunson - Doyle Brunson's Super System 2
I love this book. Very useful for someone like myself who wants to get good at every game out there. Strong content from top players. The online section seems weak, but that's because it takes the stance that poker is poker; there's not great difference.
The non-poker sections on the history of Holdem and on Doyle himself are interesting and an enjoyable read, especailly to those who've read "According to Doyle" or the road tales at the end of Cloutier and McEvoy's "Championship Pot-Limit and No-Limit Holdem" The best way to get hold of this book is via Amazon.
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Al Alvarez - The Biggest Game in Town
Super book. Not about poker strategy but about life in Las Vegas. A very interesting read.
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Mike Caro - Caro's Book of Poker Tells
The definitive book on poker tells, and a must have if you play in brick & mortar casinos. Mike Caro, "The Mad Genius", is a colorful, knowldegeable, and understandable author. This is the original and still the best book on poker tells. Although, this does not help with the online game, this is a valuable resource if you take your game to a brick and mortar poker room (World Series of Poker anyone?). To check out equipment for live play click here.
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