Learning Poker from Books

Hello, do you think that you can learn Poker by reading books? I believe that poker is learned from the experience. You learn from your mistakes and getting know some good tips which are working better for you.
What do you think, are books really help?

You should combine reading books with as many other types of learning as possible - including experience.

^^^^ That's word.

Play the game one hand at a time. When you find a confusing spot or think you've made a mistake then stop playing and post the hand for analysis. When you aren't busy playing or posting hands then read everything you can find.

first it depends on how you learn and think. to determined which will help you the most. if your left brain-right brain, hands on or trial and error learner. oh heck with it i don't know what i'm talking about, lol.

seriously you need to read the books and play. the info you'll read is valuable and the practice playing is also. but don't forget - this is very important "the lessons you learn from your mistakes" we all make them and the best thing you can do for your game is to be able to admit it and learn from it.

the books will help you when you have a tough decision to make and guide you through. but you also need your intuition and unique style.

the books will tell you can't win them all and assure you it's okay to fold. these are the 2 essential things you need to know to be able to enjoy your game and come to terms with it. and with this you'll also mature with your game.

just some of my thoughts........"not the best player, yet-lol."
gl on your game, peace.

Books give you a lot of information, some of which you will not truly understand for a good while. Experience is huge. Even play money games gain you experience. After you have gained some experience, go back and reread. Do it again and again. At some point, there will be a lot you already comprehend and then you can focus on the bits that are still eluding you.

At base, all books say the same thing: Keep the good hands, dump the garbage and don't play while tilted. Everything else is extra.

I also strongly recommend Full Tilt Academy. The lessons and sessions give a lot of insight into how to play correctly. The tests can land you in freerolls -- ones that are easier than normal because a lot of people sit out. Don't take a lot of tests each moth -- stretch them out, as you can only gain eligibility for a freeroll the first time. You need money for the challenges, but they also help you learn to play better. The challenges give you a sense of opportunities to be on the lookout for, and get you used to playing them.

Read, play, read, play, re-reread and I'd bet you get all new insights into what you have read before.

Personally, I'm on my 3rd or maybe 4th re-read of HoH, and each time it was as if I had never read it.

Point being, that the only book that will teach you how to play poker is Hoyle's, giving you the rules of the game. But it will only set the groundwork for you really learning HOW to play the game.

I'm a big fan of the eBooks ... There seems be some really good ones around for nothing. If you know where to look...

Agree 100%.

Then there's the matter of how you read. I happen to be an avid reader and consider books to an invaluable asset. I read in a highly interactive, as opposed to passive, way. I highlight sections to reinforce concepts I think are important. I also scribble notes in the margin--sometimes random thoughts are triggered that I want to remember. Oftentimes I'll go over certain highlighted passages as part of my pre-tourney preparation.

Another thing I find invaluable is discussing books with other players, and CC is a great place for doing that.

get books for online holdem poker, learn the basics. then play the freerolls to learn the basics youve read about, playing is the best way to learn , freerolls are the best way to learn the basics,of online play .......joker131

The only problem I see with most of the books I have read is that they are geared towards much higher levels then I am playing at. None of the Omaha books I have mention anything less than $1/$2 stakes. I read these for good strategy but I also keep in mind that most of the theories in these books will not work in Micro games. Adjustments need to be made. However reading them is still very valuable and I will continue doing so.

Beyond reading books there is this forum for reading what other successful players think. This in my opinion has improved my game a lot.

^^^^^^This is an excellent point and one that took me a considerable amount of time to figure out.

Along the same line; game structure, table conditions, and opponent types will also require further adjustments.

Some authors really nail it though. I was a losing LHE player until I read "Winning Low Limit Hold'em" by Lee Jones and "The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker" by Gary Carson. I saw instant improvement, from Jones book alone, at the kitchen table all the way up to $5/$10 casino games.

I read Ken Warren's " Winner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker" . This book has really helped me in understanding how to play LTH. I do now see the big difference between Limit and No-Limit (checkers and chess to me), let alone cash vs tournment play varities. Amazing how much there is to learn about poker even just with TH (to me).
Now , I would enjoy reading about anyone opinon of Warren's above book.

if you really don't understand the game then yes go for the poker books. But don't just limit your self to just one there alot of info out there that can help you . I have over 50 ebook on poker and it has help me alot with my game

While I haven't read the Carson book, 4 years ago while travelling I was playing limit poker at the St. Croix casino in Turtle Lake WI. I became quite friendly with the guy sitting next to me and he suggested I get the Jones book which I did immediately when I arrived home.

WOW. What a difference that made in my game too. Since then, low stakes limit poker has been my "cash cow" when playing live, funding not only both my live and online tournament play BRs but also a new computer, an emergency generator for my home and other stuff that I wouldn't have been able to buy within the constraints of my yearly budget.

A good bit of things you read in a book, you will not understand until you play. Then reread the parts you didn't understand and play again. Just reading I agree won't help you as much as getting experience then reading then getting more experience.... When I first started I didn't know enough to know I didn't know enough. The more I know, the more I know I need to know more.

All of what you said is true but reading books will show you what your doing wrong faster and what you can do to improve now, which will help you preserve your BR than spending it all trying to learn from your mistakes.

Awesomeness. Cheers, to your continued success.

I highly recommend the Carson "Hold'em" book (not so much the casino poker one). It's geared more towards the limit player. Very little NLHE content.

He really focuses on game/seat selection, player types, and self awareness. Find players who make more mistakes than you, pick a good seat, make money...

Such an easy game

I think if you're going to play online you should also consider shadowing successful players at the limits you plan to play at.

Exactly...
You cannot learn everything from books only..
Experience teaches many things practically.. poker will be best learned from experience only.

Think there is a lot to be learned from books and DVD's. You try it, and refine it through experience. There should be no reason not to read books written by people to at least capture there opinion. Granted it might work with your style of play but would give you a bigger vision on what others might be doing. Games at the tables will get you so far and sure you will learn by mistakes made. Taking the knowledge you can obtain from authors gives you one less element to being a successful and complete player away.

Remember, no matter what, reading can never give the discipline to make the right choices at the table. You have to still be able to use what you learn to make not only the right calls, but the right laydowns. If you know he can beat your pair, don't call, even if you think its microlimits and he could be holding anything and betting... a lot of the time hes not.

Salim makes a great point. Books teach a lot but its worthless when you cant make the right move. it took me a year or more to start trusting my reads. I'd have kings or aces and feel weird about the flop but raise and call anyways. We've all done it.. Had that feeling that the villian is holding a set but we still push with kings up.

After reading a book my play usually sucks for a bit. I need some time to digest what I've learned and not fall into FPS. For the most part books have given me a good understanding of the specifics of the game..... Odds, play styles, position, etc. Books though havent really taught me how to play the game.

You have to read and learn from books or another person.
The learning by doing will cost you a lot of money and will probably not help!
You have to know some important points, like pot odds or position play...

You mention that you 'believe' that poker is learned from experience. My question to you..... what is your experience with reading poker books? (then how would you know is what I'm saying).
I'm a HUGE advocate of reading poker books, articles, etc.,... whatever you can get your hands on. There are some great poker books out there on the market today.
Personally I've read over 50 poker books and am still reading more 'today'. Some of the books I have in my collection I have read 5x over from cover-to-cover (would I do this if I didn't think it was some kind of benefit?).

I always recommend a few books to any who are 'seriously' interested in improving upon their game (ie. for NLHE Tournament play, the HOH series is a must imo... to get a decent grounding/foundation in which to work from... for SNG play, Collin Moshmann's book is without parallel).

How many have you read? (and which ones??)

Personally I've found books to be of great benefit in giving general start out guidance. However I'd also agree that you then need to play a lot also and then re-read the same books and others that you come across as some things just don't sink in first time.

I'd also add that I'd also count forums such as this as reading / learning material. The good advice from some of the sages out there stands out.

This is precious advice which all poker players should follow. As for a few good books, The Theory of Poker by Sklansky and Harrington on Hold 'em Volumes I through III are invaluable.

I played fake poker for a long time before playing real poker, and then started to read books. I think I learn most from experience but there are things I would never have thought of if not for the books. Some books improve my game and some hurt it. Harrington did both

Fake poker? You mean poker for no money right? Yeah... i still play that sometimes lol its good for a laugh.

Levels of Fake Poker:
1. What am I holding? (any two cards.)
2. What is my opponent holding? (any two cards.)
3. What does my opponent think I'm holding? (He's still trying to understand what hes holding.)
4. What does my opponent think I think he's holding? (He's not, trust me.)

Theres absolutely no skill involved in poker with no money, if the chips don't represent something important then people will treat them as if they are unimportant and throw them away.

Perhaps by reading an assortment of books your thought processes will have broadened and you will begin to see many more ways (or more optimal ways) in which to play your 'pr'. Books along with experience will both help to develop your intuition on the tables.

I concur.

Thanks for the info on the Lee Jones books.
Personally, I'd never have improved my game if it were not for books. It gets particularly interesting later on when you read a poker theory and think "No, that's not right"
And by the way, reading about poker should not be limited to just books. The fact that you are here in this forum indicates you want to learn something through reading.
That's why I'm here.

Of course books are alot of help.

A player who purely learns poker from experience will have a much tougher job devising a strategy in this day and age. And a lot longer too.

But the player who gets stuck into a few books throughout the early stages and thereafter of his/her poker "career" will catch on alot faster.

Poker books have helped me with playing my cards effectively when I've had decent cards to play. However, when I'm getting dead cards that go nowhere and won't win anything - I've found no answer for that circumstance. The only thing I can find is "Take a break", "Get away for awhile" - my answer has been to play Freerolls only until I start seeing some decent cards then try the money games. I'm in a real downner now and I hate the way it feels. I can't be the only one with this problem.