Poker Books

smurray139

smurray139

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Okay guys, so at the moment I am broadening my poker education by starting to read books. I am half way through Doyle Brunsons Super System 1.

Should I read Super System 2 immediately after that, or something in between?
 
Poker Orifice

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Personally I didn't particularly care for SuperSystem 1 &2 all that much (yes they're classics but I think there are better books to get started with).
I would recommend reading Phil Gordon's "Little Green Book". It's a well-written easy read that covers quite a bit of stuff & gives you a foundation to work from.
If NLHE Tournament play is your preference, I'd then read Harrington On Holdem Vol. 1 & 2 (Tournament play). These books will give you a decent foundation for tournament play.
For NLHE SNG's (STT - single table tournament), Collin Moshmann's SNG Strategy is a great book to check out.
For an advanced NLHE Tournament book (would highly recommend reading the HOH series first) I'd highly recommend "Winning Poker Tournaments - One Hand At A Time". This is the best NLHE Tournament book I've read.... by far!!! (and I've read many.... pretty much every single one I could get my hands on). There is also a Vol.2 now available (focuses on 'after the bubble' play). These two books are lightyears ahead of the competition but are geared towards higher buyin online play.
"Kill Everyone" (with Elky supplement) is also a decent book.
 
NineLions

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? Depends what you mean by "broadening" Super System is good, for historical reading.

Partly because of that book things have changed a lot since then so the strategy is outdated. SS2 deals with other games, which haven't changed quite so much, so if you want to learn the basics of other games it's probably useful.

But it really depends what you want to learn.
 
smurray139

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I will be depositing in September so at the moment I can only play freerolls, and I know they aren't that good for learning - donk fests and all that.

Just something to get me ready for September that I can read over the summer so I am pretty educated come September.

I know that a good way to learn is by actually playing for real. Does anyone know of any easy ways of starting a bankroll, if at all possible?
 
OzExorcist

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If you're planning on playing mostly NLHE then no, I wouldn't bother with Super System 2 - hell, I wouldn't even bother finishing Super System 1. The NLHE section is (almost? exactly?) identical in both books and in either case is completely irrelevant to the low stakes that a player just starting their bankroll will be playing. Put it back on the shelf until you're playing high stakes mixed games.

As for what you should read, that depends on what kind of games you want to play (cash, MTT, SnG). Personally I'd start with Phil Gordon's Little Green Book / Little Blue Book and then just start playing.
 
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Sit 'n Go Strategy by Colin Moshman
 
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bmfbpi

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i wouldn't bother with supersystem, it's pretty much outdated. all the other books that were mentioned are great reads
 
dmorris68

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I'll chime in to agree with the others that SS1 & SS2 are not the ideal books for starting out online at beginner stakes.

I own or have read all the books mentioned here and then some. I'm a bit of a poker bookworm (actually a bookworm in general for any subject that interests me), and have a few sagging bookshelves to prove it.

If you're going to play MTTs, then of course Harrington on Hold'em is going to be the defacto treatise on the subject that most will recommend. But I'll also recommend a pair of books that are not nearly as widely known (at least I don't hear much about them in the usual poker forums/circles). The Poker Tournament Formula & The Poker Tournament Formula II: Advanced Strategies by Arnold Snyder.

I bought both but am just now finishing up Vol I -- I'm recommending Vol II based only on my reading of Vol I.

I recommend these because they delve into MTT subjects that don't get much treatment from HoH and most of the other mainstream books. Vol I is short on poker strategy but a goldmine of info on things like tournament speed and how it affects difficulty, rebuy strategy, cheating, and a couple of very effective strategies for beginners (and even not-so-beginners) that really shed light on the importance of position and the relationship between cards, chips, and position. I've been meaning to write up a book review here, but figured I would wait until I finished Vol II. Perhaps I should go ahead and review Vol I while it's fresh on my mind, then follow up with a Vol II review later. You can check out the Amazon reviews too though, they're pretty favorable as well.

I'd also recommend Dusty "Leatherass" Schmidt's book "Treat Your Poker Like a Business" if you intend to take the game serious and generate any sort of income from it. It's also not a strategy book, but rather more on the mindset of a successful poker player.
 
rounder22

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I liked all the books mentioned, I learned quite a bit from the full tilt strategy book, I enjoyed Gus Hanson's book too see the thought process of a pro player.Daniel Negreanu's section in power holdem's a good read and David Williams section was decent as well.
 
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SNGs: Moshman's book

Tournaments: Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time, volumes I and II, and the Poker Tournament Formula I (skip PTR II, it's weak).

Skip HoH if you already have the other three books...the ones by Rizen, Apestyles and Pearljammer pretty much make Harrington's books obsolete, imo.
 
smurray139

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I've finished university and decided to start with Phil Gordon's Little Green Book. I finished that last night. It was an enjoyable read.

I've managed to pick up Harrington On Hold'Em and Sklansky's Theory Of Poker.

Which book should I begin with? I want to read so much information and to process it before I deposit. Is there any other book that I should definitely read before starting with these two?
 
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Sklansky's Theory of poker should be the first book you read. It builds a foundation for all the rest of the books in the poker library.
 
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i dont know where your skill level is, but one problem with reading so many books is that you might tend to OVER PLAY instead of OUT PLAY people at your table. I think books are more for playing people that are average or better at the game... basic straight forward play crushes beginners...
 
BreakPkr4u

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Okay guys, so at the moment I am broadening my poker education by starting to read books. I am half way through Doyle Brunsons Super System 1.

Should I read Super System 2 immediately after that, or something in between?

yes should be after you finish reading and Super System 2. will help much. per min helped me and I read in English and I are novel and all I caught something from him. My opinion is to read.
 
forsakenone

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I will be depositing in September so at the moment I can only play freerolls, and I know they aren't that good for learning - donk fests and all that.

Just something to get me ready for September that I can read over the summer so I am pretty educated come September.

I know that a good way to learn is by actually playing for real. Does anyone know of any easy ways of starting a bankroll, if at all possible?


i would like and dare to say that you should not read any book at all. the information you need is easily found on the internet (assuming you want to learn the basics like starting hands and calculating odds and bankroll management) you are so much better of just reading our golden archive and watching some free videos.

the reason i am saying this is because super system has nothing to do with what you are going to play as a new player, it wont help you at all in fact it will drag you down. personally i never read a book but i googled the shit out of every single microstakes strategy and video i could get my hands on. however that little green book everyone is talking about could be worthed your time, other than that you first have to play a little, feel the game, than start reading.

again, i am just assuming you are learning to play poker and you are going to take it slow from the microstakes, if your story is different ignore my post.
 
forsakenone

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"Does anyone know of any easy ways of starting a bankroll, if at all possible?"

Yes, a good way to start is by posting on our forums, and you will get in the freeroll club, plenty of good freerolls, with not too many players in it and nice pay structure, you can see them in calendar. good luck.
 
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Sweet. Just ordered Phil Gordons Little Green Book today on the Full Tilt Academy.

Thought it would be better to use my points for a book rather than a few tourney tickets.

Gonna try and build up enough points to get the Gordons Little Blue Book and Colin Moshmans SNG book.
 
sharkyo01

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Cash Game Killer is must... if your at looking cash games...
 
dmorris68

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i would like and dare to say that you should not read any book at all.
While books certainly aren't everyone's cup of tea, I must strongly disagree with this as a blanket statement.

Book can be tremendously helpful in organizing cohesive ideas and strategies together in a logical progression. Books also must suffer reviewers so with little research it's pretty easy to determine which are useful and which should be avoided. The internet is a wonderful source of information, and our Golden Archives, training sites, etc. are awesome resources. But the internet can also be a source of mis-information, and it's often hard for some to find and organize what they need. Especially when starting out, which is where books are arguably the most helpful.

I do agree that SS1/SS2 are poor choices for a player just starting out in online play, especially NLHE. They're a bit dated in their strategy, especially SS1, and apply more to live games than online. That said, I still think they have value to someone looking to expand their knowledge of poker. I just wouldn't recommend them to someone trying to get a jumpstart in their online NLHE games.

I'm a bookworm anyway, with the sagging bookshelves to prove it, on just about any subject that interests me. Poker is no exception. That said, I don't recommend you buy every book on the market because there will be both redundancy and information overload, as well as probably some bad advice. Trying to absorb too much and change too much at once about your game will usually throw you for a spin and hurt your results. Take it easy, read some reviews, get recommendations from other players, etc., and apply new things in small doses.

A few pointers based on my own experience and opinions:
  • Sklansky/Malmuth books are great resources, but tend to be a bit to cerebral for most beginners. Those guys are both eggheads and don't communicate particularly well at the beginner level. Their books where Ed Miller contributes are a bit better in this regard, as Miller is a great author and teacher, but they can still seem daunting.
  • Don't make the mistake of reading tournament books like Harrington on Hold'em (HoH) and trying to apply it to your cash game. Or vice-versa, say applying Professional No-Limit Hold'em (PNLE) to tourneys. While there is obviously some overlap, many strategies are vastly different between the two types of games. SnG's also have their own distinct strategies apart from MTTs. So just be sure you're reading books relevant to the games you play, or want to play.
  • Great MTT books that I recommend: HoH 1 & 2 (primarily aimed at live play but does mention and include online play), Arnold Snyder's The Poker Tournament Formula vol 1 (vol 2 is aimed more at slow, live MTTs), Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time vols I & II (written by and for online players)
  • STT SnG books: Moshman's Sit 'n Go Strategy is probably the best single book on the subject. Haven't read any others devoted to STT SnG's.
  • Cash: PNLHE, its sequel Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em (SSNLE), and Harrington on Cash. eBooks (though pricey, so may be beyond your BR at first) The Poker Blueprint and Let There Be Range.
  • General: Dusty "Leatherass" Schmidt's Treat Your Poker Like a Business.
 
smurray139

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There is quite a lot of material there. Thanks dmorris for your advice there. That is helpful.

Did you guys find it helpful to take notes whilst reading books? I have no problem with doing this, and it has always been incredibly helpful to me when I am learning other stuff, not just poker, say university stuff for example etc.
 
Poker Orifice

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While books certainly aren't everyone's cup of tea, I must strongly disagree with this as a blanket statement.

Book can be tremendously helpful in organizing cohesive ideas and strategies together in a logical progression. Books also must suffer reviewers so with little research it's pretty easy to determine which are useful and which should be avoided. The internet is a wonderful source of information, and our Golden Archives, training sites, etc. are awesome resources. But the internet can also be a source of mis-information, and it's often hard for some to find and organize what they need. Especially when starting out, which is where books are arguably the most helpful.

I do agree that SS1/SS2 are poor choices for a player just starting out in online play, especially NLHE. They're a bit dated in their strategy, especially SS1, and apply more to live games than online. That said, I still think they have value to someone looking to expand their knowledge of poker. I just wouldn't recommend them to someone trying to get a jumpstart in their online NLHE games.

STRONGLY AGREE!! ^


forsakeone -
i would like and dare to say that you should not read any book at all.

STRONGLY DISAGREE!!! ^
 
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I saw this yesterday and I was really surprised at the book recommendations u ppl gave to this inspiring poker player.

There is nooooooo way id recommend any of the 2+2, sklansky, malmuth or zee books to a beginner. Unless I wanted them to get a book that would collect dust because the books would be waaay over the head of a beginner. There is no way id recommend moshmans sng book because to really understand it, ud have to understand the concepts in the 2+2 books. Lolol. I really don’t like harrington’s stuff for a beginner either because again its like the 2+2 stuff -mathy and has concepts that would probably go over the head of a beginner.

For a beginner if ur starting out (and I see u ppl really hated it) is super system 2. the advice is sound and more than just holdem is addressed. I haven’t looked at in yrs, but I know T. Brunsons advice on how to play an 8 lo in stud 8 is sound, bermans advice on how to play Omaha is basic and sound, brunsons explanation on how to play qq in holdem is sound. I mean the list goes on and on. The book puts the terms in bold and explains poker lingo, the rules, and basic solid strategy to play the games.

If u get sick of playing holdem allll the time like I did, u can play something else and its usually covered in ss2. I was disappointed that stud wasn’t included in ss2, but its in the 1st one. I really don’t like ss1 though. I haven’t read gordon’s book so I cant type anything about it, but ive heard its good.

Im really a stud player rather than a holdem player. I wouldn’t recommend Seven Card Stud for Advanced players by 2+2, id recommend a more user friendly beginners book like Ashley Adams “Winning 7-card Stud”, where she tells of rules, basic strategy, what to expect on ur 1st visit to the casino, etc. its written well with little stories and stuff to keep a regular person interested.

Those 2+2 books are written like technical manuals- boring and sometimes unreadable. Don’t get me wrong they are necessary reading for an inspiring poker player, but do we need to start the person with college calculus when they haven’t learned 1,2,3. . .lollol.

You can skip a lot of the intro books and spend time in the video training portions of these major poker sites now. I know full tilt has the academy, its free and I think, but im not sure that pokerstars has 1 also. so u might want to skip these books and review the videos.

Just remember, all the stuff u hear and read might not work for u. Or maybe ur not ready to understand some of the concepts. don’t get set in what some1 or something tells u about improving ur poker game. For example, everytime I see that full tilt academy video on stud8 with the young pro telling ppl to complete with an ace in the door, it drives me up the wall, it doesn’t work on the lower stakes and it wont work either on a lot of the middle stakes tables depending on the makeup of the table. Keep it simple and try to have fun, that will keep u interested in the game until ur ready for 2+2 books and beyond.

Anyway best of luck to yah.
 
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