[Zentish]

I've read the Harrington books vol 1 & 2 (got them from the library) and found them to be the best books on tournament play that I'd run across, and I've been voraciously working my way through the Seattle Public Library's entire poker book collection. I read those and will be ordering my own reference set in the next month or two.

The Sklansky books are pretty deep and hard to read, especially for a beginner (like me). I found that reading some of the more basic books with recipe play was a better start.

Super/System 1&2 are also a good general books, worth a read since you can be faced with playing other types of games and its good to have a clue how to approach them.

I play a limit game with some friends on most Friday nights, but have found that I really love the thrill of a tournament and play them online whenever I can. I'm trying to train myself to work through pot odds calculations on the fly but the darn online games go so fast that it's hard to keep up "stop buzzing at me!". The Harrington books have invaluable plays in them and he talks at great length about how your play needs to change as the tournament progresses.

[TheJollyJoker]

My picks -

Harrington on Hold 'em vol. 1 and 2
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book

I've tried to read ToP (or anything by Lanskey); if you're really interested in the mathematics of poker, Lanskey is the source. If you want to learn how to play, start with one of the above.

As you gain experience, look into Caro's Book of Tells.

TJJ

[w16227]

The first book ts always tough - as there are so many out there that are worthwhile.

If you are looking for a basic strategy guide, The Lee Jones small stakes holdem book covers a lot of ground. This is a decent entry level book and does not go into too much of the math. This would be a good recommendation if you want to learn on a casual level and simply improve your basic play against friends.

If you are trying to elevate to a more serious level, then Theory of Poker is the best start for a collection. This is much more of a technical text and a much tougher read, but it provides an excellent foundation for learning the game. If you can make it through this book and still have a healthy interest for more, then you have a good shot at becoming a much better player through study and of course, playing and applying what you learned. Many times i recommend this as a first book for just this reason. you do not necessarily have to understand every concept and calculation that the book details, but you will need to see the value in learning the theory behind the cards to "elevate" your game.

After TOP - then you can specialize a bit more. The Lee Jones book is a good second book for overall play, but the Harrington on Holdem ones are great tournament speciality books.


Be warned - you may not see immediate improvement after the 1st book. You may have better "vision" for the game, but knowledge is not a quick path to instant winnings.


A great non-technical book is Barry Greenstein's "Ace on the River". A very easy read and look into the mindset that you need to be a true winning player. This is one of the books to get when you have had enough of the technical texts - and need a break.

[yeltzen]

Oh yeah, BTW, play a lot.
I've learned infinitely more just by playing a crapload of hands than I have from any book. Books help you think about certain aspects of the game better, but until you get a real feel for the game, the books won't matter much.

Case in point, I've read SSH about 5 times. Every time I'd read it, I would say, "wow, I'm so ready to crush these games." Then, I'd play for a while, lose, go on tilt, and swear off poker for a few months. It's taken me about 2 1/2 years to learn the ins and outs of limit games. I didn't learn them from books, I learned them just by playing a ton of hands. I don't go on tilt any more, just because I've seen pretty much everything at this point - all the bad beats, all the crazy hands people play... it just doesn't bother me any more.

Anyways, read books, but make sure you don't fool yourself into believing that just reading a few books will make you a winner.

[Colquhoun]

Originally Posted by w16227

Be warned - you may not see immediate improvement after the 1st book. You may have better "vision" for the game, but knowledge is not a quick path to instant winnings.

Well said, and this has to be stressed. In the beginning, you could make all the correct (most profittable) decisions...and still lose. Ed Miller talks about a tennis player improving by making small adjustments to hit the ball better. Each adjustment gives immediate feedback that leads to more adjustments, and all the while, the player gets better.
This is NOT possible in poker. Only over the long term do you see the fruits of all your labor.

[bigjohn]

Originally Posted by Poboy

If you're a beginner, then I recommend Winning Low Limit Hold Em by Lee Jones. It's pretty basic (not two pair beats a pair basic, but basic good play). It's a simple, solid foundation. It's well written, and an easy style to read. It's a first step on the road, so after that get Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, like yeltzen said. It's a much denser read than WLLHE, but it has everything you need in it.

Thats my 1st book and I would recommend it as well. I have grown to despise limit but would also recommend Theory and would NOT recommend supersystem 2. I think SS2 was pretty horrible and glad it only cost me $12. Advanced hold'em by Sklansky is good as well when you get deeper into the game.

[bigjohn]

Originally Posted by yeltzen

Oh yeah, BTW, play a lot.
I've learned infinitely more just by playing a crapload of hands than I have from any book. Books help you think about certain aspects of the game better, but until you get a real feel for the game, the books won't matter much.

Case in point, I've read SSH about 5 times. Every time I'd read it, I would say, "wow, I'm so ready to crush these games." Then, I'd play for a while, lose, go on tilt, and swear off poker for a few months. It's taken me about 2 1/2 years to learn the ins and outs of limit games. I didn't learn them from books, I learned them just by playing a ton of hands. I don't go on tilt any more, just because I've seen pretty much everything at this point - all the bad beats, all the crazy hands people play... it just doesn't bother me any more.

Anyways, read books, but make sure you don't fool yourself into believing that just reading a few books will make you a winner.

Very good point by Yeltzen. After I read a book I try and apply the book to my game and usually get stacked by overplaying hands (being to tricky ect...) Books are good ways to expand your game but if you follow the advanced concepts and you don't have the practical experience you will loose alot of $$. Use the books as a guideline and develop a style that works for you...

[dad604]

For a beginner, either of these three books (one, not all three.)
"Getting Started in Holdem" by Ed Miller
"Winning Low Limit Holdem" Lee Jones
"Holdem Poker" David Sklansky

After that
"Small Stakes...." Miller, Malmuth, Sklansky

For tournaments, the Harrington books.

Forget about Helmuth's "Playing like the Pro's" unless you are sitting at my table than I highly recommend that you read and follow his advice.

[Zentish]

All three of Harrington's books appear to be available at overstock.com for less that $20 each.

[TheMightyJim2k]

Originally Posted by yeltzen

Harrington on Hold'em vol 1 and 2 if you're just playing in low stakes home/casino tournaments.

If you're going to play cash games like low stakes limit Hold'em, I would strongly recommend reading the Theory of Poker first. It's a pain in the ass, but once you read that, you can fly through just about any other poker book. It was the first book I read. After that, read Small Stakes Hold'em if you're going to play in a casino. Online, it's not quite as good as it used to be.

yeltzen is pretty much right on.

If you are going to be playing mostly NL tourney's in home games then HOH I and II are your best bet. You should also play a ton of cheap Sit-N-Gos online at PokerStars or FullTilt, because that experience is the only way to learn and actually try applying what is in the books.

If you are talking about low limit live cash games there are two books that must be read. First Theory of Poker is a dense and difficult read, but if you take the time and understand it you will become a much better player at any game you play. Secondly if really want to understand those low limit donkfests then nobody does it better than Ed Miller with Small Stakes Hold'em. It is also a hard read and Ed doesn't try to hold your hand, but once you understand it you will be significant favorite every time you sit down to play.

Unfortunately you can't really practice low limit HE on the internet because the games are much much much tougher than they are live. A typical 1/2 game on the internet plays closer to a 5/10 or even 10/20 game live. By the time you are playing 3/6 the game plays more like a 20/40 or 30/60 game live. But if you really want to practice low limit live games while playing online the play money or micro-stakes tables (.01/.02) do a pretty good job of mimicking those crazy live games you find on cruises and at casinos.

I would suggest the following and read them in this order:

1. Getting started with Hold'em - Ed Miller
2. Harrington on Hold'em I
3. Harrington on Hold'em II

and before you go to play live try to get through (probably best to read SSH first, but either way is fine)

1. Small Stakes Hold'em - Ed Miller
2. Theory of Poker - David Sklanksy

sorry for the long and detailed response, but I own about 15 poker strategy books and I feel like to get the most out of them you need to start from a beginners micro-approach to the game, and work towards understanding an experts macro-approach to all poker games/situations.

gl and have fun reading!