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Texas Holdem Poker Books

Thursday, March 10th, 2011 by Phil

Texas Holdem Books

Before the Internet, the best way to learn about Texas holdem was by reading Texas holdem poker books. There weren’t any websites that provided players with never ending strategy articles, so anyone who wanted to get better at poker could only browse published books. Even today books are a popular way for poker players to learn the game.

Online poker has helped to boost the popularity of Texas holdem, and with this jump in popularity has come an abundance of Texas hold’em books. Players can find online poker specific books, live poker books, and even books on the mental side of poker.

Some of most popular Texas holdem poker books have been written by renowned poker players. Dan Harrington and Doyle Brunson are two of the most notable poker authors.

Doyle Brunson’s famous Super System book helped change how poker is played. Brunson himself has mentioned that he wishes he never even wrote the book. While many are appreciative of the advice that he gave, the published information has also worked against him.

Dan Harrington is most famous for his book, Harrington on Holdem. Harrington focuses on tournament play, while Brunson covers all aspects of poker.

Most poker authors tend to write in their area of expertise. David Sklansky has written some of the best Texas holdem books too.

Poker is a theoretical game, and for some people it is easier to talk about ideal strategies than it is to actually apply them. A common misconception is that a poker book can’t be any good if the author isn’t well known. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Authors like Ed Miller and Mason Malmuth have garnered great respect for their poker books, but most poker players wouldn’t recognize them if they fell in front of them. A theoretical approach to poker is much better for teaching than playing. In actual game situations, players need to be able to make adjustments in order to win.

These are intangible tools that are difficult to teach. There are also some poker books out there written by players with little credibility. It’s always a good idea to read a book that you have heard about from other players as opposed to something on the shelf at Barnes and Nobles.

Texas Holdem Tournament Poker Books

Tournament books are commonplace. Almost all poker books have some sort of tournament strategy. The reason that tournament books are so popular is because tournament poker is so popular.

Tournament poker is also the easiest form of Texas holdem to write about. There aren’t too many dynamics in a tournament that are going to change from event to event. In cash games, however, there are never ending changes that need to be accounted for.

Many Texas holdem players learn how to play poker via small buy-in tournaments. It’s the easiest way to learn, and tournament strategy is simpler than cash game strategy.  Some aspects of tournament holdem strategy might be complicated, but most players don’t need to worry about the complexities to do well.

Tournament players usually want a guideline for how to play each stage of a tournament. It’s easy for authors to break down each section of a tournament in an easy to follow book. Tournament poker is one of the few areas of Texas holdem that can actually be learned effectively by reading a book.

Cash game players really need to play poker in order to get a grip on the games, but tournament players can map out a game plan for each event that they play. All that you have to do is play one way for this period, shift your game to a more aggressive style as the event goes on, and then go for the kill at the end. This is a simplified way of looking at tournament poker, but this is what most authors teach.

Dan Harrington is the best author when it comes to books on tournament poker. He has a respectable history in actual poker tournaments, but he can also explain his thought processes effectively. There is a big difference between poker players who can play poker and write, and poker players who can play poker. Dan Harrington can write just as well as he can play poker.

Other authors, like David Sklansky, also have put out a lot of good tournament information. Even Phil Hellmuth has written some good tournament poker books. You have to consider the author’s poker expertise when picking a poker book, particularly if they are a known poker player.

For example, Phil Hellmuth is a poker celebrity, but he doesn’t have a clue when it comes to cash games. In tournaments, however, Hellmuth has experienced a lot of success. It wouldn’t make much sense to learn about cash games from Hellmuth, but he can definitely teach about how to play Texas holdem tournaments.

If you want to read about tournament poker’s cousin, sit n go poker, you should check out some of Mason Malmuth’s work. There aren’t a whole lot of sit n go books on the market, so Malmuth pretty much has this area of the game covered. He works for the same company as noted authors Ed Miller and David Sklansky, so you know that he is respected in the poker industry.

Sit n go poker has become somewhat of a “solved” game, but Malmuth is able to explain some aspects of the game that new players might not consider. If you are an aspiring sit n go player, Mason Malmuth is your ideal author, especially if you want to play live sit n gos.

Cash Game Books

Cash game strategy is much tougher to find than tournament strategy. Cash games are always changing, so it’s difficult to decipher one book’s credibility from the next.

One of the best cash game theorists is David Sklansky. He has published some of the most popular modern Texas holdem books. Sklansky originally focused on limit Texas holdem games, but as no limit Texas holdem became more popular, he began to shift his focus.

One of Sklansky’s best poker books was written with Ed Miller. Miller and Sklansky teamed up to write No Limit Hold ‘Em Theory and Practice. This is one of the best books for any no limit Texas holdem cash game player.

In his books, Sklansky gives many different hand history examples and explains the dynamics of any situation in depth. This is something that a lot of poker authors don’t do. He has had some real poker success at the tables, but Sklansky is best known for his teaching ability.

Doyle Brunson’s Super System series is another cash game alternative. Brunson’s books have often been cited as the reason that the games have gotten tougher. Brunson’s books did not make online poker difficult, but they helped to even the playing field in casino’s and other live poker games.

Psychological Texas Holdem Books

Poker players enjoy debating the mental and psychological aspect of Texas holdem. Mike Caro is known for his book about tells and other ways to read your opponents. But authors like Ian Taylor, Matthew Hilger, and Tommy Angelo have helped players work on their mental approach to poker.

Every poker player dreams of the day where they can play completely tilt free. A tilt free playing style would save anyone a lot of money. Beyond this, it would allow players to make better thought out decisions.

These authors have catered to the undying need for improvements when it comes to the psychological side of poker. While books can help players improve on psychological elements of Texas holdem, it won’t matter if you can’t put what you learn into action.

Why Read Texas Holdem Poker Books?

Books are not the only way to learn about poker. You can read articles on the Internet, watch videos, or you could even watch poker on television. Books are one of the best tools, however, because they let the information really sink in.

It is easy to read something on the Internet and forget it shortly thereafter, but books help players remember focal points for improvement. Poker books also serve as a future reference point. If you ever want to work on a certain aspect of your game, you can go back to one of your books for all of the information that you need. Think of poker books as your encyclopedia and ever giving guides to poker success.