QUESTION OF THE DAY: "Recommended Poker Reading"

Today's question comes from Forrest O., who writes:

Hello Nolan,

First, I would like to thank you for your work and wisdom at MadJacks. I have found it profitable and educational to read your articles and picks on a daily basis. Your work is appreciated!

This brings me to why I am writing. I am no stranger to gambling. Many years on the dogs, blackjack tables, and sports betting. However, I have felt lucky to be at MadJacks for 2 or 3 years now as it has taught me some great lessons. The first and foremost being that gambling is a sure looser in the long run except in the case of sports betting. After reading your articles on poker road trips etc., I think I can safely add poker to my short list of potentially profitable gambling endeavors.

So, after that winded exchange... I live in Denver and have the opportunity to play the $5 limit hold-em up in BlackHawk. What resources (particularly books) would you suggest for a beginning poker player. I have learned long ago not to reinvent the wheel and when there is money involved this becomes that much more important. Thanks for your response and your continued work at MadJacks! -- Forrest O.

 

MY REPLY: Ah, back to poker…..one of my favorite subjects. Let me try to answer your question, Forrest. I've had several people ask me this question in e-mails, so I hope my answer here will be useful to those who are interested.

Fifteen years ago, I could count on one hand the number of poker books that were worth a damn. Most were junk. Today, with the growth of the game to 37 states and several foreign countries there are over 100 poker books now on the market. They range from bad to outstanding and completely cut across the spectrum in terms of how well they are written, the information presented, and the style in which strategy is taught. In many cases, particularly middle to high limits this increase in knowledge has made the games tougher. The low limit games are still filled with players most of which have never read a poker books (which makes these games the easiest, if you have some knowledge of the game)

First point: A good poker book will not necessarily be entertaining. After all, you are LEARNING. You have to think and to interact with what is being presented. If you read it passively as if you are reading a novel, you might as well just watch TV. You are wasting your time and money.

 

Second point: My view on poker books is that if you buy a book and spend $20, the question is -- IS THE BOOK WORTH IT? My view is that if that book makes you $20 at the poker table (or more), the book has already paid for itself. $20 is usually the size of a bet, or in low-limit games -- the size of the pot. So, if you can pick up just one nugget of advice from a book and win an extra bet or two, the price is worth it. In this regard, very few poker books are so bad they are not at least worth the cover price. I have probably 70-80 books just on poker strategy -- and I honestly can't say that any of them were a total waste of money. Even the bad books can make you think critically and sharpen your skills.

For a new player who wants to play in a casino or cardroom, I suggest that it is absolutely mandatory that you learn the basics of Texas hold'em first, and then progress to other games (namely 7-card stud and Omaha). Hold'em is played almost everywhere now (it's even popular in Europe) and has replaced the staple games of our youth such as draw and five-card stud. I also recommend that if you are serious about poker, you must learn to play all games to at least a level of competency. I've known stud players that didn't know Omaha and were forced to stay stuck in a terrible stud game, because they were not able to play Omaha and couldn't take advantage of the drunk that was pissing off $800 an hour in a side game. That's a wasted opportunity. Poker is about one thing -- GAME SELECTION.

The three books on hold'em which I recommend for new players are:

WINNING LOW LIMIT HOLD'EM -- This is written by my fellow-Card Player columnist Lee Jones, who lives in the Bay Area. Lee writes a book that is very no-nonsense. He tell you that you have to be patient. His approach works. It will make you money.

HOLD'EM EXCELLENCE -- This is written by a close friend of mine named Lou Kreiger who lives in Long Beach. Krieger is an excellent teacher and runs seminars on poker cruises. He has also taught poker at the Mike Caro University, at HPC. I had the pleasure of doing an exerpt in his follow-up book "More Hold'em Excellence" and also contributed a chapter to Lou's newest book "Poker For Dummies." This book is very solid.

WINNERS GUIDE TO TEXAS HOLDEM -- I don't know the author personally, but his name is Ken Warren (I think he lives in Mississippi). Warren caught some flack from the poker community intelligencia because he has a few flaws in the book and a few math errors, but let me tell you -- this is one helluva a beginning poker book. He gives you gems like which games to play in -- for example, he says find games with drunks, young people, people with lots of jewelry, people in wheelchairs, off-duty dealers, etc. I like his tell-it-like-it-is approach and I recommend this book as perhaps the best on the market, despite its few flaws.

For a middle-limit player (starting at $10-20 or higher), I recommend ANYTHING written by David Sklansky and/or Mason Malmuth. Together, they have collaborated on at least a dozen poker books. Even if you don't like to read about poker, if you sit down at the table you had better know what's in these books, because I can guarantee you that everyone at the table who plays $10-20 and up will have read "HOLD'EM FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS." You are going to be defenseless if you don't have this in your library. I also recommend anything done by Ray Zee, who is affiliated with Sklansky/Malmuth and the Two Plus Two publishing group. Zee, if I recall, is best known for his work on Seven Card Stud. Here's my take on a few of their books:

HOLD'EM FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS -- This is probably the second most important poker book ever written. It's dry. It's technical. But, it's a masterpiece. Written in the late 80s with a new "Millennium edition" that's out now.

THE THEORY OF POKER -- This is David Sklansky's master work. Many say it's the best poker book ever written. I'm not quite as high on it because it's geared to theory of probability and has relatively little to do with the actual playing of hands. For someone who wants to understand the fundamentals of gambling (poker is a great teacher for all gambling games), this is a book that must be read.

POKER ESSAYS -- This is a collection of Mason Malmuth's best work. If you aspire to be a serious poker player, this is a must read. Talks about bankroll requirements, game selection, tournaments, changes in the game, the future, and how to maximize earning potential. I've tried to pattern some of my own work off of Mason's teachings.

There are other books as well, but those are the top three for an intermediate poker player in my opinion.

As for the real powerhouse books, any poker library must include what I consider the best poker book every written, "Super/System" by Doyle Brunson.

Brunson wrote this book in 1978. He gathered the experts on the top games (at the time -- hold'em, stud, Omaha, draw, limit, stud high-low, no-limit etc.). Each of them wrote a chapter and basically gave away their secrets. This is the highest level poker book you will find on the market. Kind of like playing chess and thinking five moves ahead. This is what this book teaches you. Obviously, it’s not for beginners. But it is surprisingly easy to read (it was written by common folks) and gives very clear examples. It's price ranges from $50-100 and it's now hard to find. What I really love about this book is it's one of the few times a world-class player has ever come out and told you what he's thinking when he pushes $75,000 into the pot on a pure bluff. This is worth its weight in gold. I don't have it in front of me, but as I recall the chapters are all by the top players -- Doyle Brunson (the two-time WSOP champion), Bobby Baldwin (who now runs the Bellagio), Joey Hawthorn (died of a drug overdose), Mike Caro (the poker guru), and David Sklansky (the top theorist). It's like 600 pages long. Not for the faint-hearted.

THE BOOK OF TELLS -- This is another book which is good, but flawed. Mike Caro talks about the psychology of the game and shows how to interpret player behavior and action. If a player makes a bet and then "sighs" what does that mean? What does it mean when a player stares directly at you? What does it mean when a player looks away? All of these are VISUAL CLUES. It's why poker really has less to do with cards than with PEOPLE. It's a people game. Screw the cards. Play the people. That's what a winning player does. Caro shows you how. Side note: If you like things like "body language" and psychology, this book would be interesting to even a non-player.

Other books I highly recommend are the new book by Dr. Allen Schumaker called "The Psychology of Poker." I just finished re-reading "Zen and the Art of Poker" by Larry W. Phillips, as well. It's interesting from the perspective of maintaining emotional equilibrium when gambling (a tough thing to do either when playing poker or sports gambling). Phillip's book is very good in terms to balancing gambling with more human qualities. I also like Lou Kreiger's new book POKER FOR DUMMIES, which is probably the best comprehensive overview of poker ever done. I'm biased to that book, because I did contribute a chapter. But the "Dummies" series is basically a sure-fire can't miss approach.

That just scratches the surface as to what's out there in terms of poker literature. But hopefully this will give you some direction about where to start. If you are relatively new to the game, buy one of the three books for beginners. If you want more advanced knowledge (which is not going to apply to your basic $3-6 game) go for the Sklansky-Malmuth books. If you want to really understand high-limit poker -- buy the Brunson book, or request it through the interlibrary loan system. That way you save the $100 and can read it for a very nominal fee. -- Nolan Dalla