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Poker is like any other subject. If you want to learn it you
ought to be reading most of what's been written on the subject.
That's just basic schoolarship. Sometimes learning requires the
same point expressed three different ways by three different authors
before one gets it. Other times one writer seems to resonate more
clearly with you than another. While I sincerely appreciate praise
for my books (Hold'em Excellence, MORE
Hold'em Excellence, and Poker for Dummies)
and I enjoy selling my books as much as the next guy, hearing poker
theory from one source is seldom enough.
That
said, since I'm always asked to recommend other books, here is my
"top 10" list of poker books and software. (Of course,
I suggest you get my books as well!) Wherever possible, links have
been included to the publisher and to Amazon.com,
where you can often purchase at a discount or search for out-of-print
items.
Keep
flopping aces,
Lou
Krieger
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Turbo
Series of Poker Tools
Wilson Software
-- Free demo programs available for download
Not only are these fun to play, but your own game should
improve by leaps and bounds - especially if you begin utilizing
the powerful research capabilities. Combine that with good graphics,
sound and animation - all in an easy-to-use Windows environment,
and you have a real winner.
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Improve
Your Poker, by Bob Ciaffone
Amazon.com
Price: $20.00
Paperback (October 1997) Bob Ciaffone; ISBN: 0966100700
Ciaffone,
a Card Player Magazine columnist called "The Coach," presents
sophisticated strategic concepts in an easily understood manner.
His advice on deception and bluffing, reading opponents, and tournament
play is excellent, as are the sections on Hold'em, Stud, and Omaha
poker.
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Winning
Low-Limit Hold 'Em by Lee Jones
List
Price: $19.95 Amazon.com Price: $16.99
Paperback 1 Ed edition (November 1994)
ConJelCo; ISBN: 1886070040
Lee Jones will show you how to win in low- to mid-limit Hold'em
games - the most popular games found in card rooms and casinos throughout
the United States. This book contains an outstanding analysis of
the game, and is a real hand-up-the-ladder to any aspiring player
wanting to learn the skills required to win at Texas Hold'em.
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Championship
Hold'em, by Tom McEvoy and T.J. Cloutier
List Price: $39.95
Paperback - 319 pages 1 Ed (2000)
Cardsmith Publishing; ISBN:
1884466001
This book, one in the Championship series written by former
World Champion Tom McEvoy and a man generally regarded as one of
the best tournament players in the world, T. J. Cloutier, is pragmatic
and conversational in tone. Reading this is almost like listening
to a tape recording of a conversation between two top players.
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The
Book of Tells, by Mike Caro
Out-of-print; new version planned for 2000
For
a long time this was the only book available dealing with body
language at the table. Now this book has been supplemented with
a two-tape video package called Caro's Pro Poker Tells. If
one picture is worth a thousand words, these videos are worth millions.
While the original book is out-of-print, a new edition is scheduled.
More information is available from Planet
Poker. Amazon.com
also has an out-of-print book locator service.
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Real
Poker: The Cooke Collection, by Roy Cooke
Amazon.com
Price: $19.95
Paperback - 400 pages (October 1, 1999)
MGI/Mike Caro University; ISBN: 1880069504
Roy
Cooke is a top notch professional poker player who can usually
be found in the $30-$60 Texas Hold'em game in Las Vegas' Bellagio
Hotel. This book, compiled from his columns in Card Player Magazine,
offers a real-world, hands-on approach to the game, and shows you
the kind of analysis and thinking that takes place in the mind of
a seasoned professional poker player as he's involved in a hand.
The beauty of this book is that it allows the reader to see for
himself if he's thinking along the same lines as Cooke. If he's
not, he can determine what he must do to raise his own game to that
level.
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Gambling
Theory and Other Topics by Mason Malmuth
List
Price: $29.95 Amazon.com Price: $23.96
Paperback - 354 pages (May 1999)
Two Plus Two Publishing LLC;
ISBN: 1880685035
Mason
Malmuth's analysis of "non self-weighting strategies" puts the
concept of selective but aggressive poker play into a perspective
that's clearly understood. He'll also show you the relationship
between win rates and variance, and why understanding these concepts
is fundamental to success as a poker player.
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Getting
the Best of It by David Sklansky
List
Price: $29.95 Our Price: $23.96
Paperback - 310 pages 2 Ed edition (May 1997)
Two Plus Two Publishing LLC;
ISBN: 1880685043
While this book goes far beyond the boundaries of poker alone,
Sklansky's discussion of probability theory as applied to a variety
of gaming situations is essential reading for anyone interested
in understanding the nature of probability and how it relates to
wagering.
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Super
System: A Course in Power Poker, by Doyle Brunson
This
is the bible of "how-to" poker books, covering most games you'll
ever want to play. It was written by two-time world champion Brunson,
along with selected experts such as Mike Caro, Chip Reese, David
Sklansky, and former world champion Bobby Baldwin. Although out-of-print,
copies generally can be located at gambling book
stores. Amazon.com
also has an out-of-print book locator service.
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Sources
for Gambling Books, Videos and Software
ConJelCo
http://www.conjelco.com
Card Player Magazine http://www.cardplayer.com
Cardsmith Publishing http://www.pokerbooks.com
The Gambler's Bookshop http://www.gamblersbook.com
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