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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 scholarship. 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,
Poker for Dummies, Gambling For Dummies, Internet Poker, and Winning Omaha/8 Poker) 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. |
| 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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to Books |
