Doyle Brunson's Super System: A Course in Power Poker
This top 10 poker book was originally published in the 70s, causing a great stir within the Texas Hold'em poker community. It was believed by many people that Brunson and his colleagues simply gave too much information away, allowing poker amateurs to catch up to the experts. Over time, however, this book has become regarded as one of the best poker books ever written to serve the poker industry. Doyle Brunson's Super System ranks first in our list of the top 10 poker books, as it is a truly must have for every beginner player, as well as anyone looking to brush up on the basics of poker strategy.
Doyle Brunson's Super System II
The Super System II book was originally released in the middle of 2005. While much of the information in this book is the same as in its predecessor, the Super System II book includes updates for some of the most popular games of today. Some of the key updates that you will find in this best poker book include a section on online poker, two player tournaments, multiple player tournaments and Omaha poker. The online poker section of the book speaks a lot about the Doylesroom.com poker room, but applies to all online poker rooms equally.
Super System and Super System II are broken up into different game sections, and the authors for each section were carefully hand selected by Doyle Brunson himself. The Limit Hold'em section was written by Bobby Baldwin in 1978 and at the time it was regarded as the single most important piece of poker literature ever published. The Super System 2 Limit Holdem section was written by Jennifer Harman, and is regarded as the best section in the Super System II book. For obvious reasons, Doyle Brunson's Super System II ranks second in our list of top 10 poker books.
Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide
This is easily another one of the best poker books available to the average poker enthusiast. The pictures alone are worth the price in this tome, which is regarded as one of the top poker books in publication. This is easily one of the most visually appealing poker books on the market today, but most of its information is geared more toward advanced players looking to move up to the professional level of poker playing. This does not mean that the average poker enthusiast can't get a lot out of it, however, so even if you are not quite at advanced levels yet, pick this book up.
Anyone can learn from this book, which offers disciplined strategies from a pro named Barry Greenstein. Barry spends a significant amount of time dismissing the illusion that is the glitz and glamour of the poker world, and explains that he is heavily reliant on his income from cash games. Poker can be a rewarding industry, but it requires skill, patience, self control and luck to be successful, and Barry Greenstein is not afraid to admit this. Barry discusses the hazards of the diversions that oftentimes accompany gambling, including sports betting, sex, drugs and alcohol. Barry manages to put playing poker for a living in perspective in a very real way, through a writing style that is easy to read and simple to understand because he writes in terms that everyone can understand.
The Theory of Poker This is the single most important Texas Hold'em poker book ever written, and continues to be ranked as one of the best poker books in today's market. The Theory of Poker does not contain a lot of details on playing specific poker hands, and when it does, it is only to illustrate a much larger point. The slant that is taught here is to gain an understanding of general situations rather than specific occurrences. As a result, this book really is the best introduction to the theory of poker, and ranks high as a top 10 poker book as a result.
Simply reading this poker book is not going to transform you into an excellent poker player. The point here is to combine this book with dedication and many hours of study. This book is going to require and demand several in depth readings before you truly understand the theory of poker. This book is by far the greatest book in print on Texas Hold'em poker strategy and theory.
Play Poker Like the Pros Play Poker like the Pros is a picture perfect introduction to the world of playing poker, including a variety of different types of games like online play, home games and poker tournaments. Phil Hellmuth begins by laying out the foundations for how to setup and play various games. Next he moves into both basic poker strategy and advanced poker strategy. Phil teaches his readers exactly what hands should be played, exactly when a bluff is the right move, and when raising or folding is the best course of action.
In addition to all of this excellent strategy, Hellmuth also provides poker strategy and technique for reading other players, and avoiding playing on tilt which essentially means staying cool even under pressure. There are also additional chapters for superior players on beating online games, as well as an inside look at how tournament poker games are played. This is absolutely one of the best poker books that you can purchase.
Poker: The Real Deal
Another one of the best poker books in print on the subject of Texas Hold'em poker is Poker: The Real Deal. As if it were a secret society, Texas Hold'em poker has its very own languages along with its own prevailing logic and a code of conduct that may appear scary or overwhelming even for the most ambitious amateur poker player. Texas Hold'em poker is a game of skill, pure and simple, and playing well in this game is going to depend on a great deal more than just having a good hand or hiding your emotion well.
The first real step toward developing a poker strategy and style of play that is worthy of the most legendary players that poker has to offer is learning how to think the way that the pros do. Mastering the basics in a game where there are no definitive answers is really only the beginning. The real difference between legendary poker wins and classic failure lies in beginning to pull off the best poker strategies and theatrics.
Caro's Book of Poker Tells
This is the best poker book by far when it comes to the psychology of poker. Reading it will give you a substantial edge over your opponents. The main reason behind this is because you can only really win the pots that your hand dictates without a good working knowledge of common poker tells. You can play better cards than your opponents, and you can avoid trap hands, but when you have a good working knowledge of tells, there are two different types of hands that you can win:
You can win the hands that your cards dictate,
You can win the hands that your opponents' cards don't merit.
If you can pick up the weaknesses that exist in your opponents, then you can easily win the pots just by betting or raising your bet at the exact right moment in order to salvage a pot where you otherwise may have folded. Similarly, you can better identify when your huge hand may not be the best hand at the table. Caro breaks these common poker tells down into two primary categories: Tells from actors, and tells from those who are completely unaware. The most important tells are those that are from actors.
It is Caro's primary contention that we all act at the poker table and in our lives, as a largely subconscious and instinctive action. If you are able to pick up on these signals, and to discern what the player intends to have you do, and then you do the opposite accordingly, then you really truly can dominate your competition game after game. This book is an absolute must have for any serious poker player.