Your most influential poker book and why?

[guiltyjoe]

I have been playing for a while and newer players ask me what book is best to buy to learn poker. By far I have to say that David Sklansky's The Theory of Poker aka "The Yellow Book" inlfuenced my playing much more than the others.
I do have to say that Dan Harrington's Tournament series is really good. It is, however, only about Hold Em.

What books changed the way you play poker?

[WhooFleuryScores]

For me it was Matthew Hilger's Internet Texas Hold Em (ITH) mainly because it helped clarify alot of concepts I was foggy on to that point.Although the material is Limit;alot of the overall ideas can be applied to NL and toruney play as well.

The other is Mastering Omaha 8 by Lou Kriger. That taught me alot of Omaha concepts as well.

[IslandAK]

Well, I basically suck. But Harrington on Hold 'em 1 and 2 really helped me understand the game better. I haven't finished 3 but I like it so far. Vol. 1 introduced a lot of basic concepts I heard or read about, but didn't really know what they were. And the problems really help me. That's why I like the workbook. A lot of people don't like volume 3 much, but they're probably a lot better than me and don't have as much to learn.

Theory of Poker is a great book, and I need to read is again (and again...) but having read it after playing for a year and a half, it refines concepts rather than introducing them for me. How to execute the action correctly and why.

I haven't even played games other than Texas Hold 'em for money. I figure I should at least get good at one game before learning others.

[Pelion]

The other is Mastering Omaha 8 by Lou Kriger. That taught me alot of Omaha concepts as well.

Does it have any NL/PL stuff in? I need a PLO8 book . I love the game but im pretty much just working it out for myself.

[Miffed22001]

ToP and its wasnt even close after having player poker for 6months.

Imo, harrington tells you nothing you shouldnt already know after having started at sngs and moved to small stakes ring games.

ToP gives you knowledge of why players ebt when they do and how you should react to that, especially in post-flop sitautions. Applying ideas of rasing and not caling ect on certain streets and playing big streets ahrd is much better for a cash game player than harrington's book ever gets to.

Caro(sp) was also a great read, but imo you need a good knowledge of the game to really apply the things it tells you.

I still havent found anything useful on pot limit omaha or 5card draw.

[strawman]

I still havent found anything useful on pot limit omaha or 5card draw.

Didn't Caro write a section on draw in SS1?

I second ITH. I was immediately dissappointed with the purchase because I didn't realize I was getting a limit book and almost thought about returning it after the first read. Fortunately I didn't. The section about flop play is invaluable and the quizes -derived from actual hands- are plentiful and instructive. It's one of the few books I have that is falling apart.

[Miffed22001]

I still havent found anything useful on pot limit omaha or 5card draw.

Didn't Caro write a section on draw in SS1?

I second ITH. I was immediately dissappointed with the purchase because I didn't realize I was getting a limit book and almost thought about returning it after the first read. Fortunately I didn't. The section about flop play is invaluable and the quizes -derived from actual hands- are plentiful and instructive. It's one of the few books I have that is falling apart.

Yes he did, but it wasnt anything beyond the rules really. Hes also suppoed to be the best 5card draw player in the world? dunno.
Dsaxton and a random website taught me all i know which was why i was surprised when fnord told me he played a fair bit.

[Fnord]

Caro's 5 card draw section is fucking genius, even if you never play 5 card draw. Particularly if you play live.

If it wasn't for Caro I would have a much harder time understanding why typical people do the things they do at the cardroom.

[Miffed22001]

Caro's 5 card draw section is fucking genius, even if you never play 5 card draw. Particularly if you play live.

If it wasn't for Caro I would have a much harder time understanding why typical people do the things they do at the cardroom.

do they still have places where you can play 5card draw live? Neat

Im lucky if i can find 6 people in a poker room who know what pot limit omaha is, never mind get a table going. (fuck the U.K)


I assume you mean caro's book of tells for how people play yes? I read that after trying to glean info from your posts round here and learnt a lot about it too. 50buy in upswing helped that process too i guess

[Fnord]

do they still have places where you can play 5card draw live? Neat

Nahh it's pretty much dead. However, many of the concepts he lays out apply or can be adjusted for other poker games. A great discussion on table talk and advertising.

[Miffed22001]

do they still have places where you can play 5card draw live? Neat

Nahh it's pretty much dead. However, many of the concepts he lays out apply or can be adjusted for other poker games. A great discussion on table talk and advertising.

id better reread this then.

Out of interest fnord, what other books have given you insight?

[pokerlearner]

posts here in FTR. I came to this forum after i had already finished 2 books and feeling ready to take on the world ,
Didnt learn about Variance yet.

Reading numerous posts by plenty of intelligent posters here, their advice, their experiences, mental tenacity to ride out the downswings made me understand poker much more than what i have gathered from all other books combined.

but if i have to go by book , its the Small Stakes Holdem by Ed Miller (no big surprise there!!)

[loco]

sklansky "theory of poker" did a huge impact on my game as the first poker book i got my hands on and then phil gordons "little green book", which is way more awesome to read then top.

[sejje]

Small Stakes Hold 'Em for me.

It was my first introduction to the game. I read the whole book and didn't understand most of it, but I could understand the starting hand requirements. That chart made me a winner within a week.

Maybe a meager winner, but a winner nonetheless.

[2_Thumbs_Up]

My most influental poker book - The Theory of Poker.

Why? - It's the only one I've read so far.

[strawman]

Here is a question for this thread... I've read TOP about 6 times and I've read Catch-22 five times... I'm better at reciting Catch-22 than TOP... That being said, are there any books written since TOP that don't incorporate TOP?

[Dislexsik]

Sklansky Theory and Practise helped me alot.

[jackvance]

I just got approved to receive HoH volumes 1-3 for playing 1000 raked hands on unitbet - so soon I'll be reading my first poker book!! lol

I haven't been inclined so far to buy any poker books b/c FTR pretty much made me a winning player already and I'm always short on cash, so these free books come in handy.. and I'd also some day would like to read ToP since it seems like the kind of book for me.

[MiJ]

HOH1
SSHE
MLHE by bob ciaffone ..