Books on Poker Strategy

This is a poker strategy book that focuses on teaching winning concepts and strategies for two popular poker games: Big O and Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo (PLO8). The book is designed for players who are familiar with Texas Hold’em but want to expand their skills and knowledge to these high-low split games. It covers topics such as hand selection, reading opponents, pot odds, and bluffing, as well as specific strategies for playing Big O and PLO8. The goal of the book is to help Hold’em players transition to these games and improve their overall poker skills.

Play Poker Like the Pros is a comprehensive guide on how to play and win at modern poker games such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Razz. Even if you’re a novice who has never handled a deck of cards, Hellmuth’s book will guide you through the rules and setup of each game, followed by basic and advanced strategies. He instructs on when to play certain hands, bluff, raise, or fold, and offers techniques for reading opponents and maintaining composure under stress. The book also includes special sections on conquering online poker games and a behind-the-scenes look at tournament play. Hellmuth’s strategies are designed to help you triumph over any type of player, from the unpredictable Jackal and the overzealous Elephant, to the conservative Mouse and the skilled Lion.

This book achieves for hold’em what “Super System 2” by Doyle Brunson accomplished for poker. Daniel Negreanu compiles insights from the most outstanding young players, theorists, and world champions in hold’em, offering insider secrets and winning strategies for the most relevant poker game today – hold’em. The book spans ten comprehensive chapters, addressing every facet of the major hold’em formats – limit, no-limit, and pot-limit, across both cash games and tournaments, providing detailed exploration on all aspects of gameplay. This has become an instant classic, as poker players cannot afford to overlook the professional guidance provided by the game’s leading stars.

This essential guide presents winning strategies and professional secrets from the world’s leading poker players, including Phil Helmuth, who holds the record for the most World Series championships; Daniel Negreanu, a four-time bracelet winner; Johnny Chan, a two-time World Champion and winner of ten bracelets; Mike Caro, known as the “Mad Genius of Poker”; Jennifer Harman, the top female player in the world; Todd Brunson; and Crandell Addington, a legend in no-limit poker. These insights are shared by some of the most successful players in the game.

This book explores theories and concepts relevant to almost every version of poker, including five-card draw (high), seven-card stud, hold ’em, lowball draw, and razz (seven-card lowball stud). It presents the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, its implications, and its impact on your gameplay. Additional chapters cover the importance of deception, bluffing, raising, slow-play, position, psychology, heads-up play, game theory, implied odds, the free card, and semibluffing. Many leading poker players credit this book for significantly improving their game. Essentially, it distinguishes expert players from average ones. Those who read and study this book will outpace those who don’t, with most serious players frequently referencing their well-worn copies. It’s hailed as the finest book on poker ever written.

Lou Krieger and Sheree Bykofsky provide the definitive guide to resolving any poker argument, standstill, or face-off, answering hundreds of tough questions, such as the minimum raise in a no-limit game, betting and raising with a single chip, cutting deals at the final table, and players’ rights to see the winning hand. The book serves as a comprehensive poker bible, featuring rules for all major games, an easy-to-use index, handy charts, and anecdotes from dealers, players, and poker room staff worldwide about real-life arguments and their resolutions, allowing readers to focus on what truly matters—winning.

The Little Book of Poker Tips is filled with advice that could transform you into The Cincinnati Kid. The fascination of America with all forms of poker, both online and in reality, appears to be boundless. In this book, successful strategies are dissected, secrets are unveiled, bluffs are exposed, and victories are achieved.

Pot-Limit Omaha is quickly gaining traction in the poker world, thanks to the ongoing poker boom. Despite its growing popularity, players have found it challenging to find comprehensive advice on mastering this intricate game. “Secrets of Pot-Limit Omaha” emerges as a pioneering guide, diving into the strategies of medium and high-stakes PLO with unprecedented clarity. This book unveils critical strategies previously unpublished. It covers a wide array of topics essential for PLO success, including a novel short-stack strategy, adjustments for playing with a larger stack, optimal bet sizing, strategic seating, the use of blockers, executing the bare ace bluff, and leveraging opponents’ weaknesses. Additionally, it provides valuable theoretical and practical insights through practice hands and hand match-up analyses. This book is indispensable for anyone aiming to excel in Pot-Limit Omaha.

This book contains everything you need to know about starting and finding a game, running your home game, and the necessary equipment. It also covers home poker etiquette, basic poker strategy and tactics, and how to organize home poker tournaments. It even discusses the business aspect of house games. You’ll learn about spits, buys, wild cards, royalties, side bets, forced betting, chip declare, and over 75 poker variations, including variations on those variations! Additionally, it provides guidance on dealing with cheats, credit, shies, split pots, spouses, and legal issues.

The book offers a comprehensive guide for micro- and small-stakes players, as well as advanced strategies for online short-handed games up to 100NL. This book covers over 50 proven tactics, from winning pots without premium hands to crushing opponents with simple adjustments, handling downswings, and calculating odds on the fly. It reveals secrets to becoming a self-made millionaire through poker, effective bluffing techniques, and methods to dominate tables from the moment you sit down. Applicable in various settings from Las Vegas casinos to home games, The Poker Blueprint demonstrates that crushing poker doesn’t require advanced math or a high IQ – just the right strategies.

The surge in popularity of Texas hold ’em has revolutionized the game’s dynamics. More individuals are now proficient at the game, and even the risk-taking players have become more assertive, making them tougher opponents. Consequently, a simple, patient strategy no longer assures substantial earnings in high-stakes games, particularly in short-handed games that are gaining popularity online. This text is the first to address the intricate challenges of playing high-stakes, short-handed limit hold ’em. However, even if you only participate in less competitive games, the key concepts discussed will still enhance your gameplay against skilled opponents. The book, Winning in Tough Hold ’em Games, provides an in-depth analysis of pre-flop play, including strategies like blind stealing, isolating a loose player, and blind defense. It also covers post-flop heads-up play and semi-bluffing. Moreover, it includes a discussion on the strategy involved in over 50 hands from high-stakes online games played by “Stoxtrader”.

The field of poker theory is evolving into a more complex and mathematical domain, making it increasingly difficult for the average person to grasp. Philip Newall’s book, The Intelligent Poker Player, seeks to make sophisticated poker strategies more understandable to the general public by using clear language. It offers a comprehensive method that can be applied to various poker games, with a focus on limit and no-limit hold ’em. Notably, it’s the first to explore the burgeoning area of poker-playing robots, analyzing the advanced play of top-tier computers in heads-up limit hold ’em. Moreover, recognizing the uncertainties of a professional poker career, Newall includes guidance on minimizing risks through strategic financial and psychological management. This includes chapters on diverse topics from game strategy to financial planning, aiming to equip players with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of professional poker.

In this unique poker book, two-time World Poker Tour champion Jonathan Little presents 50 hand examples from small stake, fast-structured No Limit Hold’Em tournaments – the most common game played by his students. Many poker players start their journey in low buy-in events at local casinos or online poker rooms, often losing significant amounts of money due to a lack of optimal strategy. Little, who has over $5,000,000 in live tournament winnings, aims to help players transform their game and quickly move up to high-stakes games, even with a limited bankroll. By studying the 700+ individual situations presented across Volumes 1-14, readers will learn how to make optimal decisions effortlessly during the heat of battle at the poker table. This book is an invaluable resource for players looking to improve their skills and increase their profits in small stake tournaments.

Ever pondered the thought process of a poker champion when a massive bet threatens his tournament survival? Jonathan Little, a two-time World Poker Tour Champion with over $6,000,000 in career winnings, shares his strategic insights. He not only reveals how he won $22,678 in the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event but also explains the rationale behind each critical move in 54 specific hands. This book, structured as a quiz, challenges you to reassess your standard poker strategy and modify it significantly based on your opponents’ habits. By scrutinizing your choices, you can enhance your poker skills and boost your table earnings. The book also provides details on how to access Jonathan’s Tournament Cheat Sheet.

18 of the world’s top no-limit experts, including big names like Phil Hellmuth, Chris Moneymaker, Mike Sexton, and Jared Tendler explore every facet of the game in depth. Part 1 focuses on strategies such as mastering the basics, satellite play, lower-buy in events, reading tells, and advancing in stakes. Part 2 provides a comprehensive technical dissection of the game, covering range analysis, optimal game theory play, short stack strategies, value betting, and final table play. Part 3 addresses the psychological aspects of the game, including mental toughness and understanding tilt, which are as crucial as the technical skills. Excelling at No-Limit Hold’em is a comprehensive guide for anyone serious about improving their poker game.

Unlock the secrets behind Paul Ratchford’s incredible winrate as he shares his unique ideology and, more importantly, demonstrates how to apply these strategies to enhance your own performance. This book is packed with real-world examples and practical applications, but its primary goal is to deepen your understanding of No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE). By the end, you’ll be equipped to continue growing and adapting as a player long after you’ve turned the final page.

This book is designed to help both beginners and those with some experience elevate their game. Shulman offers quick, effective tips through fifty-two succinct, impactful chapters. These chapters cover the optimal strategies for a variety of common and crucial situations encountered in the game. Readers will discover the right hands to play in different positions, learn to adjust their play based on their stack size compared to others at the table, and much more.

Quantum Poker is the premier poker strategy guide that accurately defines optimal in-game decisions using innovative methods. This book integrates basic and advanced concepts into The Unified Theory of Poker replacing the standard poker term Expected Value, with a more precise term,  Average Enumerated Value. Although most examples are in NLHE, Quantum Poker is uniquely crafted to enhance your overall game. It covers everything from hand range and combinatorial analysis to equity distribution by street, equipping you with the essential tools to maximize your poker potential.

The world’s top poker players share their expert advice on mastering various poker styles such as tournaments, cash games, no-limit, limit and pot-limit hold’em, Omaha (high-low and PLO), 7-card stud (razz, high-low), and triple draw in the book Superstars of Poker. The book features strategies and secrets from poker legends like Doyle Brunson, known as the greatest poker player and the Godfather of Poker, and Phil Helmuth, who holds the record for the most WSOP championships. Other contributors include Daniel Negreanu, a 6-time bracelet winner and author, Lyle Berman, founder of the World Poker Tour, Bobby Baldwin, Johnny Chan, Mike Caro, Jennifer Harman, Todd Brunson, and Crandell Addington.

Mastering all the skills of poker, including hand selection, playing position, image projection, and hand reading, is essential to becoming an expert. However, many players who have these skills still struggle, especially when playing against superior opponents. The key is not just having the skills, but effectively integrating them. This book will demonstrate that winning at poker requires strategic thinking and a systematic approach to the game.

Many poker players often make good decisions, but even experienced ones have predictable habits that lead to mistakes. These situations don’t often occur naturally; you have to create them. “Exploitative Play in Live Poker” teaches you how to create situations where opponents are likely to blunder and how to exploit them. This requires abandoning traditional strategies and adopting new concepts that may push you and your opponents out of your comfort zones. Learn strategies like countering the auto-continuation-bettor and developing a powerful donk-betting strategy.

The popularity of poker remains high, fueled by the World Poker Tour, ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker, the Celebrity Poker Tour, and more upcoming coverage. Warren’s book includes a special section on tournaments and Internet play, providing a comprehensive approach for readers. Warren focuses on strategies and plays needed to win money in current games. He addresses the most relevant questions from his readers, teaching them how to maximize their earnings, use their position to their advantage, adjust to opponents’ playing styles, and make smart percentage plays. The book includes numerous charts, real hand examples, and illustrations.

A comprehensive guide catering to both novice and experienced poker players. It covers a wide range of essential topics, from the basics of the game to advanced strategies employed by poker legends. The book offers valuable insights on reading opponents’ behaviors, proper table etiquette, and understanding poker terminology. It also includes tips on identifying aggressive players and avoiding financial pitfalls. Additionally, the guide provides a useful glossary of poker jargon and features an extensive list of top casinos across the UK, Europe, and the US, making it an all-encompassing resource for anyone looking to improve their poker skills and knowledge.

52 Things To Pick Up Your Poker Game offers over 50 tips and strategies to improve your poker skills, whether you’re a beginner or a pro. This guide helps you learn bluffing techniques, strategies for non-winning hands, how to choose opponents, determine their hands, and exploit their weaknesses and your strengths.

A guide that covers all the essential poker games, including the popular Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Stud, and Five-Card Draw, as well as more unique variations like Baseball (and Night Baseball), High-Low, Roll Your Own, Guts, and High/Low Chicago. The book is packed with insider tips to help players elevate their game, such as reading opponents’ bluffs, identifying bluffers, analyzing the game, and deciphering poker slang, making it an indispensable resource for both novice and experienced players looking to dominate their Monday night poker games.

Small stakes no-limit hold ’em games present a lucrative opportunity due to the prevalence of less skilled players. However, many players, including those accustomed to higher stakes, often fail to maximize their winnings by not adjusting their strategies effectively. While a solid, aggressive approach can yield profits, truly dominating these games requires a willingness to deviate from conventional poker wisdom and take calculated risks at crucial moments. In “Mastering Small Stakes No-Limit Hold ’em,” Jonathan Little offers a roadmap to crushing these games. He outlines a foundational strategy and emphasizes the essential adjustments needed to counter more skilled opponents. This book is an indispensable resource for anyone who frequently plays small stakes no-limit hold ’em, occasionally drops down from larger stakes, or participates in tournaments with a significant proportion of recreational players.

This unique book is based on a decade-long experience with over 1000 students. Fitzgerald’s method, focusing on generic poker situations, proves that winning at poker requires hard work and understanding, not talent. The book offers a fresh model of poker, a comprehensive understanding of poker tools, and debunks common misconceptions among experienced players. To excel at poker, you need this book, not talent.

This comprehensive and authoritative book stands as the ultimate guide to poker, offering an exhaustive exploration of the beloved American game. From detailed explanations of each variant’s rules to advanced strategies for mastering the odds, Albert Morehead, who has penned over 70 books on card game rules and strategies, has significantly demystified the path to victory, asserting that “Poker is a game of skill. If you aren’t beating the game, you’re being outplayed.” Success in poker hinges not on luck but on the right mindset, sound judgment, and honed skills—all of which can be learned.

This comprehensive gaming guide is a must-have for serious biweekly or monthly poker players looking to elevate their game. The book dedicates entire chapters to essential topics such as calculating probabilities, estimating odds, mastering the art of bluffing and detecting bluffs, and reading opponents’ down cards. With clear, concise writing and helpful illustrations throughout, this instructional book offers valuable insights and strategies that players of all skill levels can benefit from. Whether you’re a beginner looking to build a solid foundation or an experienced player seeking to refine your techniques, this guide provides the tools and knowledge needed to succeed at the poker table.

Game theory isn’t just for elite poker players. In Play Optimal Poker, pro poker player and coach Andrew Brokos demystifies game theory, teaching you how to apply its principles to real poker situations. Regardless of your stakes or game type, this book offers new strategies to help you handle any poker scenario. Learn to use game theory concepts like equilibrium and indifference, make everyday poker decisions, build ranges, profit from aggression and passivity, and exploit common mistakes.

Chris Moorman, also known as Moorman1, is the most successful online poker player in history. He has analyzed over 100 tournament hand histories played by co-author Byron Jacobs, a mid-stakes player. Through a coaching format, Chris explains the importance of hand reading in advancing one’s poker skills. Moorman1 was the first player to reach $10 million in online tournament winnings on PocketFives. He has also excelled in live poker, ranking in the Global Poker Index Top 10 and earning nearly $4 million in live tournament winnings. Chris Moorman has been featured on numerous televised final tables.

In Tournament Poker And The Art Of War, David Apostolico effectively applied traditional strategic principles to enhance his readers’ poker abilities. He now presents a poker guide inspired by the teachings of Niccolo Machiavelli, whose enduring tactical masterpiece, The Prince, serves as the catalyst for Apostolico’s assured instruction. Readers are taught to embrace the mentality of a strong leader, playing with discipline and foresight to take advantage of their opponents’ weaknesses and capitalize on their errors.

In Crushing Low Stakes Poker Volume 3, you’ll discover top strategies, tips, and tools to consistently win at low stakes hyper turbos. It covers the winning formula for hyper turbos, the five key mistakes to avoid and exploit, how to make opponents fold with two levels of aggression, and a single technique that can outplay your competition. The book primarily focuses on 6-max, a popular hyper turbo format, but also includes general hyper turbo strategy, making it useful for heads-up and 9-man players.

Contrary to some beliefs, hyper turbos are not just about luck. Sharkscope’s leaderboards reveal many players earning consistent profits from hyper turbos. Some poker pros even play hyper turbos exclusively. The games are quick, allowing more games per hour. Rakeback and volume are two main reasons why hyper turbos are profitable. Particularly at low stakes, the competition is weak, making hypers one of the best games for earning money in poker.

This book offers concise, actionable information that you can immediately apply at the poker tables. It’s easy to read and includes helpful example hands that demonstrate various strategy concepts. An exclusive video course detailing how to play each stage of a low stakes hyper turbo is also included. Ready to discover the profitability of hyper turbos? Purchase the book and start winning today!

Eileen Sutton, a passionate poker enthusiast and contributor to Card Player magazine, presents “The Total Poker Manual,” an all-encompassing guide to the world of poker. This comprehensive manual covers everything from the fundamentals of popular variants like Texas Hold’em, Draw, and Stud, to advanced strategies for consistent success at the tables. Alongside in-depth strategic content, the book features captivating poker stories, insightful Master Class articles from renowned experts, and practical advice for playing in various settings, including online platforms, casinos, and home games. With contributions from esteemed players such as Vanessa Selbst, Linda Johnson, and Matt Matros.

This is an advanced poker guide, written in a conversational style to help players improve their game. It covers a range of topics including poker psychology, money management, and personal issues. The book offers a unique perspective on high-stakes poker from Barry Greenstein, a poker player who won seven tournaments between 2003 and 2004. Known as the Robin Hood of Poker, Greenstein has donated nearly $3 million of his winnings to charity. The book also includes a unique play-by-play section for readers to test their skills.

Initially, due to their unfamiliarity with the game, participants could be easily defeated by moderately knowledgeable players. However, this is no longer true today. Many mathematical concepts and ideas now significantly contribute to a successful no-limit hold ’em strategy, despite the game not being solved from a Game Theory perspective. It’s crucial for a skilled player to know when to deviate from optimal play and adopt exploitative strategies for maximum profit. Janda’s text extensively discusses these advanced strategies to be used against formidable opponents.

Total Poker explores the analysis, clever tactics, and inspired bluffing that are essential to the game, but ultimately, winning at poker is a “psychological decision” made by each player, as the author maintains. Luck evens out for everyone, rendering the concept of “good cards” or “bad cards” meaningless. This book, packed with stories about the application of poker to life in general, explores the game’s history, culture, techniques, strategies, rules, and probabilities.

The Mammoth Book of Poker is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide that enables even beginners to start winning at home, in casinos, in tournaments, and online. Written by leading card games author Paul Mendelson, this invaluable new guide is packed with top tips to help you understand your chances, appreciate the percentages, and master the odds that your hand improves.

This book enhances the reader’s understanding of no-limit hold’em by focusing on a few key themes, rather than providing a simplistic and familiar approach to the basics. It covers the importance of planning ahead in no-limit hold’em, when and why to switch between an optimal and exploitive strategy, understanding the differences between deep-stacked and short-stacked play, and offers the most comprehensive examination of no-limit bet sizing to ever appear in print.

Being a successful poker player involves much more than just mastering the game’s technical aspects. While playing good poker is a skill that can be learned, achieving consistent success requires expertise in various other fields. Jacobs, who has been a successful online poker player for seven years, shares his insights in this book. He explains how to achieve success, emphasizing that much of the work must be done away from the poker table. This book is essential for anyone who already plays a decent game of poker but aims to join the elite group of players who consistently perform well. Jacobs outlines precisely how this can be accomplished, highlighting the importance of skills beyond just playing a good game.

A comprehensive guide that takes you from poker basics to mastering various game types, including cardroom, casino, home, and online play. “The Big Book of Poker” covers everything from competing in local tournaments to multi-million dollar televised events like the World Series of Poker, with a focus on hold’em in all its forms, including no-limit games. Warren imparts valuable strategies on betting, raising, check-raising, bluffing, semi-bluffing, and leveraging position and pot odds. The book also serves as a comprehensive glossary of poker terminology, both common and obscure. Suitable for players of all skill levels, from novices to professionals, this resource is packed with charts, diagrams, examples, and colorful insights into the game, providing readers with the knowledge and skills needed to hold their own against tough competition and ultimately succeed at the poker table.

The author has packed a lot of information into this book, designed for both beginning and seasoned players, covering seven-card stud and hold’em. The subtitle, “The Four Basic Rules and Strategies for Winning at the Game of Poker,” is covered in the second chapter. The remaining chapters include “Poker Strategies for How to Win More Often and Win More $,” “Poker Strategies for Special Situations,” “Rules and Strategies for Texas Hold’em,” “The Psychology of Poker” (also the title of Epstein’s first book), “Making an Allowance for Recommendations for Tipping/Showing Your Appreciation,” and “For Seniors: Playing Poker for Fun, $, and Good Health.” Special chapters have been contributed by Dr. Daniel E. Abrams. On the cover, Epstein states, “Play by these four simple basic rules and the strategies, and you will come away a winner most of the time — perhaps three out of four sessions or more.”

Winning at poker requires mastering specific attitudes and habits, not just playing well. Dr. Schoonmaker, a poker expert, explains the key skills needed to win, including risk and information management, discipline, decision-making, focus, information control, emotional reaction control, and decisiveness. By learning these skills, you can play confidently and win more often. Dr. Schoonmaker, a Ph.D. holder in psychology from UC Berkeley, is a distinguished author and columnist with teaching and research experience at UCLA, Carnegie-Mellon, and Belgium’s Catholic University of Louvain. He resides in Las Vegas.