I really like reading about poker and gambling. I enjoy both the stories and books on how to play poker. Much like my books on candy and chocolate page, I thought I would share my thoughts about those books on my web site. So here they are. There's links to Amazon so you can read more or order the book.
Quicklinks to reviews on this page (alphabetical order):
Ace on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide by Barry Greenstein
In many poker circles, Winning Low Limit Hold 'em by Lee Jones is considered the best book on low limit hold 'em. I'd agree that this is a darn good book. If you are just starting to play poker and you don't know the basics of poker, maybe it isn't for you. Lee Jones assumes the reader knows certain things about poker. But if you're like me...a low limit player who can't consistantly win...this book should help. Although I'm still under my break even point, I feel this book helped me and I see the situations the book talks about. It's just a matter of me taking advantage of those situations. Plus, it wasn't long ago I read it. So in the long run, I'm sure I'll show improvement to the bankroll because of this book.
A big thing I liked about this book was that it was written for low limit games. Low limit games are vastly different from high stakes games...from the people who play them to how they are played. This book centers on low limit games and how a lot of people play them. You'll learn what to look for and how to react and hopefully take advantage. Of course, there's no guarentee you're going to win every time. But keep applying what you read in this book, and you almost can't help but become a better player.
One more note...there is a 2nd edition of this book. If you decide to buy it at some point, make sure you pick up the second edition. There aren't a lot of changes, but there are some. UPDATE: There is now a third edition out which I haven't read yet. For information on the third edition, click the book to the right (although the link doesn't always work).
It's known as the bible of poker, it's Super/System by Doyle Brunson. "Texas Dolly" is a long time poker pro who wrote this book with several other pros back in the 70's. Basically, each pro wrote a section on what he was an expert on. Generally regarded as poorly written, the knowledge you will gain is tremendous.
I really can't write much of a review because when I got this book for Christmas, 2003, I had just started getting into poker and this book was waaaaaay over my head. Now that I've been playing for a little while, I can't wait to pick it up and read it (when I get the time).
He also has Super/System II out which is half update, half new book. I didn't have time to read the whole thing when I got it out of the library. From what I hear, the No Limit Hold 'em section is almost exactly the same. The Limit section is good, but too short (and somewhat deals with some pretty high limits). And there are some other poker games that you might not have heard of or may never come across (but I think it's good to learn new games). There is a section by Mike Caro about poker in general that I did enjoy reading. I've provided links below to both books.
Do you think Chris Moneymaker got lucky in the 2003 World Series of Poker? Read his book and find out what he thinks. I liked this book. Long title, but good book. Written with the help of Daniel Paisner, Chris isn't exactly the greatest author in the world. But that's not a concern with this book. This book is simply Chris telling you what it was like to play in the WSOP, plus the events that lead up to the tournament. And you really get the feeling that he is sitting next to you telling you the story.
Chris starts out telling you about hanging out with friends who bet on anything while growing up. That spread to sports betting when he went to college (he was up some $60,000 and lost it all in one day of college football bets) and his introduction to poker. He met his future wife, got a 'real' job, lost his real job, got another job and quickly got into debt (gambling and other debt like house payments, car payments, etc). After winning a $40 online tournament, he was playing for a seat at the 2003 WSOP. Chris was actually gunning for 4th place, which paid $8,000. He didn't think he would stand a chance against the pros in Las Vegas and wanted the cash instead of the free seat to the WSOP so he could pay some bills. A friend talked him out of it, he won his seat, and, well, you probably know the rest.
This book is an easy read and I really liked the way Chris described the action as he took his seat at the tournament and made his way through the field. This book probably won't teach you any poker skills as it's not an educational book. But it might give you some inspiration to buckle down and maybe see just how far you can take your poker skills.
This book was a little interesting. Not sure if I liked it or not. The book is part "how to", part "this is my life". And I think because of this, you get a little of something and a lot of nothing. The book follows Matt as he starts his poker career and, thanks to a postscript, ends with him winning $700,000 in a WPT event. In that regard, it is interesting as he gives you tips as he goes along. For example, I'm a small stakes Hold 'em ring game player. So I was interested in how he approached the game when he was at my level. And I did pick up some tips. But then he got into tournaments (which I don't play), and I started skipping around the book. Because he gives you tips throughout the book on different levels (ring and tournaments, different stakes), that's why I feel you get a little of something and a lot of nothing. He can't spend 200 pages on how to play low limit Hold 'em, then another 200 pages on single tabel tournaments, and so on. So you get a few tips on each level...a little of something. But not a full blown course on how to play at a particular level...a lot of nothing. It was interesting seeing him go from level to level and how he did it. You can see that, if you're good enough, you could follow a similar path. But don't buy this book if you are looking for a "How To Play" book.
On one hand, it's easy to feel bad for Stu Ungar. On the other hand, he had nobody to blame but himself. "One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey 'The Kid' Ungar, the World's Greatest Poker Player" is an excellent book and I can't recommend it enough. I'm not a huge reader, but this is one I found hard to put down.
It's the story of Stu Ungar, the kid from New York who was probably the greatest Gin player in the world. He was so good, literally nobody in the world wanted to play him. He either beat them or they refused to play. So, since he was a gambler, he had to find another game. And it was poker. And he was one of the best at that too.
As you read, you'll follow Stuey as he grew up with his bookie Dad and card playing Mom. His discovery of the card game Gin and of the poker rooms of New York. His love of action and the horses. He started getting so good at cards that nobody in New York wanted to play him. Plus, he was a little hard to get along with, and he started owing money to the wrong type of people. Combine those things and he had to look for a new place to play. So, he moved to Las Vegas.
The book details his rise as possibly the greatest poker player to live with three WSOP main event titles. And then it details the fall as he discovers drugs and suffers through massive losses on sports and horse betting, plus personal tragedies. Often when he was broke, other players would stake him. But soon, when he developed a drug habit, it was clear he was spending the money on drugs. Soon, nobody would back him. He had plenty of chances to clean up, and plenty of people willing to help him, but the drugs were too strong an addiction to break. It's estimated that Stuey won $30 million in his lifetime, but towards the end of his life, he was pennyless. Funds had to be raised to pay for his funeral.
This was a great book...and a sad book too. Hard to say what it would be like had Stu Ungar lived to see poker as popular as it is today.
I ended up reading this book twice. Was it because the book was so good? No...it was because I read it once before, forgot I read it, and ended up getting it out of the library again. Only when I started reading it again did I realize I read it before. Does that mean the book is no good since I couldn't even remember reading it in the first place? Not really.
It's a somewhat interesting book that is hard to describe. It kinda floats around from being autobiographical to giving general tips on how to play (nothing earth shattering....if you've been playing for a while, there's nothing new for you), to telling poker stories involving the author, to telling poker stories not involving the author. None of the stories are long or in depth, a few are interesting and comical.
I do like the pace of the book. It's a light book that meanders around...doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. A good book to keep around so you can pick it up and read a few pages here and there. A good book to have on the nightstand for those nights when you're not quite ready for bed. As an example, I actually finished the book (for the second time) while waiting for my car at the mechanics. I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it either.
This wasn't a bad book. A little different from the other books I read as the main subject of this book is to tell you what you need to know about playing a home poker game. It does branch out into other poker related subjects, but it doesn't really go into great detail about any one subject. More or less, it gives an overview and enough information that you can follow through on your own.
The book starts as most poker books do...with a quick rundown of the hand rankings. But it also starts in right away with some good tips on playing poker...playing with patience, observing others, and how to get your money in the pot when you have the best hand. It goes on to tell you how to set up a home game, how not to cheat yourself by buying cheap poker chips, how you can serve alchohol, but you yourself shouldn't drink any (so you don't lose your edge!), how to work the bank, and so on. He suggests some rules, although he always states that what he tells you isn't the hard and fast rules. The best home games evolve and change over time. But one thing I do like is how the author always makes it clear that all rules should be spelled out in the beginning so everybody knows the rules from the start.
He also goes over basic poker games (Hold 'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Draw) and basic variations (hi/lo, etc). And he also gives some brief strategy on each game. There's a few sections on the weird games you might come across (Pineapple, Baseball, etc) or might want to introduce to your home game. Towards the end of the book, the author branches out from the home game and discusses things like playing in a casino or poker room for the first time, and even touches briefly on online games (but this section is kinda small as he refers you to his book about online poker).
If you read this book, you're not going to learn all the secrets of poker. But you will feel more comforatable if you are like me...someone who is thinking of starting a home poker game but wasn't sure where to start.
This book is an easy recommendation. It's a very easy read of the history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Personally, I like reading about the old time poker players like Amarillo Slim, Johnny Moss, and Puggy Pearson, to name a few. They're all here and a lot of others as you learn how the WSOP came about. Basically, each chapter is about one year of the WSOP, from its meager beginnings in 1970 when it was just a small group of Texas road gamblers meeting up in Las Vegas, to 2004 and the 2,576 entrants (won by Greg Raymer). Read a brief history of Benny Binion and how the Horseshoe Casino was born. Plus, read how Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth burst on to the poker scene. You can't talk about the WSOP without Stu Ungar, and, Of course, Chris Moneymaker gets quite a few pages devoted to him.
But there's also side stories about Benny Binion and the whole Binion family, how there almost wasn't a 2004 WSOP, why they started the tradition of dumping the prize money on the table once it got heads up, how Puggy Pearson got the name puggy, and much more. If you want to learn the history of the WSOP, this is your book. Well done. By the way, if you're wondering why it's the "almost" entirely true story, there weren't any records of the early WSOP tournaments. So the authors had to go from the stories and tales told by the old time poker players, along with any kind of information to back things up as best they could.
Another good book about poker. Like the last couple poker books I read, this isn't a "how to" book. This book is about Texas banker Andy Beal and his quest to play heads up poker against the best pros he could find for the highest stakes he could find. It's an interesting read as it gives some background on Andy Beal, how he made his millions, his other projects he got deeply involved in, and how he became addicted to poker. Basically, he's the type of person who needs to be the best at whatever he does and he's turned into one of the best heads up poker players around. But it's interesting to see how he changed his game while adjusting to the pros...going back to Texas to work on his game after each match against the pros.
Of course, the book also covers the professional player's side of things. There's mini backgrounds on most of today's big poker players...Doyle Brunson, his son Todd, Jennifer Harman, Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer (the professor in the title of the book), and more. It's neat to be able to see how each side reacted to the matches, which were spaced out over a couple years.
The book follows the negotiations between Andy Beal and the pros. The pros would pull their money together and play against Andy, who put up his own money. Andy would constantly try to negotiate higher and higher limits, wanting to play $100,000/$200,000 limits!! Usually, the pros settled on $20,000/$40,000, but would often raise the stakes when they were winning.
I had heard about this book and was planning on reading it one day. But then Andy Beal returned to Las Vegas in early 2006 and the poker world was all abuzz. Rumor has it Phil Ivey won several million for the pros off Andy Beal. Because of all the buzz, I made sure that this book was the next one I read. I recommend it.
Poker writer Jay Greenspan considers himself a semi-pro player. But he's thinking of becoming a full time pro, playing the high limit games at the Commerce Casino in LA. In order to do that, he needs to pad his bankroll. So, he decides to leave his apartment in New York and drive to LA, stopping along the way at casinos, home games, and illegal underground poker rooms trying to get the bankroll needed to play at the higher levels. Does he make it? Read the book!
I liked this book. It's a quick, easy read. If you like the 'trip reports' that poker players are known to post in poker forums describing a live poker outing, you'll like this book. Each chapter is a stop on his 'tour'...places like Atlantic City, Foxwoods, Philadelphia, Georgia, Tunica, Dallas, Las Vegas, and more. He gives a brief poker history about each stop, lets us know what he's thinking at that point in his journey, and, of course, the colorful characters he comes across. He also describes the changes in his personality as he tries to go pro, and the thoughts he has about family life and being a pro (when the book was written, he was engaged). He also describes a few key hands from some of his sessions and his thought process in the hand. An interesting part of the book is when he thinks about the moral issue of seeking out poorer players to take their money and how he feels when he takes their entire stack in what he considers an unfair fight.
This book is not a how-to book. Although for me...someone who is trying to learn as much as I can...I did come away with some thoughts about how I play compared to his play. Obviously, if he's thinking about becoming a pro, he's much more advanced and playing much higher limits than me. But it was interesting seeing how he thought out some hands. I enjoyed this book and recommend it!
This book is often touted as one of the best poker books ever. I don't know if I would go quite that far. Published in 1983 and mainly centering on the 1981 WSOP, it's a time capsule look at poker in the early 80's. A world that was much different than poker in the 21st century. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy reading it. I just don't know if I would classify it as one of the best ever.
What I did enjoy was the glimpse into the poker world of 25 years ago. Some classic names are talked about, including Johnny Moss, Nick the Greek, Jack Straus, Stu Ungar, and of course, Doyle Brunson. Poker players were looked upon quite differently back then. It's funny to read about the amounts of money they were playing for which must have seemed so big in 1983, but are rather small by today's standards.
If you enjoy reading about poker history, you should pick up this book. If you are looking for a how-to book or one with stories about today's poker stars, skip this one.
It seems with this book, you either love it or hate it. Put me in the 'love it' group. First off, it's not your usual poker book. It's not a "how to" book, yet it is. What I mean is, it's not a how to book in as far as how to play poker. It's more of a how to conduct yourself in the poker world. Although he does present some strategy and some hand examples, a lot of what Barry Greenstein talks about is having the right attitude, dealing with poker and your family, the psychology of gambling, game theory, and more. All these things affect your poker game and need to be thought about. Barry does a good job in presenting this in short, easy to read chapters.
Barry does do some hand histories towards the end of the book. They are designed more like quizes. They're actual hands he has played...he sets them up and then presents several questions for you to answer. They're desinged to make you think a little. He also talks about his career and the poker society. And the book is filled with lots of beautiful pictures. I enjoyed this book and recommend it!
This book is often described as a tale of online poker addiction. And it is...sorta. It just takes a while to get there and doesn't spend a lot of time on the subject. But don't let my description stop you from reading this book...I really liked it a lot.
Author Martha Frankel describes her childhood (filled with gambling with her tight knit family and their friends) and tells us how she got involved with poker. It was research for a screenplay she was writing. But it became much more. She played in a regular Wednesday night poker game to learn the game, became obsessed, got really good, took a poker cruise, played in AC and LA, started doing less of her 'real' job (interviewing celebraties for magazines, and she was doing quite well) and started playing poker more. Then that fateful day when she learned you could play online...and she just couldn't win online. She lost quite a bit of money, pulled away from her friends and family (who she never told about her problem), and couldn't stop...constantly trying to win it back.
There's more to this book than just poker tales, and I'm OK with that. And when Martha Frankel talks about poker, rarely does she talk about specific hands. But she has a breezy style of writing and it was really a joy to read this book. I'm not much of a book reader...I'd rather play poker than read a book. But if you are a reader, you would probably finish this book in one or two nights. Highly recommend for a quick read.
Other books on poker you might want to check out: