Learning to play Texas Holdem: recommended books

I am a decent poker player. Sit me down with six other casual players and I will probably leave the table with money. Sit me down with six serious players and I will probably go broke.

Well, maybe not broke: I am usually smart enough to know when it is time to quit.

I do like to play Texas Holdem. It is a simple game to learn: each player gets two cards. There are five community cards dealt to be shared by all players. There is a betting round before any of those shared cards are dealt, after the first three (the "flop") are seen, after the fourth card (the "turn"), and after the final card (the "river"). You make your best poker hand using the community cards and none, one or both of your two cards.

A similar game is Omaha. You get four cards and are required to use two of them along with three of the community cards. In Holdem, if the community cards are four kings and an Ace, that's what all the players have. If the same thing happened in Omaha, nobody would have four kings and having a single Ace would not give you a full house. You must use two cards in Omaha.

Very simple, right? And yet, incredibly difficult to play well. They say Holdem takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. I definitely agree, and Omaha is every bit as difficult to master.

I like to play both of these games (I also like to play less serious poker). I play for fun, so it isn't critical that I win, but I am competitive, so I wanted to learn as much as I could. To that end, I bought a small pile of poker books.

Tournaments and Cash Games

You need to understand that Holdem is played both as tournaments and as cash games. Both types are shown on TV and both types are talked about in books, but the authors don't always make it clear which type they are talking about.

That is unfortunate, because the strategies for tournaments and cash games can be very different. If you read a book about tournament strategies and apply it to a cash game, you will not do well and vice versa. This is something most beginners and even some more experienced players miss.

Here are the authors I recommend.

Doyle Brunson "Super System" and "Super System 2"

Both of these have chapters by other authors, but the fame comes from Doyle. "Super System" was the classic Poker Book, read and praised by every serious player.

You need to read one or both of these. Doyle Brunson's chapter in each is pretty much the same in both and covers a style of poker that you will only see consistently played by people who have never read any other poker books. If you watch Doyle on TV, you will see that he doesn't always play this way either.

The main reason you need to read it is so that you will recognize those players who have only read this and be aware of how they are apt to react to more modern strategies. As a good player changes to adapt to the dynamics of the table, you also need to be able to play this way when it is appropriate.

The other chapters are interesting, but none of these players (including Doyle)  write well.  They know poker, but the writing can be difficult.

David Sklansky "The Theory of Poker"

Sklansky is a mathematician and some players find this book a little difficult. It is a rigorous and precise examination of odds in poker. It is not specifically about Holdem, but you will want to read this if you want to become a serious player.

Hate math? You are not going to be a serious player. I am sorry, but that is just reality.

David Sklansky "Tournament Poker for Advanced Players"

Again, heavy on math, but very good if you have played cash games but have not played in tournaments.

David Sklansky and Ed Miller "No Limit Holdem Theory and Practice"

This is a good book on cash and tournament No Limit Holdem. The authors usually make it very clear which they are talking about and why. Plenty of math, of course.

Daniel Negreanu "Power Hold'em Strategy"

This is for tournament play and is definitely not for beginners.

As mentioned above, most poker books aren't really written well. The authors aren't writers, and it shows.

Daniel Negreanu writes very well. Sure, you can understand the same ideas presented with bad grammar and clumsy sentences, but it's a lot more pleasant to read someone who actually can write.

Daniel is strong on math, but presents a far different style of poker ("small ball"). You need to understand how and when to play this way and of course how to recognize when other players are using this strategy.

Barry Greenstein "Ace on the River"

Barry Greenstein also can write. His book is about high stakes cash games, an arena few of us will ever enter, but is fascinating to read about. His direct honesty about the game and the large factor luck can play might convince you not to even try to reach that level of play.

I recommend this book both for its insights and because Barry is interesting by himself. He's called the Robin Hood of poker because he has donated millions from his poker winnings to charity. I think you should read this book because you'll enjoy it, not just because of what you can learn from it.

You need much more

If you read all these and understand them, you will know much more than most players at the table. You'll have the math skills from Sklansky and will have learned the aggressive style of early Brunson and the more subtle play of Negreanu. Greenstein's wisdom may have instilled a bit of common sense caution into you as well. You'll have a good basic poker education.

That alone won't make you a winning player. You need lots of practice, some innate skill, and yes, a little luck to be a sucessful No Limit Holdem Player.

07/31/2010 Anthony P. Lawrence