On Poker: Starter book recommendations for beginners

Chuck Blount - Express-News

The first poker book I ever purchased is now a rather anonymous book written by Ken Warren titled “Winner's Guide to Texas Hold 'Em Poker.”

This was before the full onslaught of the poker boom, and I remember going to a Borders book store and having a very difficult time finding it. The poker section was mixed in with other game books such as blackjack, roulette and backgammon, and when I found it, there were only about three or four different books to choose from. Doyle Brunson's famous book “Super System” was one of them, but the $40 price tag on it was a little more than I was willing to spend.

Now when you go to a large bookstore like Borders or Barnes and Noble, poker content will occupy it's own bookcase. It seems like everybody that's played a hand on television has his or her own book now.

And in a way, that's a bit of a problem. With such a large selection of books out there, it's a lot easier for young poker players to start out with the wrong book.

David Sklansky wrote one of poker's most influential books with the 1987 release of “Theory of Poker.” The book covers all of the principles and thought processes of the game, advanced play techniques and explains a lot of the math behind poker.

There's just one problem: the book is impossible for a novice player to read and understand.

I get a lot of e-mails from readers asking what types of books I would recommend for beginning players, and I always end up providing the same answers. Here are my top-five picks:

5. ‘Super System II' by Doyle Brunson: This updated book by Brunson, released in 2005, doesn't have the shock value of the original, and for players looking for starter information in a variety of different games, this is the pick. The 15 chapters cover six different poker disciplines and Crandell Addington's chapter on the history of no-limit Hold 'Em is a very entertaining read.

Each of the chapters on games such as Triple Draw, pot-limit Omaha and limit Hold 'Em, etc. are written by the game's foremost authorities such as Jennifer Harmen, Daniel Negreanu and Todd Brunson. Doyle handles all of the no-limit entries for obvious reasons — he's the king.

4. ‘Poker: The Real Deal' by Phil Gordon: Gordon's a natural conversationalist, which made him a great fit in his commentating run on his television show “Celebrity Poker Showdown.” When you read this book it feels like Gordon is sitting on the stool next to you in a local pub shooting the breeze.

You come away from this book with a really well rounded knowledge about the game. It doesn't get extremely deep in the strategy, but it does develop the poker mind-set.

3. ‘Winners Guide to Texas Hold 'Em Poker' by Ken Warren: Maybe I'm biased because this was my first book, but Warren does a fantastic job of identifying stupid plays vs. winning ones. The book has charts that rank the top-40 hands based on earning power, and provides multiple hand examples in a variety of different scenarios.

After giving this book a second reading recently, it does advocate a safer and less aggressive playing style, but that's not necessarily a bad way for a novice player to approach the game.

2. ‘Online Ace' by Scott Fischman: Millions of players play online poker, many of them exclusively. Fischman's tips for adjusting to the online environment make for strong reading, and the book contains strategies for beating all forms of poker in an easy-to-read format.

1. ‘The Little Green Book of Poker' by Phil Gordon: Yes, it's a little unfair to give one author two books on a top-five list, but “The Little Green Book” expands upon the ideas presented in Gordon's first book and has established itself as one of the must-have tournament poker books for any player regardless of experience.

News Added: 18 September, 2008

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