Peruse Online Poker Book Reviews

Posted by Charles, June 23, 2013

If you're serious about improving your poker game, it might take a little bit more than just good old-fashioned practice. You might need to do your homework.

Have you considered reading books to improve your play? This might sound like a hassle, but poker literature could end up being a lot more engrossing than you thought, and it could provide you with a lot of useful tips that will help you win more money in the long run.

Consider the effect that reading could have on your play. If you're interested, leaf through some online poker book reviews and find the right book that works for you.

Here are a few tips as you search through the vast sea of poker literature out there.

Find the Right Book For You
Different poker books address different games at different levels. For example, Ed Miller's tome, "Small Stakes Holdem: Winning Big with Expert Play" is a treatise on playing low-stakes, fixed-limit poker. If that game's your cup of tea, you'll surely learn a lot. Meanwhile, Dan Harrington's "Harrington on Holdem" series is aimed directly toward tournament players who prefer no-limit. All poker books contain valuable nuggets of general gambling theory, to be sure, but if there's one specific game you specialize in, you should find the right book for you.

Learn More about New Concepts
Poker books are much like any other textbooks - they're loaded with bolded buzzwords that clarify important topics. If there's a key term that you've never thought about in great depth, you might want to consider it more. For example, if a book talks a lot about playing your position - being more aggressive with certain hands "on the button" versus "under the gun" - you should think more about how that strategy could impact your play. If there's a chapter on bluffing, semi-bluffing, chasing draws, slow-playing or some other strategy you're not too familiar with, then read up. You can learn more about foreign concepts in the best poker books.

Pay Close Attention to Examples
Often, poker books provide example hands so that you can "play along" and think about each decision from the player's perspective. These can be a valuable resource for you, enabling you to evaluate your play without putting any money on the line. Think about each element in the example hand description and how it affects your thinking.

For example: An example hand reads, "Your hand is the A-9 of hearts in middle position. The blinds are 100/200, and an aggressive player directly to your right raises to $650. You have $4,750 remaining."

Why does your position matter? Why does your opponent's? How much do you care that your hand is suited? Do you have a lot of money left behind, or a little?

If you can't answer these questions, read closer and think harder. All of these small elements matter.

Read, Re-read, Refer Back
Even if you've already read a poker book from cover to cover, it's never too late to refer back to a book and reread a section. After playing an especially difficult hand or session, you might want to give a particular chapter a second look in an effort to re-review how your reading has affected your play. Once you've bought and read a poker book, don't just discard it - keep it in your personal library, available to be referenced again at any time. You never know when the wisdom therein might come in handy.