11 Poker books every player should read

Recreational

1-Theory of poker, by David Sklansky

David Sklansky and its The Theory of Poker is the most popular poker book by far. 

The Theory of Poker is great because the fundamentals taught can be applied to any game, and his chapter on The Fundamental Theorem of Poker is one of the most famous of all time.

This book introduces you to raising, the slow-play, the value of position, psychology, heads-up play, game theory, implied odds...and many other concepts. David Sklansky is considered one of the best professional players ever and this book will teach you how to think as one of them. 

Many of today's top poker players will tell you that this is the book that really made a difference in their play. Buy it now.

2-Super System Deluxe, by Doyle Brunson

Considered to be the bible of poker, when it was published in 1979 this book caused many irritations between many professional poker players contemporaries to Brunson that saw how their strategies were exposed and hence, no longer valid.

Despite poker having widely evolved from then and many of these books strategies are a bit outdated, Super System Deluxe contains a wide range of games straight taken from the minds of some of the greatest players in the history, that for sure, will help you to a deep understand of the foundations of the game itself. You will also find basic explanation about odds, probabilities and a wide propabilities table, to me your beginnings in poker, much more easier and thoughtful. Available here.

3-Hole Card Confessions, by Owen Gaines

This is one of the best books existing in handreading and different types of range in Texas Hold’em. Although there are many books mentioning these subjects, this books has one of the bests and most intuitive explanation of range based thinking and gathers all the information you need to know and actually teaches you how to value your hand against an opponent's range.

The is a very well written and very easy to read book that will help your understanding. Its good analysis will help your game to reach the next level. 

We recommend it for recreational players who already understand the basis of Texas Hold'em. Get it here.

Medium

4-Harrington on Hold’em, by Dan Harrington Vol. 1

This book has been listed as the most influential book in poker history by a group of 56 very able and willing judges from 12 different countries, over $184 million in combined live tournament earnings and more than 40 major titles, as per a recent survey that 888 has taken.

Harrington's book will give you a deeper insight of your situation in all the stages of every single hand: hand reading, odds and outs of the pot, different approach depending on the turn or the river and finally he makes you realize there are always different alternatives, but he emphasizes the benefits/consequences of them all. 

You will surely enhance your poker game after reading this book. Get it here.

5-Every Hand Revealed, by Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen, wrote this book when he was at the peak of his poker career, riding high on the success of his third World Poker Tour win. In this book Hansen keeps a note of every hand that lead him to win the 2007 Aussie Millions Main Event.

It is not an strategy book but a quite unconventional one that allows you to get in a poker professional and get to know how he thinks and why he took the decisions he took.  

The Great Danish, explains every hand separately, stressing a lot statistics and odds behind every hand. He also offers quite a lot reflextions on strategy, as different type of games based on low/high "ante" and how the lowest proportion between small blind and ante, the bigger the pot is. Get your book here.

6-Professional No Limit Hold’em Vol. I

Publised in 2007, it is one of the best books you will find about No Limit Holdem written by recognised online and offline players such as Matt Flynn, Sunny Metha and Ed Miller.

The book approaches poker in a very practical way, going in depth in the basic pilars a professional player must command properly: odds and outs, range-equity, SPR or stack-to-pot-ratio, pot control, the REM Process and "The Commitment Threshold". Good stuff that will help you avoiding big mistakes. 

You will learn how to think like a professional with many hands thoroughly explained. Get your copy here!

Advanced

7-Applications of No-Limit Hold'em, by Matthew Janda

We recommend this book for already advanced players that they want to become even better. Very updated it is considered a guide on current professional game of poker.Best book to go in depth in concepts such as GTO, (Game Theory Optimal or most suitable game against every opponent) and range equity calculation. The book also illustrate a very different range of scenarios and explains mathematically most suitable game for each situation.

Although it does lean heavily on the mathematical side, the language used makes it very accessible for those who aren't fans of numbers and equations. In short, it's well worth the money and will add a lot of depth to your all round game. Don't miss it. 

8-Reading poker tells, by Zachary Elwood

Considered for many the best books int “poker tells” of the market. This book will help you to develop architectural frameworks in your mind to be able identifying different behaviours that altogether could help you to spot when your opponent is more likely to be lying. 

You will also learn to avoid giving tells to your opponents that might blow up your strategy.

It paid for itself the very first read I noticed during a cash game. It's simple, to the point, well organized and informative. Get your copy here.

9-Let there be range, by Cole South & Tri Nguyen

It is definitely one of the most legendaries poker books ever written. Its astronomical prize, amongst many other things, has contributed to make this book a "prohibitive" book and a classic at the same time.

This book was revolutionary when it was released because it was the first to correctly demonstrate how to do EV calculations against a range of hands. That information is widely available now however so the book is not really worth so much today. At the time of release though it was worth that much to mid stakes professionals looking to improve their strategies.We highly recommend you read it if you happen to bump into a copy of it, no matter the format. Amazon is selling it at the moment for $1596,57.

Psychology

10-The Poker Mindset, by Ian Taylor and Matthew Hilger

The Poker Mindset is the go-to book for professional poker players struggling to keep a lid on a broad range of emotional and mental issues affecting their game in a negative sense.

It is not an strategy book but a book aimed to lay bare the secrets of correct attitudes and concepts that ensure you have the optimal emotional, psychological, and behavioral framework for playing superior poker. Strongly recommended for regular and professional players who will surely identify themselves in different examples and approaches. identificar e interiorizar todo el contenido.

Get your copy here.

11-The Mental Game of Poker 2, by Zachary Elwood

The mental game may be more important in poker than in any other form of competition.This is why this book is so important to have certain knowledge of psychological procedures we go through. In this book you'll find simple instructions and proven techniques to permanently fix problems such as tilt, handling variance, emotional control, confidence, fear, and motivation. With the games getting tougher, now is the time to take these problems head on. 

Recommended to everyone who is starting to take poker more seriously, and wants to become a professional. Get the Mental Game here.