This list is heavily biased towards Texas Hold’em (No-Limit Hold’em more specifically), so if you play other poker games only some of these books will help you in a meaningful way. Other than that, I will structure this list going from general and older (somewhat outdated) books to ones that are more specific and modern (increasing difficulty).

Starting out

Theory of Poker (by David Sklansky)

This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys playing poker and wants to learn about the general mathematics behind it. It covers all the general poker concepts such as expectation (hourly rate of winnings), position, odds (pot, effective, implied, reverse), semi-bluffing, raising, check-raising, slowplaying and playing styles (loose and tight). It introduces the coined concept that is the “fundamental theorem of poker”. On top of that, it uses extensive examples for many different poker games that will help you focus more on the concept itself rather than on the particular hand in the example. Overall, this is a classic book that you should read as it will quickly and easily introduce you to most concepts in poker.

Book of Poker Tells (by Mike Caro)

I personally love this book. It doesn’t cover anything remotely related to how to play sound poker, but it will give you hints of the hand’s strength of your opponents when playing live poker. It’s a very interesting piece of literature and I found the read extremely enjoyable. If you like learning about body language, specially when it comes to poker, then this book is for you.

No Limit Hold’em Theory and Practice (by David Sklansky and Ed Miller)

This one follows after the book Theory of Poker, but only related to No Limit Hold’em. You could actually read this book instead of Theory of Poker if you are only interested in No Limit Hold’em (as I am), and you would be totally fine. It covers the same concepts and it’s also a great read, 100% recommended.

Getting on the fast track

You should definitly keep playing while learning to be a better player. Because of that I recommend 2 books that will limit some of your biggest mistakes in your early playing stages as a Texas Hold’em enthusiast.

Poker Math that Matters (by Owen Gaines)

Poker math that matters, which covers only No-Limit Hold’em, goes over how to easily (and quickly) calculate equities at the table against your opponent’s range and how to take advantage of these numbers. It also has plenty examples that showcase how to assess most of the situations you will ever encounter. This is a top pick if any beginner asks me for recommendations. You will stop making costly mistakes, such as calling a big bet with little to no equity in the hopes of hitting a hand. I won’t explain much more of the books as the reader is in for a treat with this book.

Practical Poker Math (by Pat Ditmar)

I present this book as an alternative to the previous one, although, in my opinion, not even close to being as good. It has a similar approach to calculating equities and playing hands. I like how it presents consolidated odds tables which can serve as a quick reference for odds and equities when reviewing hands, and it also covers Omaha Hi-Lo if you are into it (can’t give my opinion on this part of the book as I haven’t read it). I found it very dry.

##Detailed strategy books

Now we are heading into dangerous territory. The books that offer strategies that are more specific, tend to work well in some circumstances (low or mid stakes) but tend to fall apart at higher stakes, as there are some knowledge gaps. These books and playing styles were very profitable at most levels before the introduction of solvers and GTO play that we will cover later on, due to the fact that they lean towards exploitative play that worked well in a softer era of poker. These study only NLHE.

Easy Game (by Andrew “Beluga Whale” Seidman)

Both volumes were very successful and did very well for a long time. If you play only live poker you can still follow it’s teachings and make very good money. It inclines on an aggresive style of play that will make it harder for your opponents to make decisions. My favorite sections of the book are those that focus on how to create an image of yourself and exploit it. Despite the level of aggresiveness it is still (generally) very sound poker and it will increase your earnings when playing at the casino.

Professional NLHE (by Ed Miller)

I really liked the concepts this book focuses on. It starts with bet and stack sizes, then moves on to commitment and pot control and finally introduces the “REM” method. The REM method, and the book by extension, provides a tool to make decisions that will often put your hand in easy situations and avoid difficult spots, thus avoiding expensive mistakes. It sacrifices perfect play in exchange for not making any big mistakes ever, a pretty good deal if you ask me. In fact, if you don’t want to put too much effort into studying, I would just read Poker Math that Matters and this book. A must read book in my opinion, despite not being the most accurate.

Every Hand Revealed (by Gus Hansen)

Do not study this book, read it only as leisure. It contains many hands from a tournament explained by the guy who played them and won the tournament, Gus Hansen. Hansen was a very successful who had a loose-aggresive style which allowed him to make millions playing poker. Even though he made it very far, his style would not make it very far in today’s world. Still, the book is very entertaining and a good read on your free time.

Tournament books

Since I don’t play any tournaments I can’t guarantee that any of the following books is any good, they are just generally recommended and some of them seeem to have ocassionally good stuff here and there. None of these books cover ICM, which is a key concept in today’s tournament play, but they have similar ways of approaching the phases of a tournament.

  • Small Stakes Tournament Strategies (by Jonathan Little)
  • Harrington on Hold’em (outdated in my opinion)
  • Kill Everyone (by Lee Nelson), read this preferably over Harrington’s books

GTO poker

GTO stands for game theory optimal and it is the foundation for modern poker. If you want to become the best of the best you have to know GTO and therefore when to deviate from GTO play to maximise profits The books presented were the cornerstone of what is known today, but they contain practical (not conceptual, in most cases) mistakes. So you should lean towards using solvers at this point if you want to become a high stakes pro player.

The Mathematics of Poker (by Bill Chen)

The book that changed the history of poker. It layed the ground and took the first steps in studying Nash equilibria applied to poker. This is a math-heavy book. It’s not easy at all for most people and I would only recommend it to those who really like math and who would like to see where all this GTO came from. It’s still a great read and I liked it a lot, but it will lift heavy mind barriers for those who are not good at math.

Applications of NLHE (by Matthew Janda)

This was to NLHE what The Mathematics of Poker was to poker in general. It takes a big leap in GTO applied to NLHE and showcases examples of play justified only by GTO. This book will change how you think about hands, and it can greatly impact your winnings if you are playing high stakes. It does have mistakes but the concepts it introduced to the general public are extremely valuable and shaped today’s greatest players. Janda’s second book, NLHE for Advanced Players, revises many concepts and corrects many mistakes, but the approach is much more pratical and useful for the reader that wants to quickly implement what he has learnt. After reading this book you will go buy a solver to try and beat those at the top.

Expert Heads Up NLHE (by Will Tipton)

An ofter overlooked gold mine that also covers GTO play. It has way less mistakes than Janda’s books and it contains many amazing GTO conclusions. Expert Heads Up NLHE is comprised of two volumes, the first one focusing more on the basics and the second one focusing on multistreet play and putting it all together. My favorite read and my number 1 recommendation to any aspiring pro.