Recommended Reading - How to Play Holdem Poker Online for Beginners

Recommended Reading

How to Play Poker Online for Beginners understands the dilemma you are up against when faced with the overwhelming holdem poker literature on the market today. There is so much literature targeted towards the holdem poker player, how would anyone really know where to begin? Should you read the No Limits books, which ones? What about Limit holdem? When I first started my holdem education there was relatively little direction for the beginning player, and most bookstores had a limited selection. Completely different than what you see today at a Barnes & Noble or any other major book outlet. So the following list is geared towards some books that will give you a solid foundation on poker theory on which you can build. You don't need to be concerned with the structure (limit versus no limt) at this point. The important thing is to grasp the philosophy and concepts presented in each publication. To be successful in holdem poker (and poker games in general) you need to be more focused on the big picture, the philosophy and theory, and the necessary thought process than the specifics of how you should play a specific situation. It is more important to understand WHY you need to have tight starting hand requirements than to know specific information like "you shouldn't play Q4 off suit UTG". This is because, if you know why tight starting hand requirements are profitable you will innately understand that playing Q4 off suit or J6 off suit UTG is poor, weak, and losing poker play.

On to the list...

The Theory of Poker – David Sklansky:

This is one of the most definitive works on poker and game theory available. It is complex for sure, but the concepts presented are second to none. He explains key poker concepts in detail that you don't find in many other writings - such as EV (Expected Value). Mastering the idea presented in this book will take your game to another level.

The Poker Player’s Bible – Lou Krieger

This is a great book for someone just beginning to get their feet wet in the holdem poker arena. He gives great advice to the beginner and the information is very well organized with good illustrations. It is more of a reference book than a book on poker theory, but for foundational poker knowledge this is a great book.

Winning Low Limit Hold’em – Lee Jones

Quite possibly the best book written for the low limit poker player. It is not as long as other poker books but the information is all there. I always recommend that beginning poker players learn limit holdem first before they move on to the no limit structure. Nothing will teach the fundamentals of holdem that are imperative in other structures or reinforce winning poker concepts like limit holdem does. And, no one writes about it better than Lee Jones.

Small Stakes Hold’em – David Sklansky

Another excellent book by Sklansky (they all are, you just can't go wrong with a Sklansky book). It is similar to the Lee Jones book in that it discusses low limit holdem play and reinforces many of the same concepts, however this is a more in depth look at the behind the scenes working of holdem. I consider it a workbook of sorts that I will use when breaking down and examining my poker play.

No Limit Texas Hold’em – Tom McEvoy & Brad Daughtery

This is the only book on the list that targets no limit holdem specifically. I know most people will recommend Doyle Brunson's Super System 2. I like this one better for beginners because it gives a more concrete explanation of specific situations which I think is great for a beginner possibly even necessary to absorb many concepts behind no limit holdem. This is not the bible when it comes to no limit holdem play, but it is where I believe a beginner should start.

If you read the above books and learn the material in them you will no longer have the knowlegebase of a beginning holdem poker player. In a future article for How to Play Holdem Poker Online for Beginners we will discuss how to make poker literature more than just reference material. I will show you how to take any poker information and make it part of your game. Enjoy the reading, it will make you money when you are playing holdem poker online or in a live situation.

Until next time may you not get unlucky.