Customer Reviews

The Theory of Poker

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was written 11 years ago. Think about that for a second, and what it says about how fundamentally revolutionary the concepts Sklansky presents must be, that players still consider this book among the most important ever put into print. You'll still find this book on the bookshelves of every serious poker player, and I, along with most serious amateurs I know, refer to it on a continuing basis. Other so-called "classic" books, such as Brunson's first Super System and even the first printing of both Jones' and Sklansky & Malmuth's books were outstanding in their time, but most acknowledge that they have since lost their applicability to the more aggressive modern game. Theory of Poker, however, stands as a shining exception to these other outdated books, and continues to be what I believe to be the most important book for any and every poker player. In addition, Sklansky discusses many different poker games, and not just hold'em which seems to be all the rage at the moment. Understanding how the theoretical concepts he discusses apply to different games really helps reinforce the underlying reasoning.

As written above, the most amazing aspect of the book is that it has not, in any way, become outdated as the game has continued to change. Even with the explosion of internet poker, I found myself constantly re-reading chapters, and Sklansky's discussion of things such as the "fundamental theorum of poker" are even MORE applicable in the online arena, where loose play is the norm, especially post-flop in holdem. My son recently convinced me (after much pleading) to give online play a shot, and I was stunned at how well the lessons from Theory of Poker adapted to the style of play I found...they really teach you how to extract the most from less-skilled opponents, while being able to properly fold hands that are beat. If you decide to give the online thing a shot, another review here had a good suggestion to check out pokercroaker.com which had site reviews and sign-up bonus codes for most major sites. Is Sklansky's writing style the most entertaining or gripping? Assuredly not: this is anything but a page-turner, but it's the reader who can look past his occasionally dry writing style who will truly reap the rewards of the nuggets of wisdom contained herein. In my humble opinion, a must-read for poker players of all levels.

I'm a small time No-Limit Texas Hold'em player, and this was the first book I purchased. I think now it was a mistake to go in that order because it was a difficult read. Like another reviewer said. Treat this like a Bible. If you are starting out with a $20 dollar bankroll and lot's of ambition don't be stupid. BUY THIS BOOK, I would suggest you purchase "Small Stakes Hold'em: Winning Big With Expert Play" by Ed Miller first. I just bought that a few weeks ago and it told me a bunch of stuff that helped my game.

-Small Stakes Hold'em: Winning Big With Expert Play
-The Theory Of Poker

Both excellent books for anyone interested in a life of poker.

NOTE: THEORY OF POKER DOESN'T FOCUS ON TEXAS HOLD'EM, IT TALKS ABOUT ALL SORTS OF GAMES!

I had been playing poker for a couple of years and found my performance had hit the metaphorical wall. I had a rudimentary understanding of the game and performed reasonably well in small tournaments. I felt that in order to improve my game I needed to understand the game better. I found this book very helpful in that it gave labels to many plays and styles which I already employed but didn't truly understand. There was not a great deal of new information for people who play a lot, but the writing style may be at times confusing for a novice. I found the chapter on game theory to be mind-blowing and it changed the way I approached the game. This book made a great night stand reader as the chapters and concepts are kept concise and short.

Highly recommended.

The book is my favorite poker book of all time. If you buy a poker book, it's because you want to learn more about the game. This book covers the underlined theories of poker which is essential if you want to be successful. This book made me understand what poker is really all about from a theory standpoint and the rest of the game you will just have to play and figure out on your own.

You can read the other reviews if you want the details, but simply put this book is an absolute essential read for any player who wants to be serious about poker.

This a must have book for any student of the game of poker. I learned more from this book than any other. Although at times Sklansky can get a deep in the theroy and math any resonable person should be able to sort it out. I like this book and would say it is a must buy!

This book covers the famous GAP theroy of poker that alone will svae you thousands at the tables.

Good luck and see ya at the tables

This is definately a book for the serious poker player. It covers several advanced concepts and extends beyond simple hand selection and when to bet theories. This is recommended for those who already have a grasp of basic poker strategy, and are looking to improve their game by learning new ways to look at their play.

Overall, a must read for someone who plays poker regularly. Visit worldpokerrewards.com and we will buy this book from Amazon for you!

Great book to start with. Covers topics nicely and goes over the fundamentals of poker like pot/implied odds. Has good explanations of specific situations. I could go on and on. You will read this more than once, guaranteed.

I just picked it up and found it to be brilliant. I also got another cool book called The System by Roy Valentine which was quite fascinating. Great reads!!

This is simply the most useful took available for understanding the mathematical underpinnings of poker. It can be a bit difficult to work through, but even if you don't understand all the math in detail, it's still worth a read in order to understand the reasons for playing in a particular way. For instance, most authors of poker books will tell you that it's better to raise or fold and that calling is seldom the right play, but Sklansky explains why (hint: it has to do with comparing the odds of making a particular hand with the implied pot odds of a particular deal).
This book will not teach you to play any particular game of poker or tell you which hands to play or how to play specific situations. What this book does is to explain the value of certain types of play and to give specific examples from different games, especially Hold 'Em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud, and to illustrate how the theory changes in practice if you're playing in limit or no-limit games. Most people will probably find the ideas presented here more useful in cash games than for tournaments, and will get better results using them in limit games. It's small comfort to play "correctly" and find yourself knocked out of a tournament! But even for no-limit tournaments, Sklansky's book gets you strategizing correctly and thinking about proper play. My game has improved dramatically since I read this book, and unlike most poker books, this one obviously wasn't written in a couple of weeks. The meatiest, most useful book out there. I'm glad most of my opponents have never read it!

I recently bought three books about poker from Amazon.ca Internet Texas Holdem, Holdem Poker for Advanced Players and this book The Theory of Poker after searching Google for reviews on poker books. I just finished reading this one and let me tell you that I can see why it is on the top of everyone's list.

I play poker online at (...) and using David's logic and strategies I have increased my profit a lot. I'm a new player to Texas Holdem. But reading David's book has given me such an advantage at the table just as it has for other people that have written reviews for this book that sometimes I also feel as though I'm cheating just as they do.

If you want to learn how to play the game the way the Poker Masters do then this book should be in your collection. This book will not let you down.

I will end the review with one thing that helped me a lot from this book and that is the amount of money that your start playing with. The book suggests that before you sitdown at a table you make sure you have300 times the Big Blind to play with and I can not stress enough how important this is to winning. This means that if the big blind is $2 then your going to want to go in with no less than $600. If you dont have 600 then I have read elsewere that you need atleast 100 times, so between 100 and 300 seems to be the norm for starting bankroll requirments.