Poker Night

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By jstankevicz


Wednesday is poker night

We have a weekly game that we play in the card room at a nearby community center. At least once a month we have a Hold'em tournament. The other Wednesday's we play our form of dealer's choice. Then there are the tournaments at the Indian casinos. Las Vegas is only hours away. And I really should visit my Aunt and Cousin in Reno...



The poker bookshelf

With poker's popularity, there are plenty of books to choose from. Poker books range from light reading to scholarly tomes with hand diagrams and enough statistics to hurt your head. Many of the new books are "personality" books, intended to cash in on a players TV persona - the new books by Antonio Esfandiari and Eric Lindgren come to mind. Some are good reads; some are thin.

But if we are talking poker here, then what books deserve to be owned? What books make a good read, and then deserve to be in easy reach so you can review a section that seems relevant to last night's game?

These are some of the poker books that, for me, have a lasting value. It's not all Hold'em folks. Some poker truths transcend the specific game being dealt.


Poker Night, by John Vorhaus

The copy I have is a trade paperback. Not pretty but good size for reading. This is a great book for beginners because he spends time on background and the basics. Beyond the basics, he presents odds and strategic thinking in an easily digestible form. This is the first book for the weekly poker game player. It needs to be on my bookshelf because it's a great reread.


Add this Little Green Book to your poker library

Ok, he's a poker celebrity. That doesn't mean he can't write a good book! Some poker books wear you out with math. Some can't explain an idea without pages of hand diagrams. Some are fluff and hold back on real help for your play. Phil Gordon gives us an excellent book on understandable strategy and useable tactics that screams "try me!" A great read and a great reference for your poker shelf.


Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, by Lee Jones

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em Winning Low-Limit Hold'em
Price: $14.98
List Price: $24.95

Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, by Lee Jones

This one might be a little harder to find. It's a specialty book and covers low limit hold'em. But Jones does it better than anyone. Generally this is a chapter in a Hold'em book. Low limit Hold'em follows the same card rules as the all-in variety, but it's played like a totally different game. The betting decisions and card choices make the difference between dribbling money away at the casino table to the local smarties who play every day and being one of those smarties yourself.


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Paul Edmondson profile image

Paul Edmondson  says:
3 years ago

I'm a beginner and recently read a few books- Winning Low Limit Poker - was pretty good.

Kaibraine profile image

Kaibraine  says:
2 years ago

winning low-limit was the first poker book I read 3 years ago when I'd just started. I was a crushing the $1-2 limit games online at that time using the strategies in that book. I recommend it to all beginning poker players. Its a great place to start.

jstankevicz profile image

jstankevicz  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the feedback Kaibraine. It's natural to think of Hold'em as a single poker game, but cash vs, tournament and no-limit, low-limit and pot-limit call for different strategies. The limits change the complexion of the game from starting hands to betting to strategic play..

Kaibraine profile image

Kaibraine  says:
2 years ago

I prefer NL myself mostly now. I find limit play too mechanical for my style of play, although I still win at limit I have better winrates in my favoured games . Actually my favourite games are NL Heads-up tournaments and short-handed NL ring games. I like to be in the heads of my opponents.

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