Best modern poker books are the best choices for beginner casino players to learn the classic poker game with modified strategies that suit modern online games and tournaments by reading through first-hand strategy and tips from the pros.
While the amount of resources online, including e-books, forums, and YouTube videos, is vast, the best way to improve your poker skills is a blended method consisting of top poker books plus online resources.
In this article, I will cover the best poker books ever written and the latest publications for both beginners and advanced poker players.
Old is Gold: Top 3 Poker Strategy Books Ever Written
The number of books written by pro players, poker researchers, and game enthusiasts is huge. However, the following five are my favorites, which have also received high ratings from readers over the years.
1. “Super System” by Doyle Brunson
"The key to No-Limit... is to put a man to a decision for all his chips."
Doyle Brunson was known as the “Poker Godfather,” as he was a professional poker player for more than 60 years. He died in 2023 at the age of 89.
Brunson was a Hall of Fame inductee, a two-time WSOP main event winner, and a poker author. His Super System book is known as the "Bible of Poker."
Here are the key takeaways from the book:
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Published in 1979, it shifted poker from instinct-based gameplay to a strategic and analytical discipline.
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This comprehensive poker strategy book includes in-depth advanced poker strategies and beginners tips.
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Emphasizing the most essential poker topics and making them simple: aggressive play, leveraging position, reading opponents, and understanding odds.
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Covering and explaining an extensive list of poker variants, including Texas Hold’em, 7-Card Stud, and Lowball.
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First-hand experiences and specialized insights from pro poker players, like Mike Caro and Bobby Baldwin.
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Several examples and real-life scenarios for various poker strategies and tricks.
2. “Shut Up and Deal.” by Jesse May
"Nobody wants to hear about the money you lost."
This popular quote from the book reflects the reality of poker—people are interested in success stories, but not in bad beats or losses.
This one is not quite a poker self-book like other poker strategy guides. I love the book as it teaches you the game through a series of relatable true stories. In fact, the book is a semi-autobiographical novel published on April 13, 1998, with an Amazon rating of 3.68 stars. It is perfect for those who love novels, stories, and poker all together.
The writer provides an unfiltered view of the life of a professional poker player, narrated by Mickey Dane, a young grinder navigating the seedy but exhilarating poker world across cities like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Amsterdam.
Here is what you can expect while reading the book:
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The narrative is not plot-heavy. It captures the emotional highs and lows of a real poker life.
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You will get a philosophical insight that mastering poker isn’t just about skill but understanding and managing luck.
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The main themes covered are obsession, risk, and the illusion of control, which provide an authentic peek into the psychology of real gamblers.
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By the end of the book, you gain not only poker wisdom but also a broader commentary on human behavior when faced with uncertainty, ego, and addiction.
3. “The Biggest Bluff” by Maria Konnikova
“We can’t control the variance in life, but we can control the way we respond to it.”
This popular quote from the book extends beyond poker, reflecting on how we face risk, uncertainty, and decision-making in everyday life.
To me, poker is not just a game, it is a lifestyle. For this reason, I love the concept of seeing life as a giant poker table. Maria Konnikova has the same mentality towards poker as me. She started as a newbie and managed to become one of the best players at high-stakes tournaments.
Her book is one of the relatively new poker guides published on June 23, 2020, with an Amazon rating of 4.1 stars. She created a compelling blend of memoir, psychology, and life lessons, using the world of high-stakes poker as a framework to explore decision-making, skill versus luck, and the human psyche. This book is not just about poker; it’s a deep reflection on how we make choices, understand risk, and deal with the uncertainty in life.
Here are a couple of significant lessons I learned from the book:
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I found Konnikova’s transformation from a complete beginner to a successful poker player quite remarkable. Her experiences competing in major tournaments—culminating in her winning over $300,000 in earnings—serve as vivid examples of how determination and deliberate learning can lead to exceptional outcomes.
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Maria had a chance to have one of the poker legends, Erik Seidel, as her mentor. Seidel’s mentorship isn’t just about poker strategy. He advises Maria on patience, discipline, and keeping her ego in check. His teachings are literally life lessons, reminding readers that success often requires humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from failures. In fact, you need to be an idiot if you want to become a pro.
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One critical poker and life skill is knowing when to fold- letting go of a bad hand. It is one of the hardest lessons you'll ever learn in a game of poker and later in life. Konnikova reflects on how letting go of a bad hand parallels letting go of a goal, relationship, or plan that's no longer working and does not serve you. This concept of strategic quitting becomes a central metaphor in the book, which I really loved.
4 Best Poker Books For Beginners
As a beginner, you need solid foundations to be able to excel as a professional poker player. Below you find the top poker books for beginners. I read a couple of them as a beginner and learned a lot. I recommend reading them to get a solid understanding of how to play poker.
1. “Excelling at No-Limit Hold'em" by Jonathan Little
“Good players think about what their opponents have. Great players think about what their opponents think they have.”
This is one of the most famous quotes from the “Excelling at No-Limit Hold'em". It emphasizes the concept of bluffing, deception, and game theory optimal (GTO) play.
Jonathan Little is a highly accomplished pro poker player and author born on December 22, 1984, and established himself as a formidable force in the poker world. He won the WPT championship twice in his career. He has over $9 million in live tournament earnings and is ranked among the top 100 poker players globally by the Global Poker Index(GPI).
Beyond his poker achievements, he has been a recognized best-selling poker author, contributing to over 20 poker books. Newbies recognize him as a poker coach who helped thousands of aspiring players improve their poker skills.
Here is what you can learn from Jonathan’s book:
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Basic rules and concepts of No-Limit Hold'em
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Essential poker strategies for beginners
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In-depth analysis of betting strategies and systems
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Positional play
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Reading opponents
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Odds and probabilities
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Analysis of hands played by professionals
2. “Play Optimal Poker” by Andrew Brokos
Play Optimal Poker is more than a “how-to” for the card table—it’s a mindset-shifting poker guide that encourages players to think scientifically and strategically. The book prepares your novice brains to look at poker from a more mathematical point of view and learn to take it seriously!
The book was published on June 2, 2019, and received 4.5/5 stars based on 355 ratings on Amazon.
Andrew Brokos provides a step-by-step guide to mastering poker using the principles of game theory. He focuses on teaching players how to make better decisions under uncertainty and develop a mindset that integrates mathematical reasoning, strategy formulation, and adaptive gameplay.
Here are the key takeaways from the Play Optimal Poker:
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One of the core teachings of the book is the concept of game theoretical equilibrium. He explains that an equilibrium strategy prevents opponents from exploiting your play while maximizing your expected value (EV).
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Andrew categorizes hand ranges into polarized ranges (strong hands and bluffs) and condensed ranges (hands of medium strength). This book provides a strong foundational understanding for newbies to game theory or poker strategy. You will gain the tools to avoid common rookie mistakes and improve your decision-making.
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The book is an ideal entry point into game-theory optimal (GTO) concepts, even for players with the least background in mathematics.
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You will get insights into how to build balanced, consistent strategies that are harder to exploit.
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One great thing about the book is that it includes thought exercises and quizzes to test your understanding of the concepts. This interactive approach helps you think critically and apply the teachings to real-life games right from the first hand you play at top online poker rooms.
3. “Master Micro Stakes Poker” by Alton Hardin
“Micro stakes poker isn’t about making fancy plays—it’s about consistently making the right ones.”
This famous quote from the book Winning at low-stakes poker is about maximizing value, and avoiding costly mistakes.
Master Micro Stakes Poker is a comprehensive guide for players looking to crush 6-Max No Limit Hold'em micro stakes cash games. Author Alton Hardin, a poker coach and founder of MicroGrinder Poker School, provides a structured approach to mastering these types of games by focusing on tight-aggressive strategies, understanding poker fundamentals, and using practical tools like HUD stats. The book aims to transform beginners and struggling players into solid feared competitors with a solid foundation for long-term success.
By the end of the book, you will learn:
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Why poker players lose and how to avoid common mistakes.
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The foundations of aggressive play.
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The concept of Expected value (EV) and pot odds.
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Head-Up Display (HUD) and its statistical metrics, player types(loose-aggressive or tight-passive), opponents tendencies.
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Pre-flop strategy, like raising first, 3-betting, defending blinds, and cold-calling.
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Post-flop strategies, like c-betting, barrel, calling, and multi-way pots.
4. "How To Study Poker Volume 2" by Sky Matsuhashi
“Purposeful study leads to purposeful play.”
The book is part of a series designed to help newbie poker players enhance their skills through structured and dedicated study. It is a comprehensive guide well written by Sky Matsuhashi, a well-known figure in the poker community. The edition was published in 2019 and received an Amazon rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
Matsuhashi offers a 28-day program focusing on four key strategies, providing a systematic path to poker skill improvement by providing methods for studying poker effectively, such as reviewing game footage, analyzing hand histories, and using poker software tools.
While the concepts may require some poker knowledge, beginners can benefit from the book’s clear and organized approach to studying poker and learn some higher-level strategies that you can aspire to as you progress.
The Top Poker Strategy Book For Advanced Players
While more experienced poker players can also benefit from the above books, the following is my pick as it covers one of the most crucial concepts in poker, while the book is not technically a poker game guide.
“Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away” by Annie Duke
“Quitting is not the same as failing. In fact, quitting is often the best way to win.”
It is not quite a poker guide, as the central theme of Quit by Annie Duke is learning the skill of letting go. As a pro poker player, you MUST learn how and when to let it go. Of course, it is much easier said than done. Without knowing when to let go of a bad hand, i.e., to fold, you would lose much more than you win.
Annie Duke is a former professional poker player who was introduced to high-stakes poker by her pro poker player brother. She rose to prominence with over $4.5 million in tournament winnings, including a WSOP championship. With a background in cognitive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, Duke transitioned from poker to becoming a leading decision-making consultant and bestselling author. To be honest, she is my favorite poker author and female poker player!
What you can learn from the Quit is:
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The virtue of quitting. Annie emphasizes how success often comes from stopping what isn’t working to pursue better opportunities. Borrowing from examples from her poker career, like poker pros folding more than half their hands, she underscores that wise decisions rely on cutting losses and shifting focus, not relentless persistence.
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The psychological reasons behind quitting resistance, like Sunk Cost Fallacy, Status Quo Bias, and Fear of Identity Loss.
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Learn how to use the concept of expected value in poker to be able to evaluate the potential rewards and risks of continuing versus quitting.
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Learn and practice actionable techniques for knowing when to quit and fold, like pre-commitment contracts, premortems & backcasting, and anticipating opportunity costs.
Last Few Words
Best poker books allow you to systematically and strategically learn the classic game of poker by reading through first-hand experiences of professional poker players, like the late Doyle Brunson, who had dominated the poker world for decades.
While watching YouTube videos is an excellent way to visually learn poker strategies before joining real money poker rooms at an online casino, nothing beats the effectiveness of structured learning that books offer. Make sure to understand the basics, practice enough, gamble responsibly, and never stop learning new poker strategies.
Poker Book FAQs
What are the best poker books for beginners?
The best poker book for beginners is “Master Micro Stakes Poker”. Read this and then move on to more advanced books!
Can reading poker books help me become a winning player?
If you want to become a winning poker player, you should read books to get the insights from the pros.
Do professional poker players read poker books?
Many do! Even top pros like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu have learned from books.
Which poker book covers tournament strategies the best?
The best book for poker tournament strategies is "No-Limit Hold’em" by Jonathan Little.
Which poker books cover Game Theory Optimal (GTO) strategy?
The best book for GTO startegy is "Play Optimal Poker" by Andrew Brokos. The author provides simple explainations in a practicall way.
