Are you an avid poker fan or a part time player looking to improve your poker skills and knowledge? Are you interested in the history of the game of poker and how it developer over the ages? Like the knowledge of most other aspects of life, poker knowledge is hidden in books, many of which shaped the history of poker as it is today.

Our list of top poker books is made up of legendary books that made the game as popular as it is today as well as newer titles that changed the way players look at poker strategy and the game as a whole.

Keep reading and find out more about the best poker books of all times, their authors and the circumstances under which they were written.

Reading the poker books on this list will help you:

• Understand the game of poker on a higher level
• Learn about the history of poker
• Get to know the legends of the game and their path to greatness

Without any further introduction, let us jump right into our list of the best poker books in the world, starting with the ones that every poker player should read regardless of what levels he plays at or what his intentions are for his poker career. 

1. Super/System: A Course in Power Poker

Year of Release: 1979
Author: Doyle Brunson
Type: Educational/Entertainment

Back in 1979, the world of poker was mostly a closed circle, especially if you wanted to play for high stakes. Players like Doyle Brunson were already playing very high both in private games and in Las Vegas casinos, but only a select group of players would dare come close to those games.

After his consecutive WSOP Main Event wins in 1975 and 1976, Texas Dolly decided to use his status as an emerging star and write the first comprehensive guide to the game of poker. The original title of the book was “How I Made $1.000.000 Playing Poker” and the book was very extensive even by modern standards.

With over 600 pages of strategy and anecdotes from Doyle’s poker career, the Super/System was a hit immediately and remained one for decades to come. The original book was very long and had a heavy black cover, which is why many called it “The Poker Bible” in the early days.

Doyle’s poker stardom and expertise enabled him to sell the book for $100 apiece, which would translate to over $400 in today’s money when you consider the inflation. Nevertheless, the book sold quite well and many older poker professionals actually used it to significantly improve their poker game.

Doyle’s Super/System was still a hit when the poker boom swept across the world and it made a resurgence in the early 2000s when many young players wanted to read the wisdoms of the Godfather of Poker.

While considered somewhat outdated today, many of the basic concepts introduced in Super/System are still applicable at the poker tables. Even if the strategy was not that relevant anymore, the stories of Doyle’s youth are certainly worth a read.

• The first ever written manual for poker
• Teaches games of Texas Hold’em, Draw Poker, Stud and Omaha
• Written by the legendary Doyle Brunson early in his career

2. The Theory of Poker

Year of Release: 1994
Author: David Sklansky
Type: Educational

Published by David Sklansky in 1994, The Theory of Poker is still considered to be the ultimate beginner’s guide to the game of poker. If you haven’t read The Theory of Poker, you really should as this book is considered by most poker analysts to be the dictionary of poker analysis. The book contains over 270 pages of pure strategic discussion on all manner of poker concepts that are interesting to novice and experienced players alike.

While The Theory of Poker is certainly not an interesting read to anyone who is not into poker and does not want to learn how to play the game, beginners who are looking to get into the game the right way and experienced players who want to plug holes in their game can benefit from it greatly.

In many ways, The Theory of Poker is an even better guide to poker than Doyle’s Super/System because it was written much later and many new concepts are introduced in it which are not a part of “The Poker Bible”.

The book is sometimes found with a subtitle “How to Think Like a Professional Poker Player” because the author made it clear that he was not trying to give players answers to questions but rather to teach them how to think of poker situations in the same terms and confines in which the top professional players do.

• Written by David Sklansky, one of the best poker book authors of all time
• Introduced new poker concepts used by the newer generation of players
• Sometimes titles “How to Think Like a Professional Poker Player”

3. Harrington on Hold’em

Year of Release: 2006
Author: Dan Harrington
Type: Educational

Dan Harrington won the WSOP Main Event in 1995 but also built a significant poker career aside from this particular title. As such, he was certainly a man with authority when the poker boom came and in 2006 he decided to use that authority and his credibility in the poker community and publish a book that became the highest selling poker book of all time.

Harrington on Hold’em is a general poker guide for the game of Texas Hold’em. Without focusing too much on the specific situations, Harrington explained many of the important basic concepts of poker and how to approach the game.

As its release coincided with the height of the poker boom, the book became a hit right away. A multitude of young and upcoming players read the book and the game of poker was made incredibly more difficult by so many people gaining the knowledge that Dan had accumulated over the decades.

The book was co-authored by another master of games, Bill Robertie, who was a chess master and a prominent game theorist. In the following years, Harrington released Volume Two: The Endgame, which focused on play in the final stages of poker tournaments and Volume 3: The Workbook, which was a book with numerous poker hands and scenarios discussed by the poker master.

• First in a series of poker books by Dan Harrington
• A complete guide to the tournament poker world
• Was written during poker’s prime time and became a worldwide hit
  

4. The Body Language of Poker (Caro’s Book of Poker Tells)

Year of Release: 1994
Author: Mike Caro
Type: Educational

Today, poker is a game played by hundreds of young math wizards trying to play the optimal strategy and never make an impulse decision. Back in the day, poker was a much different game in which most people didn’t really know what the right move was and relied on their street smarts and cleverness to beat their opponents.

In a game like that, various gestures and movements made by players, known as wells, were a much bigger part of the equation and Mike Caro was the one player who really gave poker tells a lot of attention. As a master tell reader, Caro decided that he would share his knowledge and in 1994 he published The Body Language of Poker which also came to be known as Caro’s Book of Poker Tells.

The book goes into great detail in describing the most common poker tells, gestures and movements that players make in various situations and all sorts of little clues that may give away whether a player is strong or weak, bluffing or betting for value, etc.

Over time, Caro’s Book of Poker Tells was often disputed, mainly because Caro’s results at the poker table certainly never matched those of other famous poker authors such as Doyle Brunson or Dan Harrington. Nevertheless, the book remains an important part of the poker lore and if you are going to play live poker it is certainly worth a read regardless of how important you believe poker tells to be.

• Teaches players about tells and reads they can make at the poker table
• Useful in learning how to hide your own tells
• Sometimes disputed due to Caro’s apparent lack of success in poker

5. Every Hand Revealed

Year of Release: 2008
Author: Gus Hansen
Type: Educational/Entertainment

Known as the Great Dane, Gus Hansen is one of poker’s most iconic characters. With an ultra-aggressive approach to the game and a charming personality, Gus has won over millions of fans around the world. Back in 2008, when Gus was dominating the tournament poker circuit, he wrote Every Hand Revealed, a book that approaches tournament Hold’em and breaks down, hand by hand, how a poker tournament should be played.

Back in 2008, Gus’ aggressive style of poker was still fledgling and most poker professionals did not yet understand what he was doing. His strategies were bold and unexpected and they helped him win a number of big tournaments in several consecutive years.

Another great poker champion, Chip Reese, wrote the book’s foreword and stated that Gus’ strategies had made him reconsider some of his plays and strategies and think about the game of poker from a different perspective. A poker book certainly does not need a bigger recommendation than that since late Chip Reese was and is still considered to be one of the best poker players who ever walked the earth.

• Written by The Great Dane, Gus Hansen
• Thought poker players the new hyper aggressive style of poker
• Was considered one of the best tournament poker books for a long time

6. Ace on the River

Year of Release: 2005
Author: Berry Greenstein
Type: Educational/Entertainment

Berry Greenstein is another one of the most colorful characters in the game of poker. Over the years, Berry has won millions playing poker tournaments and cash games and has earned himself the nickname “Robin Hood of Poker” for sharing his wealth with the less fortunate and giving money away to charities.

In 2005, just as the poker boom was happening, Greenstein authored Ace on the River, an insightful book that discussed both poker strategy and the poker world in general. In the book, Berry takes a look at various player types and mentions countless anecdotes from his poker career and time on the circuit.

The book is loaded with various wise words and quotes as well as real life situations from poker tournaments and cash games that Berry was involved with. Other than the anecdotes, the book goes over various poker hands and scenarios that can happen as you play poker and explains the poker champion’s thought process in each of them.

To this day, Berry Greenstein remains one of the all-time poker greats and his poker book is still one that emerging players should read before jumping into the world of poker. Even the book’s title, Ace on the River, has a lot to teach young poker players who are often not prepared for losses and downswings which are an inevitable part of the game.

• Berry Greenstein’s look into the world of professional poker players
• Both educational and fun to read at the same time
• Teaches poker strategy, etiquette and acceptable behavior at the tables
  

7. The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King

Year of Release: 2005
Author: Michael Craig
Type: Biography

Back in the early 2000s, poker was a much different game than today, but Las Vegas was still the center of all the action. It was around that time that a billionaire banker by the name of Andrew Beal came to Vegas and started playing poker against some of the best poker players in the world. The events that transpired over the several following years are the main topic of The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King.

The book goes into great detail describing a series of poker matches between Beal and “The Corporation”, a group of professional players who pooled their money and took turns playing against the billionaire.

Over the course of three years, Beal lost billions at the poker table against the likes of Todd Brunson, Doyle Brunson, Ted Forest, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Chip Reese, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen and others. By the time all was done, the Las Vegas poker circle was much richer and Beal vowed never to play poker again.

Reading The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King is a good idea for anyone who loves the game of poker and enjoys the stories, the characters and the situations that emerge in poker games.

While this book will not teach you poker strategies or how to read your opponent’s poker face it may just teach you how to approach playing against players with a big bankroll and how top poker players make a lot of their money playing against amateur recreational players with deep pockets.

• A biographical book about Andy Beal v The Coorporation
• The book tells the stories of how Las Vegas pros took on a billionaire and beat him for millions of dollars
• Touches on many different aspects including the near bankruptcy of The Coorporation

8. The Mental Game of Poker

Year of Release: 2011
Author: Jared Tendler and Berry Carter
Type: Mindset/Psychology

Rage, fear, overconfidence, compassion and motivation all play a major part in the game of poker. Knowing all your odds, combinations and bet sizes by heart becomes irrelevant when these elements, commonly referred to as “Tilt”, take over you at the poker table and The Mental Game of Poker is a book dedicated to this particular issue.

Playing at poker tables, you will often see players go completely crazy and start throwing their chips around or simply play like nothing mattered and the cards will make all the decisions. It is at this points that such players lose any chance of actually outplaying their opponents and the luck becomes their only determining factor.

The Mental Game of Poker is a book that tries to teach poker players about the mental processes behind anger, fear and confidence and how to defeat tilt and always play the best possible game. According to the authors of this book, mental game is a determining part of poker and playing a good mental game is just as important as playing a good technical game.

Poker players who are aiming to become professionals or are already spending many hours at the tables will easily benefit from this great read as the book really goes a long way to explaining how to remain motivated during bad sessions, when to quit and when to keep playing and how to approach various situations that are completely inevitable at the poker tables.

• Considered one of the finest books on the psychology of poker
• Teaches players how to approach the game and think about poker situations
• Discusses concepts like tilt and composure at great length with examples and exercises
  

9. Power Hold’em Strategy

Year of Release: 2008
Author: Daniel Negreanu
Type: Educational

Back in 2008, Daniel Negreanu was probably the best tournament poker player in the world. While many new young talents have emerged since, Daniel remains at the very top and continues to play against all of them without fear.

When Power Hold’em Strategy was released, Daniel introduced the world to the “small ball” concept, a style of playing tournament poker without getting involved in massive pots without a very good reason which has worked very well for him.

In 2004, Daniel had a year of a lifetime and won more titles than anyone else has ever done. His results in tournament poker gave him every right to write the ultimate tournament poker guide and this book is certainly just that.

While modern tournaments have changed in many ways with many aggressive players pushing the action and making pots bigger, Daniel’s book on “small ball” approach is still very much relevant at the lower stakes tournaments. Even at higher stakes, the relatively straight forward but effective approach that Daniel advocated for back then will give you a fighting chance.

If you are a tournament poker player with little experience and looking for a way to improve his game, Power Hold’em Strategy by Daniel Negreanu is certainly one of the top books you should consider reading through.

• Written by Kid Poker at the height of his career
• Introduces the “small ball” approach to the game of poker
• Was used by many poker pros to kick start their tournament careers
  

10. Play Poker Like the Pros

Year of Release: 2003
Author: Phil Helmuth
Type: Educational

Phil Helmuth is the most controversial figure in poker and despite his enormous poker success his quality as a player is often disputed by many top players and poker fans. In 2003, Phil decided to write a poker book dubbed Play Poker Like the Pros and like other players he advocated for a style of play that he himself was using at the tables.

Play Poker Like the Pros ignited just as much debate as Phil’s general personality. While many, especially recreational players and fans, loved the book, many professionals did not consider the book to be of high quality or a good learning resource at all.

Regardless of what was in it, Phil managed to get the book on New York Times’ Bestseller List, a feat that was not achieved by any other poker book. Yet, to this day, a debate exists on how valuable Phil’s book was to poker players at all.

Today, strategies that Phil advocated for in this book are certainly outdated, but back in 2003 they probably worked on many occasions. While this book will not help you revolutionize your poker play, it is certainly worth a read as it discovers a whole part of poker history from the perspective of one of its most iconic players.

• Controversial poker book by Phil Helmuth
• Made the New York Times’ Bestseller List
• Advocated somewhat primitive strategies that are obsolete in modern game
  

11. Raiser’s Edge

Year of Release: 2011
Author: Bertrand Grospellier
Type: Educational

French phenom Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier is one of the all-time greats of the poker tournament scene. Elky became a poker player during the years of the poker boom and he transitioned from the world of professional video gaming into the world of poker.

Elky played both online and live and made most of his success in live poker tournaments. As such, his book Raiser’s Edge is also focused on tournament poker play. The book is co-authored by Tony Dunst, Tysen Streib and Lee Neson and is often considered to be one of the best tournament poker books ever written.

As the title suggests, Raiser’s Edge is all about the aggressive approach to poker, which Elky was always an advocate for. Those who watched Elky played during his peak years will know what kind of concepts are found in the book while those who haven’t may be slightly surprised at the uber aggressive approach that the French champion often elects to take.

• Advanced poker tournament strategy by Elky
• Co-authored by chess masters and poker playyers
• Teaches modern day tournament poker for a young generation of players
  

12. Let There Be Range

Year of Release: 2008
Author: Cole South & Tri Nguyen
Type: Educational/Online Poker

Cole South is usually considered to be one of the best online poker players who ever played and when he published a book in 2008, everyone wanted one. Unfortunately, a copy of the e-book cost over $1.000 but this did not prevent many upcoming players from buying it as the resources found inside were considered revolutionary.

As the book’s title suggests, this book was the first to introduce the concept of range to the general poker population. Today, the word range is one you will hear in any serious poker discussion, but back then people were more focused on thinking about single hands and were not yet familiar with range creation and adapting play to opponent’s ranges.

Let There be Range changed the way small and middle stakes grinders approached online poker games and helped many players in poker’s golden era make significant bankrolls without playing high stakes games. The concepts in this book are still used in this day and age, making Let There be Range one of the most relevant books on this list.

• Advanced poker book written by online poker phenoms
• Brought the poker concept of “range” to the major poker public
• Was considered groundbreaking and sold for an absurd price