The Theory of Poker

List Price: $29.95 Discount Price: $16.92

Customer Reviews:

Out of date - there is a new game in town [Posted on 2007-10-18]
I hate to give such a great book a negative title and mediocre review but the fact is that this book is just no longer relevant. Had you bought this before the poker boom you would be golden. The best piece of advice you can get from this book is the basic theory. Other than that the whole book is geared around limit cash games. We all know that NL tournaments is where it is at right now so I would check out Dan Harrington's books first.

Good For Beginners and Intermediates [Posted on 2007-10-26]
This is a must read for any serious beginner to intermediate player. Most advanced players will probably have knowledge of the biggest part of the topics covered but it's never bad to refresh yourself.

Essential information covered is pot odds, implied odds,draws and the free-card concept, among other things.

Poker Theory [Posted on 2008-02-05]
How would you play if ALL the cards were face-up? Any difference, when the cards are face down is a mistake. Ditto for your opponents. Sklansky expounds this fundamental theorem in great detail. This is a must-have book.

This is Tentative 5 Star Review [Posted on 2008-07-18]
Okay, this book has wonderful information within it. Almost nothing Mr. Sklansky states within the book is bad information, and he uses relatively easy language. The problem many may have with the book is that while there are many simple learning tools that will help every reader immediately, this book is not one of them. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR A HOLE'EM PLAYER. If you're looking to learn Hold'em only, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK YET! Even if you are looking to learn more than games than Hold'em, I would suggest 'SuperSystem' first. My reasoning is simple, in this book, Mr Sklansky bounces from game to game to illustrate his examples. For a player who is trying to establish a winning approach to the game, this book may very well confuse you with so many examples and will not build confidence.

From my previous statements, one might wonder why I would give this book a 5 star rating, and the answer is because to those whom can follow the book, it's essentially the handbook to every basic principle in the game. I would compare 'The Theory of Poker' to a school professor(and I will note this SPECIFIC book only and not the author or his other works) who does not dumb down his lessons for the lesser committed students, but whom will give a student the most out of the class if that student is completely dedicated. The catch is, this professer is teaching a third or fourth level class that without the necessary prerequisites, the student will be lost. I would guess that only one out of about six poker players trying to figure out if this is the right book for them would be correct in deciding it is, but to that one person, this is a MUST-HAVE! To those five people out of the six, if you have to ask whether or not you are ready for the book, the one person who is ready wouldn't have to ask. That person would be asking is the book worth reading, and the answer is yes!

Essential reading for the thinker [Posted on 2008-09-13]
This book helps a particular type of player and hurt others. The information is great for anyone that can use Sklansky's work as a springboard to deeper thought, but can lead many to mismanage variables while sizing up a situation. Not Sklansky's fault, but the reader. This was the first poker book I ever read and I misused the understanding at first for increased losses. However, overtime, Sklansky's thinking here has helped at the tables and off the felt as well. I recommend this title as an essential book in a serious poker players library.

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