The tried and trusted method of learning poker involves starting from nothing and developing an understanding of hands, pot odds, strategy, bluffing and so on. This approach is often met with early setbacks and failures that will either harden or destroy a novice player's resolve. Fortunately, just about all self-respecting modern day poker professionals have released literature on how best to become proficient at the game. Five must-read titles are briefly reviewed below.
The first must-read poker book is "The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How to Think Like One", by David Sklansky. The book is a hit with both novice and advanced players as it introduces and explores a number of key topics, including bluffing, semi-bluffing, deception, slow play and reading hands. Tournament players would also likely enjoy Dan Harrington's superb book, "Harrington on Hold'em (Volume 1): Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments". Harrington's advanced tips on playing styles, hand analysis, pot odds and betting techniques are a hit with both online and live tournament players.
The third must-read poker book is "Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time", by Eric 'Rizen' Lynch. This acclaimed book is written by a master of both live and online poker; in fact, Lynch has won over $1.5 million online compared to around $1 million in live tournaments. Lynch's work focuses on 200 or so hands played in online MTT's by himself, Jon Turner and Jon Van Fleet.
The fourth must-read book is "Every Hand Revealed", written by one of the leading professional poker players of the modern age, Gus Hansen. Featuring unique insights into the game, the book is also notable for its entertaining commentary. Finally, all poker players should read "One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey 'The Kid' Ungar, the World's Greatest Poker Player", which chronicles the life of the man who made $30 million but died a pauper at just 45 years.