The greatest poker books of all time
Poker books have been in demand for as long as poker has been popular. Readers want to learn the secrets of the pros, how to improve, as well as read stories about the biggest characters in the game.
Our list of the greatest poker books of all time includes works for beginners, experts, and everything in between, and we've mixed in classics alongside modern poker texts to read.
The mindset management bible for all poker players.
Taking his experience from coaching golfers on their mental game, Jared Tendler explains how to consistently improve your mental game, cope with variance, stay motivated, and guard against different forms of tilt.
It's a book that remains as relevant now as when it was first published in 2011 and it's an honest and actionable take on strengthening your mental resolve at the poker table.
We highly recommend it for poker players of all levels, abilities and ambitions.
One of the most relatable and actionable books ever published.
Alexander Fitzgerald focuses on exploiting bad players in live games and argues that GTO (Game Theory Optimisation) is best avoided at lower stakes.
The book is highly entertaining and Fitzgerald brings his extensive experience of coaching and playing poker professionally on the road to life in this excellent book.
His final chapters include useful advice on how to financially survive as a poker player, with more actionable advice that extends to preparing a packed lunch and sleeping on friends' couches to minimise expenses.
A definite read for any aspiring poker player.
It's remarkable that it has taken until the 2020s for a poker book focusing exclusively on ICM (Independent Chip Model) and the final stages of a poker tournament to be published.
Barry Carter and Dara O'Kearney have successfully broken down the sometimes mysterious world of ICM into something that is relatable, implementable, and interesting.
Every tournament poker player who hopes to reach the final stages of a tournament (which is all of them!) should pick up this book.
It will likely make you money and reduce costly mistakes.
Another overlooked aspect of poker is the actual maths.
It may be more fun to focus on three-betting, bluffing, tells, and poker stories, but whether a player likes it or not, poker is a maths-based game.
Alton Hardin does an excellent job of focusing on what's important and guides readers through the maths of poker.
The poker book that taught a generation how to fold.
"Action" Dan Harrington's series of poker books landed when the poker boom of the early 2000s was just getting started and explained why tight was right.
"Action" Dan earned his nickname because he was the tightest player in the game, and his book reflects that tendency.
The text introduced the ideas of table image, squeeze plays, and the importance of stack sizes to the masses, though it was primarily a book about playing tight and solid poker.
The game has moved on substantially since this book was published but the fundamentals it teaches are solid and much of this style of play remains profitable at the lower levels.
Victoria Coren's autobiography beautifully captures the most fascinating period of poker in Britain.
Full of stories about the characters that made up the UK poker scene in the early 2000s, there're tales of the departed Dave “The Devilfish” Ulliott, legendary commentator Jesse May, her former partner Joe “The Elegance” Beevers, and the rest of The Hendon Mob.
The book centres on her remarkable PokerStars EPT (European Poker Tour) victory in London in 2006.
But it's her stories as a young journalist during the early days of the poker boom where she stumbled into the world of poker that are the most interesting.
Fascinating, searingly honest, and at times very touching, Coren expertly documents this exciting and optimistic period of poker history.
Every Hand Revealed is as much an impressive feat of capturing every detail of a poker tournament as it is an aide for understanding Gus Hansen's unconventional playing style.
The fact that The Great Dane managed to accurately record the entirety of his 2007 Aussie Millions tournament is impressive enough, but the fact that he won the whole event is remarkable.
The book is laid out in a very clear visual way with each hand being presented beside Hansen's narrative. The book is interesting, entertaining, and very honest.
Hansen admits at one point that he couldn't say why he did something, which is definitely in line with his playing style.
The book is unlikely to improve your game, but it's a fascinating read, and it's interesting to consider how you would play the hands yourself.
A book for poker players looking to take the game seriously. Alexander Fitzgerald's debut novel teaches players how to use a range of poker tools such as Holdem Manager* and Flopzilla to devise poker strategies.
Fitzgerald’s passion for the game is infectious and the nuggets he delivers in this book are well worth you taking the time to find.
It's a dense book full of poker statistics and numbers, but it's a book that will transform how you look at playing cards.
The ultimate guide to GTO (Game Theory Optimal) poker.
Michael Acevedo impressively takes what is a thoroughly complex and challenging area of poker and breaks it down into something that is applicable and (mostly) possible to understand.
GTO is a bit of a rabbit-hole that can do more harm than good to a poker player's game if they are playing the wrong stakes. But if you're interested in delving into GTO, this is an excellent place to start.
Phil Gordon produced the definitive yet very succinct poker book in the early 2000s, when he was one of the biggest stars of poker.
The book followed the same pattern as The Little Green Book of Golf, and covered everything that a poker player in the early 2000s needed.
Thankfully, 20 years on, most of what a beginner poker player needs remains the same, and his book is still a hugely popular and highly relevant read all these years later.
The Little Gold Book of Poker is an updated version of the classic.
No list of great poker books is complete without Super System.
Written by the godfather of Poker “Dolly” Doyle Brunson, Super System contains in-depth strategies which cover a range of different variants of poker.
The game has moved on substantially since being published, but it remains a fascinating read with many lessons that remain relevant today.
Interestingly, Brunson’s power poker style went out fashion in the early 2000s, partly because Harrington on Holdem’s tight style took hold.
However, as time passed and aggression became the order of the day again, Brunson’s approach regained popularity, as did his book’s principles.
It is still one of the few successful mainstream poker books to cover a variety of forms of poker.
The original book of tells is a deep dive into human behaviour, psychology and body language.
Mike Caro reveals the secrets to interpreting what tells are and what they mean in a poker context. He covers everything from sighs, shrugs, and shaky hands, to eye contact, arms crossing, and everything else that goes on at the poker table.
Caro's book was the first of its kind, introducing a generation of poker players to the world of tells, and it still holds up today as a must-have for any live poker player.
Zachary Elwood has made a career of discussing and revealing poker tells, and his book is an excellent accompaniment to Caro's content on the subject.
The first in a trilogy covering tells, Elwood builds on Caro's legacy by introducing a process that players can follow to focus on reads.
His book also advises players how to eliminate their own tells and make themselves unreadable at the poker player.
How to study poker is an underrated and highly valuable read that takes a very different approach from most of the other books on this list.
Rather than advising you how to be a better poker player, this book teaches you how to learn, by introducing study methods and tools to help you improve your own game.
Among the many off-the-felt methods covered are hand history reviews with Holdem Manager 3* or PokerTracker 4*, an introduction to Flopzilla, and journaling.
If you're a bit tired of reading hand charts or how to play pocket-Jacks, and would prefer to find out how to learn for yourself, this is the book for you.
No list of top poker books would be complete without Jonathan Little.
The world class player-turned-poker-coach has pumped out a high volume of insightful and interesting titles, and Mastering Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em is one of his finest.
This book concentrates on exploiting weak players and advocating a solid playing style.
A poker book covering maths, but in a very different way.
David Sklansky says it best on the back cover of the book: "For those who think poker math is only about probability, pot odds, and straightforward, rote play, think again. Chen and Ankenman do a terrific job explaining how math can, among other things, show you exactly how to mix up your play in such a way that even champion players cannot get the best of you. Especially those who don't read this book."
A high-level book for players looking to develop a deep understanding of the game.
Chris Moorman shot to fame as a world class online poker SNG (sit and go) and MTT (multi-table) poker player after posting incredible results in a very short period of time.
His unique strategies and attention to detail are displayed throughout this book which takes the format of hand histories where Moorman explains his decision-making throughout a number of hands.
It's a great book to work your way through gradually, playing hands along with Moorman and seeing how your decision-making compares to an online champion.
The sequel to Kill Phil*, which focused on how to use hyper-aggression to overcome more talented players, Kill Everyone broadens out that approach to include the entire poker field.
It's a playing style that has been overtaken in recent years by GTO, but the theories and aggressive approach remains relatable today, especially at lower stakes.
A book that looks incredibly specific on the face of it, Adam Jones and James “SplitSuit” Sweeney have successfully used a single (very challenging) hand as a route in to explaining their entire approach to poker.
By analysing position, action, stack depth, and board texture of Ace-King hands, they explain how you can apply this approach to every hand of poker.
Underrated and under-read, this book will give you an edge if your opponents have read everything else on the list!
Finding out more about the beautiful card game
While poker books are an excellent resource for improving your game away from the table, remember that there are also many apps and tools to help you too.
We have created a list of the best apps and tools out there to help you manage your bankroll, track your performance, and measure your poker progress.