The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How To Think Like One by David Sklansky
|
List Price: Our Price: $16.94 You Save: $13.01 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.46 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How To Think Like One
Book Review: what else can be said
Summary: 5 Stars
This book tries to aim at the 'basic' players, but it really is aimed at advanced players that have some experience at the table and know about most of the concepts in the book already.
David Sklansky teaches you about pot odds, mathematical expectation, game theory, implied odds and most of the things you need to know to be a winner in the long run. But there is a downside you need to know about; this is a hard book to read (a bit easier than hold'em poker for advanced players though). The long winded explanations and examples have tons of info but they can be extremely boring, it made me feel like I was back in school studying for a maths exam.
That brings me to another point: when I lent this book to my friend, who hasn't studied any form of maths in 3 years, he just couldn't handle any of the concepts related to odds (which is partly why he sucks at poker)
I have a feeling that anyone who isn't a wiz at maths might not appreciate this book completely, because some of the examples he puts forward really require the reader to have a firm grasp on ratios and probability.
This may all sound bad to some, but really it's a great book if you can put in the time. Don't listen to all those Sklansky haters, he really does emphasise learning how to change your style of play to suit the conditions, and being able to make the right decision every time when it comes to pot odds.
It's all about the long run.
Book Review: One of The Top Ten Poker Books in the world
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently bought three books about poker from Amazon.ca Internet Texas Holdem, Holdem Poker for Advanced Players and this book The Theory of Poker after searching Google for reviews on poker books. I just finished reading this one and let me tell you that I can see why it is on the top of everyone's list. I play poker online at (...) and using David's logic and strategies I have increased my profit a lot. I'm a new player to Texas Holdem. But reading David's book has given me such an advantage at the table just as it has for other people that have written reviews for this book that sometimes I also feel as though I'm cheating just as they do.
If you want to learn how to play the game the way the Poker Masters do then this book should be in your collection. This book will not let you down.
I will end the review with one thing that helped me a lot from this book and that is the amount of money that your start playing with. The book suggests that before you sitdown at a table you make sure you have300 times the Big Blind to play with and I can not stress enough how important this is to winning. This means that if the big blind is $2 then your going to want to go in with no less than $600. If you dont have 600 then I have read elsewere that you need atleast 100 times, so between 100 and 300 seems to be the norm for starting bankroll requirments.
Book Review: strong candidate for the single most important book on poker
Summary: 5 Stars
Poker isn't science, and Sklansky's Theory of Poker isn't a graduate text in astrophysics. Poker also isn't art, and if you leave Theory of Poker conspicuously on your coffee table, few of your friends will feel it adds to the room's ambience. Poker is a game, however, and an important part of any game is conceptualization. Theory of Poker presents the most important conceptualization of poker for any serious, winning player. It's not a how-to book, and it isn't filled with entertaining stories about poker's colorful characters. But reading this book is like having a long, detailed conversation with a friend who has thought things through. You might want to argue a fine point here or there, or extend the discussion a bit. There are places where some more detailed analysis might be helpful. But for the most part, your reaction is liable to be along the lines of, "You know, that's a really good way of thinking about it."Theory of Poker isn't a how-to book. But it can reasonably be claimed that the best strategy advice follows from the kind of analysis Sklansky presents, in many cases directly from Sklansky's. Don't make it your first book on poker. But if you plan to take poker seriously, and you don't want to reinvent the wheel, it's the single book that will save you the most wheel reinvention time.
Book Review: Teach a man to fish...
Summary: 5 Stars
Me and some buddies play a ten dollar house game every week or so and up to this point I've always been a break even player, or maybe even a little worse. I recently bought and read Harrington's books on cash games, and they were for the most part pretty decent. They definitely helped my game and gave me some good things to think about. Ultimately though, I was never really taught how to think about poker. There were several rules to follow as well as theory but I finished the books thirsty for better knowledge on how to think at the poker table. The Theory of Poker was definitely that book. Sklansky teaches you how to think like a professional poker player, just as the title suggests. Now when I play poker I feel more confident in my decisions, and better understand why I'm making the plays I'm making. Overall, this is a highly recommended book for anyone wanting to know more than just the basics of the game, and ultimately how to teach yourself to play poker and better your game. I should also note that I am glad I bought Harrington's books, they are a good introduction to the game and while reading Sklansky's book I'm able to see all the reasonings behind Harrington's recommendations and clarify and expand upon anything I was unsure of in the first place.Book Review: how old are you...?
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are new to poker and have ever been asked "How old are you?" when playing in a casino or poker room you might not get full value from this great book. The majority of players coming into poker have never played "Razz" (7 card stud for low) and some of the other games used for primary examples. The games Sklansky uses for examples are not well understood by the newer players and these examples will probably be confusing for many. This is not to say there is anything wrong with the book; it is just that in a "Holdem" based poker world finding the proper relationship to teach holdem using non holdem games can be a stretch for players who have not spent a lot of time with the other games. So many of the games used for examples in the book are not played much outside dealer's choice home games and so may be difficult for newer players to use as models for larger gambling concepts.
Nearly every top player says this is the most important poker book ever written. While I mostly agree, an updated version using more current examples might better suit the new batch of players wanting to learn higher level poker thinking. It still rates a five, despite my arguments, because it contains the very important poker ideas needed to become a good player.