The Theory of Poker

By David Sklansky

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Average Rating: (See all 3 reviews) Format: Paperback, 276 pages, 3rd Edition Other Information: Illustrated Published In: United States, July 1999 Other Editions: Paperback, USA $100.99 View Quantity Available: 1 24 hour shipping Discusses theories and concepts applicable to nearly every variation of the game, including five-card draw (high), seven-card stud, hold 'em, lowball draw, and razz (seven-card lowball stud). This book introduces you to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, its implications, and how it should affect your play. Other chapters discuss the value of deception, bluffing, raising, the slow-play, the value of position, psychology, heads-up play, game theory, implied odds, the free card, and semibluffing. Many of today's top poker players will tell you that this is the book that really made a difference in their play. That is, these are the ideas that separate the experts from the typical players. Those who read and study this book will literally leave behind those who don't, and most serious players wear the covers off their copies. This is the best book ever written on poker. Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub. ISBN: 1880685000 EAN: 9781880685006 Dimensions: 21.59 x 14.1 x 2.13 centimeters (0.51 kg)

The theory of poker is a classic and a must read for all serious poker players. it has improved my game dramitically. Instead of just following a books advice like a robot this book provides with insights needed to become a serious poker player. After every session i find myself reviewing my game and rereading section where i could improve. the indepth reading is not for thr faint hearted but if you like the two+two stlye this book is essential to you poker book collection. I bougth this book and never regreted a cent i spent. If you want to be the next poker star you must have this book!!!!!!!!!!!

A classic, and for good reason: concepts herein are timeless.
This book was written 11 years ago. Think about that for a second, and what it says about how fundamentally revolutionary the concepts Sklansky presents must be, that players still consider this book among the most important ever put into print. You’ll still find this book on the bookshelves of every serious poker player, and I, along with most serious amateurs I know, refer to it on a continuing basis. Other so-called “classic” books, such as Brunson’s first Super System and even the first printing of both Jones’ and Sklansky & Malmuth’s books were outstanding in their time, but most acknowledge that they have since lost their applicability to the more aggressive modern game. Theory of Poker, however, stands as a shining exception to these other outdated books, and continues to be what I believe to be the most important book for any and every poker player. In addition, Sklansky discusses many different poker games, and not just hold’em which seems to be all the rage at the moment. Understanding how the theoretical concepts he discusses apply to different games really helps reinforce the underlying reasoning.

As written above, the most amazing aspect of the book is that it has not, in any way, become outdated as the game has continued to change. Even with the explosion of internet poker, I found myself constantly re-reading chapters, and Sklansky’s discussion of things such as the “fundamental theorum of poker” are even MORE applicable in the online arena, where loose play is the norm, especially post-flop in holdem. My son recently convinced me (after much pleading) to give online play a shot, and I was stunned at how well the lessons from Theory of Poker adapted to the style of play I found…they really teach you how to extract the most from less-skilled opponents, while being able to properly fold hands that are beat. If you decide to give the online thing a shot, another review here had a good suggestion to check out pokercroaker.com which had site reviews and sign-up bonus codes for most major sites. Is Sklansky’s writing style the most entertaining or gripping? Assuredly not: this is anything but a page-turner, but it’s the reader who can look past his occasionally dry writing style who will truly reap the rewards of the nuggets of wisdom contained herein. In my humble opinion, a must-read for poker players of all levels.

Great read, very interesting - The Theory of poker is a great book that has stood the test of time. This book's focus is on poker in general as the title suggests. It touches on many topics such as check raising and bluffing and is quite comprehensive given its general nature. It has example hands from omaha hi/lo, 7-card stud, lowball, razz and hold'em, so it would be benificial for you to know the basic hand rankings and rules to these games.

The only critism i have of this is it's excessive use of odds and lack of information regarding no-limit games. In addition by not focussing on a specific poker variant it prevents the information to be instantly apllicable to any given game. Despite this it gives great insight into the game of poker.