Poker Books
The best poker books for every level — from your first strategy read to the stories behind the biggest names in the game.
Before you browse
Where to Start
Want to play better
Strategy books
Start with the book that matches your current level. The most famous book is not the right first book — see Joshua's note below.
Want a great read
Narrative books
Four books that are genuinely worth reading regardless of whether you play. Start with Big Deal for the classic, One of a Kind for the best biography.
A note on reading order
Most players buy Super/System first because of the name. If you're new, that's the wrong call — it was written for experienced players and assumes a lot of foundational knowledge you probably don't have yet. Start with Winning Low-Limit Hold'em or Harrington, build the fundamentals, then go back to Brunson. You'll get ten times more out of it.
Joshua Hill, playing online since 2004
Start with these
Where Most Players Start
The books that come up in every serious poker conversation — four on strategy, two on the game's best stories.
Essential – Tournament
Harrington on Hold'em
Dan Harrington & Bill Robertie – 2004
The definitive tournament poker series. The M-ratio framework is still how tournament players think about stack depth. Written by a Main Event champion.
Essential – Foundation
Super/System
Doyle Brunson – 1979 / 2004
The book that opened the door on professional poker strategy. Brunson's own no-limit section remains essential. Don't read this first if you're new.
Essential – Start here
Winning Low-Limit Hold'em
Lee Jones – 1994
The best first book for anyone new to Hold'em. Jones writes for the games beginners actually play — low-stakes, loose tables, basic mistakes to avoid.
Essential – Going pro
Ace on the River
Barry Greenstein – 2005
Less a strategy manual, more a book about what professional poker actually costs you. Game selection, lifestyle, the mental game.
Essential – Narrative
Big Deal
Anthony Holden – 1990
A British journalist goes pro for a year and plays his way to the WSOP. Captures a version of poker that no longer exists. Still the most readable poker book ever written.
Essential – Biography
One of a Kind
Nolan Dalla & Peter Alson – 2005
The biography of Stu Ungar — three Main Event wins, dead at 45 in a $46/night motel room. Extraordinary and tragic. The best poker biography written.
Worth reading
Also worth reading
No-Limit Texas Hold'em
Intermediate McEvoy & Cloutier – 1997
Tournament-specific strategy from two of the most successful players of their era. A useful companion to Harrington.
Hold'em Excellence
Intermediate Lou Krieger – 1999
Methodical limit Hold'em strategy from an LA cardroom veteran. Worth knowing if live limit is what you play.
The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King
Narrative Michael Craig – 2005
A Texas billionaire challenges the best players to the highest-stakes cash game ever played. Reads like a thriller.
Telling Lies and Getting Paid
Narrative Michael Konik – 2002
Gambling essays from a writer embedded in high-stakes play. Psychology of serious gambling.
For completists
More poker books
Narrower focus or older material — but still reviewed if you're building a full poker library.