Play Poker Like the Pros

Phil Hellmuth is a freak. How he has managed to go without being assaulted for so long is a mystery to me, and he might just be the worst poet on this, or any other, planet. But this is a damn fine poker book for someone who wants to learn to play. I think the people slamming this book are missing the point. I've read quite a few books on poker and this is the one I'd recommend for someone just getting started. It's easy to read, concise, suggests a streamlined and easy to follow manner of starting out, and the ideas are well communicated. As you advance, you're certainly going to need to read more books, but the ones that are going to make you great (Sklansky and Brunson's, for example,) are just going to intimidate and drown a normal person if they read them when they are starting their poker career. You want to learn to play? Do yourself a favor and pick this up, play a few hundred hours in five and ten dollar online tournaments, and study the more advance texts on playing position, players, and specific situations when you have mastered the fundamentals of staying focused, playing your cards, and identifying other players attitudes. And remember: if you never give up, and never stop learning; nothing can stop you from winning!