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So you want to learn to win at poker!  I learned to play poker in March 2005 and have read a large number of poker books. Some are good....some are not so good. Here are the ones you need.

Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People
The autobiography of Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston

Do you dare make a bet with Amarillo Slim?
You play his game with one condition for him.
From Ping-Pong to golf or baskets in the gym
Do you dare make a bet with Amarillo Slim?

    -John Lutz Ritter, singer-songwriter of “Do You Dare Make a Bet with Amarillo Slim?”
     

The 1972 World Series of Poker champion, Amarillo Slim is known for both his poker skills and his proposition bets.  While he started out by hustling pool as a teenager, he soon became known as being willing to bet on almost anything, provided you would agree to his conditions; he would eventually travel the world in search of action. 

Some of his props (proposition bets) included ping-pong against champion players using his choice of rackets (he showed up with skillets, then, next time someone challenged him, they used empty coke bottles), free throws against a famous basketball coach (he showed up with a football), and whether his chauffer could bowl over 70 blindfolded (the “chauffer” was a blind man).

Overall, the book is a fascinating look into the life of an exceedingly colorful character; while poker fans will be familiar with many of the people involved, anyone who enjoys a good adventure story should enjoy this book.  I’m usually reading several books at a time and so it takes me a while to get through them, but this one I couldn’t put down.  Highly recommended.

Harrington on Hold’em by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie

Ask any serious No Limit Hold’Em tournament player what book you need to read, and Harrington on Hold’em jumps to the top of the list. Known as “Action Dan” for his tight-aggressive play, Harrington won the WSOP main event in 1995 and made the final time in 1987, 2003, and 2004.  Prior to taking up poker, Harrington was a champion backgammon player and a US chess master; his co-author, Bill Robertie, is also an expert chess and backgammon player with several well regarded books on those games. The Harringon on Hold’Em series currently consists of three volumes. Volume 1, the blue book, covers the early phases of tournaments, while blinds and antes are relatively small. Volume 2, the red book, covers the later stages when the tournament is down to the last few players.  Volume 3, the grey book, is a workbook consisting entirely of problems to test your understanding of the material in the first two volumes.  Another volume is due out next spring, but will cover no limit cash games.

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