The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is a how-to book. It is written for poker players who understand the basics of the games, but need to perfect their knowledge and playing strategies. This book will teach the player to think like a professional. The book will instruct the player about what is and isn't important in poker playing and will help the player to understand the logic that is involved in playing poker games. What should you do in a particular situation? Every poker player wonders about this at times. David Sklansky's book will help the player understand what factors to consider in various situations. The book looks at the theory and concepts involved in games of poker that help the player ascertain what the best play in various game situations is. These theories and concepts are evident in every kind of poker game.
Arguably the best book on the mathematics and game theory of poker. Lays out the Fundamental Theory of Poker, and then uses it (with copious examples) to walk the reader through exercises that will strengthen their game. A must-read for any serious poker player! The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky has long been recognized as the foundational book for all of poker no matter what the game, and at the time of this writing is still the best selling book in poker. But that book, while applicable to many aspects of no limit and pot limit poker was originally written mainly with limit games in mind.
This book does offer rules for the player. It does not teach the player how to play poker. The Theory of Poker is not a book for beginners and will not teach the newbie player the rules of the games. The book teaches the player how to think in the various situations which a poker player will encounter. Sklansky doesn't give the players a list of rules to follow. Memorization is not the way to play poker. He does present the rules of the game in the Appendix for new players, so newbies can benefit from reading the book. But the book is basically intended for those who know the rules and have some experience playing the various games.
This doesn't mean that the new player can't benefit from the book. The new player can learn the rules of the game from the Appendix and then incorporate the rest of the book into the learning process. The new player will learn to think like a pro right away instead of developing bad habits and will learn the correct approaches to different hands and different situations right after learning the rules of the games. This is a book about game theory and how to apply the concepts to poker. Sklansky teaches the player how to view the different situations in terms of game theory and how to determine the best play in the situation.
The Theory Of Poker Pdf
Since poker is such a popular game now, many people will find this kind of book interesting. It takes a little longer to learn to play the way Sklansky suggests, but it is worth the time. It is better to learn the proper approach instead of just trying to memorize rules.
David Sklansky is considered to be one of the top authorities on poker playing in the world. He has written various books and other documents as well as led seminars for poker players. He has also given seminars at the World Series of Poker. He earns a portion of his income from gambling, so he has to be successful at what he does.
Texas Holdem Game Theory
Author: David Sklunsky |
Book Review Part 1
David Sklansky’s The Theory of Poker is among the “must read” books on the game. This is a book for beginning to intermediate players looking to understand poker’s hidden mathematical structures and optimize their own betting and playing strategies. It’s for serious players only, however.
What makes The Theory of Poker so vital? It’s certainly not the writing style, which borders on the pedantic and suggests nothing so much as that high-school civics tome that you tried but really couldn’t stand to read. Yet The Theory of Poker (originally titled Winning Poker) has held an important slot among poker books for the roughly quarter century since its initial publication, being on the short list of books worth reading to begin improving one’s poker game. If you’re not serious about playing poker to make money, then there’s no need to bother reading Sklansky… or other poker books, for that matter. But if you are serious, then this is as good a stepping stone to better play as any.
Much of the book – and indeed, much of Sklansky’s poker writing career – is built around what he’s coined herein as his Fundamental Theorem of Poker, which simply states that we’d all play different (and much better) poker if we were able to see our opponents’ cards. The fact that we can’t see our opponents’ holdings means that poker is a game of imperfect information, and making sense out of nuggets of partial, often-misleading information is part of the essence of the game itself. The rest of the book expands on Sklansky’s Fundamental Theorem and applies it to a large handful of the game’s core strategies, showing how a player with a true understanding of the game’s hidden mechanisms can then begin to take advantage of those who are lesser skilled.
One of the important concepts brought up in the discussion of Sklansky’s Fundamental Theorem is that its insight cuts both ways: that is, it’s as important for you to be able to make your opponent bet incorrectly, against the odds, as it is for you to make correct choices yourself. This dynamism in turn cuts to the heart of what makes poker click as a battle of complex strategies and tactics.