I have been reading books like this for quite a while. Although I agree that this is good I found that there was too much information that I did not need to know. So far I have only found one book that stuck to what you really needed to know ("10 Steps To Winning Texas Holdem"). Unfortunately it is not available at Amazon and you have to get it from their web site [...].

However, if you have the time I do think this is pretty good.

I love poker and cannot get enough of it. I like reading whatever I can, trying to learn more. I read through Sklansky's "Theory of Poker" once, and learned so much. As I'm reading through it a second time, I'm learning so much more. It is by far the best book on Poker that I've read.

The book does not tell you what to do when you're dealt pocket aces in hold'em or when you're dealt three kings in stud. It deals with the concepts underlying what you should do when you're dealt those hands. It's not an instruction manual about how to play each and every specific hand, but it goes over the concepts that are behind each play you could decide. In reading, I have thought back to previous hands that I've played and how I should have played them differently, or how I played them well, based on what the right play would have been for the situation I faced.

The book seems fairly well written. Some of the concepts are very complex and I am only now beginning to really understand them, in my second reading of the book. I highly recommend this book, and I recommend reading it once, and then probably re-reading it a month or so later, you will learn so much more from the second time. Enjoy

If you are new to poker and have ever been asked "How old are you?" when playing in a casino or poker room you might not get full value from this great book. The majority of players coming into poker have never played "Razz" (7 card stud for low) and some of the other games used for primary examples. The games Sklansky uses for examples are not well understood by the newer players and these examples will probably be confusing for many. This is not to say there is anything wrong with the book; it is just that in a "Holdem" based poker world finding the proper relationship to teach holdem using non holdem games can be a stretch for players who have not spent a lot of time with the other games. So many of the games used for examples in the book are not played much outside dealer's choice home games and so may be difficult for newer players to use as models for larger gambling concepts.

Nearly every top player says this is the most important poker book ever written. While I mostly agree, an updated version using more current examples might better suit the new batch of players wanting to learn higher level poker thinking. It still rates a five, despite my arguments, because it contains the very important poker ideas needed to become a good player.

Anyone reading this review needs to realize that there is absolutely no substitute for reading "The Theory of Poker." The substance of this text is exactly what one might expect from the title: this book is a tour de force on the abstract theory behind the game. As author David Sklansky rightly points out in the introduction, this book is not a playbook of fancy "moves" that can be made in various situations; rather, it is a text on the philosophy behind the game and how one should go about weighing actions in any given situation. This book teaches not what plays to make, but how to THINK about what plays you should make. You cannot get this information from any other source! Every other book that deals with these subjects is thoroughly derivative: they all owe their inspiration to "The Theory of Poker."

Be prepared though: Sklansky is not light reading. He always apologizes for not being a professional author in his books, but actually I don't think there's any need for Sklansky to apologize for "The Theory of Poker." This is clearly the best-written, most logically organized text that Sklansky has ever produced, and I don't know how these ideas could be presented more simply. But even still, the material in this text is abstract and quite dense; you cannot read through the book once or twice and expect to absorb his theory. In fact, what I have done (and recommend you do, as well), is to outline the key points he makes in the text and repeatedly study that. I personally condensed this book into a 13 page outline that I go back over occasionally in the context of various hands I have played, judging how well (or poorly) I did in comparison to the various benchmarks Sklansky sets for thinking about a hand. It's that type of rigorous, methodical application that this book demands to achieve its full value; do this and I believe you will achieve greater success.

Pick up "The Theory of Poker"! This is still the definitive text in its field; everything else is but commentary on these fundamental ideas.

As you read The Theory of Poker (TOP), one may initially be tempted into thinking that the book is somewhat dated as it makes no acknowledgement of the transcendence of Hold `Em in the poker world. Certainly this is a result of its being written in the 1970s, but the fact that games like stud, razz, and draw are used for the basis of its examples and illustrations is, in fact, not a detriment. Learning the mechanics of a new game is a pleasant, and unexpected, side benefit to reading The Theory of Poker. Some of the concepts will stay with you long after you're finished with these pages, and, perhaps, add to your proficiency should you ever attempt to master new pokers in the future.

Well, all of this is fine and good, but the real question is, what exactly is this book? It elucidates the large concepts which embody the game. I'd call it Big Ball as opposed to small ball. At first glance, it strikes one as neither fish nor fowl because it does not take the reader "into the weeds" as Small Stakes Hold `Em or Hold `Em for Advanced Players does, yet it still is unquestionably all about poker. What we have here is a discussion of poker at the global level. It brims with analysis of the theories and hidden meanings that embody the game. TOP is the story of poker from above, below, and within the cards you draw, are dealt, or view arrayed upon the table. It is not a substitute for the more technical works, but it definitely is a vehicle for enhancing their meaning. Basic, yet essential, concepts are thoroughly explored such as bluffing, giving out free cards, checkraising, and the intricacies of betting on the river.

The Fundamental Theory of Poker is integral to one's every action, and it postulates that, when a player plays in the same manner he would if he could see his opponent's cards, he is approaching the game correctly. At each level of deviating from the way he would play if he could see his opponent's cards, he makes more and more mistakes. Avoiding mistakes and exploiting those of your opponent is exactly what poker is all about.

I guess before investing your money, you undoubtedly would like to know, will this make me a better player? I can answer such queries with an emphatic: Absolutely! This is truly a work which sticks to your ribs, and you'll chaw on it like a cow does grass. Dan Harrington cited it several times within his two 2005 poker masterpieces, and Howard Lederer mentioned TOP in an interview I saw after being asked what books furthered his development.