Poker is a game of many skills and to become an expert poker player you need to master them all. This includes concepts such as hand selection, position, proper image projection, and reading hands. However, there are many players who have mastered most of these skills yet they still do poorly in the games ? at best they are only small winners. And when they step up in limit and challenge the better players, they almost always fail. You see, knowing the concept is one thing, putting it all together is another. As the text will show, winning poker is a process that requires a lot of thinking as well as a thorough and systematic approach to the game, and that is what this book is about. Topics include “Playing Too Many Hands,” “Self-Weighting Cold Calls,” “Short-Handed Play: Don?t Miss Out,” “The Strategic Moment in Hold ?em,” “Countering a Good Reader,” “A Poker Player in Therapy,” and “Thoughts on the Effects of the Poker Literature.” Those of you who are serious (more…)

Getting The Best of It is divided into six sections: Mathematics of Gambling, General Gambling Concepts, Sports and Horse Betting, Poker, Blackjack, and Other Casino Games. This book covers some of the most sophisticated gambling concepts ever put into print. It also includes a comprehensive discussion of the basic mathematics of gambling written in such a way that even the most non-mathematical of readers can understand it. Moreover, many of the ideas discussed are those that Sklansky himself has successfully used during his career. This revised and expanded edition of Getting The Best of It includes fourteen additional chapters and covers such topics as expectation, combinations, Bayes? Theorem, the eight mistakes in poker, checking in the dark, playing tight, the Key Card Concept, casinos and their mistakes, Crapless craps, betting sports, hedging and middling, knowing what?s important, the Law of Averages and other fallacies, and much more.

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This volume is a collection of recent articles written by David Sklansky that have appeared in various publications including Card Player, Poker World and the Two Plus Two Poker Strategy Magazine. A few have never before appeared in print. Most of the articles are about poker or gambling. However, David has recently branched out into other areas that lend themselves to his unique style of analysis and some of these essays are contained in this book. From the original book, Poker and gaming topics include Being a Favorite, Are Great Players Born? Talent Versus Discipline, The Importance of Position, Never Go Broke, When Time is Not of the Essence, and Is Your Wallet Fat Enough? Life topics include What It Is that Makes an Issue Controversial, Coincidences, Some Thoughts on Dying, Legitimate Grievances, and Crime and Punishment. This expanded addition also contains 32 additional essays, many of which address no-limit hold em. Essays for the Expanded Edition include Pros (more…)

No limit hold em is exploding in popularity. Before 2000, it could be difficult to find a game. In 2006, it is played everywhere in casino cardrooms, in bar backrooms and homes, and on the Internet. Now anyone can find a game, but few know how to play well. Most players learn by watching television or by listening to dubious advice from their friends. While they may have picked up a valuable tidbit here or there, most players come to the table without a winning plan. These players have two options: wise up or go broke. The world s foremost poker theorist, David Sklansky, and noted poker authority, Ed Miller, will wise you up quickly. No Limit Hold em: Theory and Practice is the definitive work on this complex game. It provides you a window into the heads of experts, teaching you in straightforward and enjoyable terms the how s and why s of winning play. It covers critical concepts like manipulating the pot size, adjusting correctly to stack sizes, winning the battle (more…)

The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky discusses theories and concepts applicable to nearly every variation of the game, including five-card draw (high), seven-card stud, hold ?em, lowball draw, and razz (seven-card lowball stud). This book introduces you to the Fundamental Theorem of Poker, its implications, and how it should affect your play. Other chapters discuss the value of deception, bluffing, raising, the slow-play, the value of position, psychology, heads-up play, game theory, implied odds, the free card, and semibluffing. Many of today?s top poker players will tell you that this is the book that really made a difference in their play. That is, these are the ideas that separate the experts from the typical players. Those who read and study this book will literally leave behind those who don?t, and most serious players wear the covers off their copies. This is the best book ever written on poker.

About the Author

David Sklansk (more…)

Tournament poker is different from standard ring game poker. From a distance, it may look like a typical poker game, but there are many factors that can lead to proper strategy that is very different than what most players, (including good poker players), are familiar with. Yet some people excel at tournament poker. This is not luck. These are players who have a good understanding of what the proper strategy adjustments are, and when they come into play. It is not a coincidence that the same players make it to the final table far more than their fair share. This text is the first book ever written that explains tournament strategies which only a small number of players have mastered. It assumes you already know how to play poker well, but aren?t knowledgeable of tournament concepts and when and where to use them. Some of the ideas discussed include the effect of going broke, The Gap Concept, how chips change value, adjusting strategy because the stakes rise, (more…)

This text is must reading for anyone planning to play hold?em. It was the first definitive work on hold?em poker and was originally published in 1976. Yet, it is still one of the most important and best selling poker books available. The text is designed for someone relatively new to the game, but it also contains much sophisticated material which all players should find beneficial. It is probably best known for the Sklansky Hand Rankings, which made the game much simpler to quantify and understand. Some of the topics include how Texas hold?em is played, the importance of position, the first two cards, the key “flops,” strategy before the flop, semi-bluffing, the free card, slowplaying, check raising, head-up on fifth street, and how to read hands. Not only was this text, which is Sklansky?s first work, a major contributor to the explosive growth of this game, it is also a book that should still be read by all serious players.

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For today?s poker players, Texas hold ?em is the game. Every day, tens of thousands of small stakes hold ?em games are played all over the world in homes, card rooms, and on the Internet. These games can be very profitable ? if you play well. But most people don?t play well and end up leaving their money on the table. Small Stakes Hold ?em: Winning Big with Expert Play explains everything you need to be a big winner. Unlike many other books about small stakes games, it teaches the aggressive and attacking style used by all professional players. However, it does not simply tell you to play aggressively; it shows you exactly how to make expert decisions through numerous clear and detailed examples. Small Stakes Hold ?em teaches you to think like a professional player. Topics include implied odds, pot equity, speculative hands, position, the importance of being suited, hand categories, counting outs, evaluating the flop, large pots versus small pots, protecti (more…)

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Is there really such a thing as a professional gambler? The answer is an unequivocal yes! The authors of this book are but two examples. The truth is that there are many thousands of people around the country who make a good living exclusively from gambling. It is not easy but it can be done. The key ideas are to understand which games are beatable and how to beat them. David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth have both spent many years writing about the finer points of poker, blackjack, and other beatable games. (As you will see in the book those other “games” are horses, sports, progressive slots and video poker, casino tournaments, and special promotions. They don?t include craps, roulette, keno, or baccarat for reasons explained herein.) This book, however, was written for the not-quite-as-experienced aspiring gambler. It shows you everything you need to learn and do if you want to gamble for a living both from the practical and the technical standpoint. The r (more…)

Sklansky on Poker combines Essays on Poker and Sklansky on Razz with new material plus a special section on tournament play. Many of the ideas in the essays section are not as sophisticated as some of the others that Sklansky has put into print, but they are still absolutely essential to winning play. This section contains chapters discussing such concepts as having a plan, choosing your game, playing according to your bankroll, the three levels of expert poker, middle-round strategy, what your opponent reads you for, the protected pot, saving the last bet, extra outs, how to play a tournament, and many others. The razz section of the book will show you how the experts play this form of poker. Even if you never play razz, you should still read this text if you are serious about poker. This is because many concepts which are important to all forms of poker are most easily illustrated by this game.

About the Author

David Sklansky is generally (more…)