Poker Book Review - The Theory of Poker

The Premise:

The Theory of Poker was first published in 1987, by Two Plus Two Publishing; written by David Sklansky, considered one of the foremost poker theoreticians of all-time.  Sklansky takes the reader on a journey through every aspect of poker theory and concepts, always tying the topics in with his Theory of Poker, which states: “Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; Conversely, every time opponents play their hand differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands in the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.”

Target Audience:

Originally, Theory of Poker was geared toward players who had a decent understanding of the game of poker, but as the game’s popularity has soared, and information about the game is more readily available, Theory of Poker has become more of an introductory book for poker players.

Content Summary:

The Theory of Poker is broken up into short essays/explanations on the topic(s) being covered. Most sections come with numerous examples, from just about every form of poker imaginable: 7-Card-Stud, Holdem, and Draw. The content is still very relevant to today’s poker game and is meant to apply to just about every form of poker, although there is scant mention of No Limit games, which were only popular in tournaments at the time the book was written, which is one area where some of the topics won’t readily apply without a lot of tweaking.

With 25 Chapters Theory of Poker covers just about every important poker theory and concept within its pages, including:

• Beyond Beginning Poker
• Expectation and Hourly Rate
• The Fundamental Theorem of Poker
• The Ante Structure
• Pot Odds
• Effective Odds
• Implied Odds and Reverse Implied Odds
• The Value of Deception
• Win the Big Pots Right Away
• The Free Card
• The Semi-Bluff
• Defense Against the Semi-Bluff
• Raising
• Check-Raising
• Slow-Playing
• Loose and Tight Play
• Position
• Bluffing
• Game Theory and Bluffing
• Inducing and Stopping Bluffs
• Heads-Up on the End
• Reading hands
• The Psychology of Poker
• Analysis at the Table
• Evaluating the Game

Opinions:

When I began playing poker this book was instrumental to my progress. However, the information contained within the pages of Theory of Poker can be found through a simple online search these days, and likely updated for today’s poker games, with new analysis and information.

That said, if you are wondering if poker is indeed a game of skill, this book will leave you with little doubt on the subject: Yes poker is a game of skill! Sklansky does a great job explaining the concepts that dictate why some people are consistent winners at the poker tables.

Even if you feel you know all the information contained in the book, I still recommend reading Theory of Poker because of Sklansky’s ability to relate difficult and cryptic topics to poker players of any skill level. So although you may not learn anything new, you will likely learn an easier way to rationalize your thoughts on a topic.

Overall Grade:

Theory of Poker is a solid 9 out of 10 for me, and an updated version would be a perfect 10.