The world of poker is full of strategy books, but there are also some wonderful works dedicated to unique card-playing tales, journeys, and the lore of the game.
Some poker literature offers in-depth insight not just into the game but also into life. The genre has seen heavyweights tackle the subject, bringing their own insights and descriptions of the game across varying scenarios.
Here’s a quick look at some of the best poker books.
1 – The Biggest Game in Town
By Al Alvarez (1983)
This classic work sets the trend for poker books to come and remains a classic in the genre. The game was much different in the 1980s, and British author Al Alvarez was one of the first to explore the world of high-stakes poker and the colourful characters at the tables.
The Biggest Game in Town offers an in-depth look at the early players and legends of the World Series of Poker, including Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, and Chip Reese.
The book also brought Texas Hold'em to a broader audience for the first time. Any fan of poker history should give this work a read.
2 – Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker
By James McManus (2004)
Author and poker player James McManus headed out to Las Vegas in 2000 to cover the Ted Binion murder trial for Harper’s magazine. The son of series founder Benny Binion was allegedly murdered by a stripper and her boyfriend, with the case making headlines across the U.S.
McManus parlayed his $4,000 advance from Harper’s magazine for the article to play in the WSOP $10,000 Main Event. The book chronicles the entire experience, including the author finishing fifth for $247,760.
The murder case is truly bizarre, and readers get an inside look at running deep in the tournament before the Moneymaker boom – and well before GTO poker was a thing.
3 – Big Deal
By Anthony Holden (1990)
This book is one of the best poker books for beginners as it features British journalist Anthony Holden trying to become a poker pro over the course of a year. The author hit major events at the WSOP and mixed in some cash games as part of the journey from 1988-89.
Holden had been a longtime poker player but tried to see what a permanent life at the tables would be like, offering readers the ups and downs along the way.
After receiving rave reviews from fellow players, including playwright David Mamet, author Salman Rushdie, and actor Walter Matthau, Holden produced a sequel, Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom, in 2007.
Both books are worth your time, as is his fabulous autobiography, Based on a True Story, which touches on his life – from poker to poetry, poisoners to princes, opera to the Oscars, Shakespeare to Olivier, Mozart to Murdoch – as the description notes.
4 – Alligator Blood: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the High-rolling Whiz-kid Who Controlled Online Poker's Billions
By James Leighton (2013)
This fantastic read is a perfect fit for those who enjoy a bit of true crime and adventure mixed with their poker reading. Leighton goes inside the boom of online poker and the fall of online gaming entrepreneur Daniel Tzvetkoff, who created an online payment processing system to skirt U.S. law.
It’s a fascinating look at how Tzvetkoff lived the high life and made millions of dollars a month. However, things eventually didn’t go as planned and federal authorities busted him in Las Vegas in 2010 on money laundering and bank fraud.
It's a real roller coaster ride that takes readers through the underbelly of the early 2000s poker boom.
5 – The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time
By Michael Craig (2006)
This poker read tracks one of the biggest battles in poker history. From 2001-06, Dallas-based billionaire businessman and banker Andy Beal took on some of the best poker players of all time in high-stakes, heads-up matches in Las Vegas.
The group, known as “The Corporation,” pooled funds for the fight – and what a clash it was!
Beal squared off against legends like Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, and others. Stakes climbed as high as $200,000 blinds with millions of dollars swinging back and forth.
Craig captures the inside scoop on one of high-stakes poker’s biggest stories.
6 – Ship It Holla Ballas!: How a Bunch of 19-Year-Old College Dropouts Used the Internet to Become Poker's Loudest, Craziest, and Richest Crew
By Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback (2013)
A list of some of the best poker books should include online poker players who scored massively during the zenith of the 2000s poker boom. This book focuses on this period of poker history.
Grotenstein and Reback take you inside a poker crew that struck it rich, spending hours at the online tables playing numerous tables all at once. These players didn’t just score millions in winnings; they also spent plenty of it partying and travelling the world.
Put your online poker cheat sheet on hold; there are plenty of highs and lows, like the industry itself. Buckle up for quite a ride with these ballers.
7 – The Godfather of Poker
By Doyle Brunson (2012)
Poker legend Doyle Brunson offers a complete look at his life, from growing up poor in West Texas to winning some of the most significant poker events, including the WSOP Main Event in 1976 and 1977. Brunson also collected eight more WOSP bracelets in his storied career.
But this autobiography takes readers well beyond glitzy casinos. In his early days, Brunson and his fellow rounders had to hit the road looking for high-stakes action. That included meeting unsavoury opponents, some of whom had guns ready.
Brunson dodged robbers and renegades along the way and details everything in the book. It’s worth adding to our poker library.
8 – The Moneymaker Effect
By Eric Raskin (2014)
In 2003, Chris Moneymaker’s name became synonymous with poker after winning the $10,000 Main Event for $2.5 million. This book offers a look at the events through some of those who were there and lived it.
That includes a deep roster of poker legends like Daniel Negreanu, Mike Sexton, Erik Seidel, Phil Hellmuth, and Moneymaker himself.
Moneymaker’s story of turning an $86 online qualifier into poker's biggest prize defies poker probability. The tournament brought in millions of viewers and made Moneymaker an icon of the game.
This page-turner may not be one of the best books on how to play poker; however, the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes events are a treat for fans of the game.
9 – Life’s a Gamble
By Mike Sexton (2016)
Poker legend Mike Sexton offers a look at his life—from growing up in Ohio to serving in the Army to helping found one of the world's biggest online poker sites.
He includes vignettes of playing poker in Army barracks and later transitioning to high-stakes play in Las Vegas.
Beyond being a player, Sexton was heavily involved in growing the industry and spearheaded some major tournaments in the 1990s. He was at the forefront of televised poker, making his debut as a commentator for the World Poker Tour in 2002.
Sexton gives a glimpse into all this in Life's a Gamble, a fitting title for a man with a fantastic life in the game.
So, there you have it – a compilation of what are the best poker books to get stuck into!
