Elizabeth Berkley is infamous for her portrayal of bi-polar Vegas performer in the film "Showgirls" while Charlize Theron is universally praised for her amazing portrayal of a homicidal, white trash prostitute in the movie "Monster". So what is the difference between these two cinematic offerings? Well there is the script, production, directors, and writers. The most noticeable difference though was the performance of the leading ladies. Ms. Theron spent months studying her subject while it appears that Elizabeth learned her part between commercial breaks while watching "The Simpsons". Studying matters whether you are going for your master's degree or starring in a Hollywood film. Very often that is the difference between overachieving and just getting by. This same standard works for those who want to get better playing poker. Trial and error can only get you so far. A player can dramatically speed up their development by making use of the wealth of books that are available. Why waste time and money learning from your own mistakes when you can simply learn from somebody else's? Here are some books that anyone interested in improving their game should have on their reading list:
- David Sklansky, "Tournament Poker for Advanced Players"
- David Sklansky, "Theory of Poker"
- Tom McEvoy, "Tournament Poker"
- Doyle Brunson, "Super System"
- Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie, "Harrington on Hold'em: Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments: Strategic Play (Vol. I)"
- Dan Harrington, "Harrington on Hold'em: Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments: Endgame (Vol. II)"
- Blair Rodman and Lee Nelson, "Kill Phil: The Fast Track to Success in No-Limit Hold'em Poker Tournaments"
- Erick Lindgren, "Making the Final Table"
- Phil Gordon, "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No-Limit Texas Hold'em"
- Al Alvarez, "The Biggest Game in Town"
- Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback, "All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker"
- David Apostolico, "The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Tournament Poker"
