When it comes to books on poker, there are more Texas hold em books than any other kind of poker books. The Texas hold em books outnumber poker books on Omaha, Razz, Stud and Draw poker - in fact the only poker books there may be more of than Texas hold em books are general purpose books that focus on more than one game type. But guess what kind of game those poker books focus on? You guessed it, which more or less makes it a Texas holdem book in the end.
Why are there so many Texas holdem books than any other kind? Because the game caught on so fast and is so easy to learn (at least at the very early stages) that real money poker sites made holdem their game to focus on. The fact that real money poker sites pushed holdem more than any other game meant that holdem was the game that most folks were going to play - and so the cycle grew.
Play money sites focus on holdem as well, but the real power in the poker industry lies with the real money poker sites, and likewise in the poker books industry the real power lies with Texas holdem books. Folks seek out Texas holdem books to learn how to be profitable at the game, and they have served a valuable service to those players. But while real money poker sites are a relatively recent invention, the Texas holdem book goes back a long ways.
Dolye Brunson, often better known as Texas Dolly or The Godfather of Poker, was the first big poker pro to write a Texas holdem book, called Super System. As the name implies it was about learning to play poker in general, and chapters were dedicted to various game types for the specifics. Doyle gave away a lot of secrets in that book, and his example started a trickle of other Texas hold em books - one that would become a flood once online poker and TV poker took off.
When it comes to the Texas holdem book, there are a couple of things you need to know. First, Texas holdem books will share mostly the same information. They teach you about odds and implied odds and position and estimated value. Those are important. Some will take you through hands like a drill, showing you what is a smart move in various situations; also important.
When it comes to how to play certain methods, however, it is time to pay attention. Many of these books written by poker pros will have a different opinion on how to play - aggressive, passive, etc. What you need to know is that outside of the basics - things like calculating odds and the importance of perception - everything else will vary based on a nearly infinite number of variables.
In the end these books are a great place to get started, but what you really need to know is this: don’t get stuck in the book. Take what you read and try it out at a comfortable limit and see what works for you.
