How Many Poker Books Do You Really Need

I have to admit, I have a very obsessive personality. When I get interested in something, lets use poker as an example, I have to learn everything about it and buy any relevant materials that’ll help me become more knowledgeable on the subject. As a result with my poker obsession, I am currently the proud owner of more than 20 poker books (not to mention a healthy stack of poker DVD’s as well), all of which I’ve read front to back at least once.

Have I incorporated strategies from all 20+ books into my game? To be honest, I don’t know, and I think that’s because I’ve given myself a little sensory overload by throwing too many theories and tips into my brain without trying to properly absorb them the way I should. So now a question I pose to myself and to you is; is it better to read multiple instructional poker books to try and open your mind to as many strategies as possible, or would the average player benefit from re-reading the same two to three books they seem to identify with over and over again?

The two books I know for sure that really changed my game are “Playing Poker Like The Pros” by Phil Hellmuth and “Harrington on Hold’em: Volume II” by Dan Harrington. I instantly related to the styles of Phil and Dan upon cracking open their books, which is probably why I was able to retain a large amount of info from those pages. However, neither of these were one of the first five poker books I ever bought, so how would I have known how well they were suited for me unless I continued to buy book after book?

I think the final solution is research, of which I admit I did none when choosing my poker books. If I had read user reviews and found out what types of plays and techniques each book tried to teach, I’m sure I could’ve made much better decisions in the selection process. If you’re looking to pick up a book or two to help advance your game and you don’t want to open up an entire library in your house just to have a place to keep a couple dozen poker manuals, hit the description and comment sections on sites like Amazon.com as well as some poker sites in order to get a good upfront idea on which poker books are right for you.