Poker Book Classics: The Theory Of Poker
We take a look back at the book which is considered by many to be the catalyst for deep poker analysis, one which is still as relevant today as it was when it was first published over 20 years ago - The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky.
The birth of poker education
Did you ever wonder how poker education started? Before PokerStrategy.com, before training videos, before poker coaching, before HUDs and Hold'em manager; there was The Theory of Poker, by David Sklansky from Two Plus Two Publishing.
SuperSystem by Doyle Brunson may be the first book before the boom that people think of, but The Theory of Poker (1987) was the first book to bring deep mathematical analysis of the game. The fundamental concepts from the book can still be found today in all the top poker educational resources, and you yourself may be using a lot of them without even realising it. Concepts like pot odds, implied odds, hourly rates, EV, and semi-bluffing were all introduced in this book.
The fundamental theorem of poker
One of the core concepts from the book is Sklansky's fundamental theorem of poker, a principle which is still as relevant today as ever, and even has its own entry in wikipedia. The theorem goes like this:
"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; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose. Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose."
Read a sample
Poker strategy moves so quickly that poker books often go out of date soon after they are published. However, you can see for yourself just how ahead of the times The Theory of Poker was, with this exclusive excerpt on check raising.
| Free excerpt from The Theory of Poker: Check Raising |
|||
 Read the article now! |
|||
| Article Information | |||
| • Type: | Theory |
Buy The Theory of Poker | |
| • Book: | The Theory of Poker | ||
| • Status: | Free! | ||
Where can you buy the book?
The Theory of Poker, as well as many other great titles from Two Plus Two Publishing, can be found in bookstores, and is available online both at Amazon and the Two Plus Two Store.
