[Book review] The Theory of Poker (David Sklansky)

Introduction

In this article, I would like to introduce you to one of the best-selling and most influential poker books ever written for poker players of all skill levels – David Sklansky’s classic The Theory of Poker .

The book

The Theory of Poker

is exactly what the name of the book suggests. A comprehensive yet compact treatise on the various concepts that form the foundation of successful poker. The book is one of the reasons why its author David Sklansky is regarded as one of the most influential authors about the game.

In the blurb the content and target group of the book are described in four sentences as follows:

• Now, for the millions of poker players who know the basics, but do not fully understand the logic and principles of skillful play, here is a serious, comprehensive guide that shows how to think like a professional poker player.
• The Theory of Poker puts you inside the heads of the greatest poker-players in the world.
• It tells you the all-important factors you should consider in a particular situation before determing what to do.
• It talks about the general theories and concepts of poker play that are operative in nearly every every variation of poker and describes the thought processes of advanced poker players.

The book claims to be a serious and comprehensive introduction to how professional poker players think. It promises to provide insights into the minds of the best poker players in the world and to cover the most important aspects that should be included in the decision-making process. It explains the basic theory and concepts behind all forms of poker and describes the thought processes of advanced players.

The intended audience of the book is accordingly all those poker players who have understood the basics of the game but want to gain a deeper understanding of the relevant strategic concepts.

I have read The Theory of Poker several times and its worth it. However, I want to point out one thing: If you expect the book to actually explain the minds of the best poker players of any era, you’ll probably be disappointed.

What The Theory of Poker really does, however, is to convey the concepts that are important for all variants in a way that is well-founded in terms of content but still applicable to practical play. In particular The Theory of Poker has the claim to explain those concepts which are basically applicable to all types of poker play.

Perhaps the best known of these concepts, the fundamental Theorem of Poker, has been discussed in detail in an earlier article. In order to meet the requirements set out in the blurb, Sklansky describes the basic concepts of the game with numerous examples from the most varied poker variants. In addition to the fundamental theorem of poker, this includes both fundamental and strategic tactical topics.

Thus Sklansky, in his fundamental considerations, examines

• the real goal in the poker game,
• the applicability of the concepts of expected value and hourly rate
• and the influence of different betting structures or player types.

In his strategic tactical investigations Sklansky examines amongst other topics

• the concepts of odds and outs,
• the theory behind bluffs (from the point of view of both the bluffer and the bluffed) and
• check-raising and slowplay.

Although the book can be described as a classic, Sklansky also discusses game theory concepts and bluff and betting frequencies. To each of the concepts described, The Theory of Poker dedicates a separate chapter, each of which provides the theoretical focus described with several examples.

In contrast to other poker books The Theory of Poker gives a healthy general knowledge of poker, while the typical poker book refers to a special variant. Accordingly, only a few pages, if any, are dedicated to variant-specific aspects such as poker rules or starting hands.

If you were to ask me, for whom the reading of The Theory of Poker is something for and for whom rather not, I would probably answer that every poker player should have read this book at least once.
The Theory of Poker describes the universal basics of poker, whether you play live or online, whether you play Holdem or Omaha, or whether you prefer to play Stud or Draw poker.

As a limitation, however, I must point out that if you are explicitly looking for a book that explores No-Limit Hold ‘em or any other specific poker game at maximum depth, you will not be happy with The Theory of Poker . It’s the book that will help you build your basic poker skill base and keep on building it.

In summary, I can recommend the book to you with a clear conscience, especially if you are looking for a book in which you would like to look up certain contents again and again.

Buying The Theory of Poker

The Theory of Poker is available at Amazon for just under 30$ or well under 30 Euro. In my opinion the price is reasonable, used versions are available in the Marketplace partly much cheaper. If you prefer to read electronically, I recommend you to consider the cheaper Kindle version.