I have been playing poker since the time I was a teenager. The learning curve was very slow for me. It was hard for me to understand how this game was anything but luck. Once I started learning more about the game I learned how some people can consistently play and win. Here are some books that helped me in my poker journey.

Raiser’s Edge by Bertrand Grospellier, Lee Nelson and others

Raiser’s Edge is the latest book from the “Kill” series authors. This book builds from the theories found in the other two books. You learn why the aggressive and hyper-aggressive styles are profitable ones. It teaches you to play this way while also learning to exploit other people who are playing the same style. A questionable theory is proposed in this book that a person’s ethnicity is related to the way they play the game of poker. While this may not always be true it is worth the read nonetheless. Raiser’s Edge is on our must have list for any tournament player today.

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand Vol 1  amp; 2 at a Time by Eric Lynch, Jo n Turner, and Jon van Fleet

Written by three of the brightest minds in online tournament poker this book is a must have for any serious online grinder. These three combined have over $6 million lifetime winnings between theme. Each of them have different perspectives on the game and their collective knowledge should help any player become better. They decided to break it down into two volumes, the first covering fundamentals and the second showing you what to do once in the money. These three will take you from the first hand to taking your pictures with the money and show you what to do each step of the way.

The Poker Tournament Formula by Arnold Snyder

Arnold Snyder may not be a popular name but this man knows his tournament poker. His book especially applies to low stakes tournaments. He leads you through important topics such as hand strength, reading your opponents, position, aggression as well as many other topics that are important to tournament poker. Snyder gives insight into what gave him a return on investment (ROI) of over 300%.

Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky

Written by one of the most brilliant minds in poker, this book is great for anyone who is looking to take their game to the next level. Sklansky first explains the differences between cash games and tournament poker. He then explains the differences in depth. The key to tournament poker is learning how to adjust your play for different stages of the tournament. Your play when the different starts will differ greatly from the play at the end of the tournament. Sklansky discusses what to do from the beginning to the end of any tournament.

Some other books that I have found useful in my poker career can be found in these articles I have written.

Top Four Tournament Poker Books.

Top Five Sit-N-Go Poker Books

On my first trip out to Las Vegas, I had a plan in mind. I was going there to enjoy the scenery, see everything that there was to see, and play poker at as many of the major casinos as possible. Once I visited the Bellagio, the Wynn, the MGM Grand, and the Mirage, I decided that it was time to do some picking and choosing among the other casinos. My goal was to play some good poker and make a little bit of money, but I also wanted to gain the value of a good experience. Since my favorite movie as a kid was Aladdin, I decided to visit the Aladdin Casino poker room. While it obviously was not to the level of any of the previously mentioned poker rooms, the Aladdin was a pretty good place to sit down and play a few hands.

The most attractive quality of the Aladdin poker room is that it sits in a very secluded area of the Aladdin casino. In the past year, the resort has made a large number of changes to this room in their renovation project. Along with those changes were many  cosmetic changes that keep the Aladdin ahead of most of the smaller casinos. Since Planet Hollywood is now the rightful owner of this casino and room, they have taken it upon themselves to create an enjoyable experience. Inside the room, players will find comfortable chairs and brand new tables. The only drawback to the comfort and convenience of this poker room is that they only have one large flatscreen television. In the end, that leaves huge sports fans like me needing a little bit more.

The poker play at the Aladdin was surprisingly easy. As a small casino, I suspected that it would be filled with locals who knew how to play the game. This simply was not the case. The lower limit games, such as the no-limit $1/$2 game, were filled with amateurs, fish, and otherwise inadequate poker players. According to my friends in Las Vegas, the room seems to be attracting more local players with each passing week, but for now, it is home to players who simply like to donate their money.

The no-limit action happens at three different blind prices. The aforementioned $1/$2 game is the most popular, but games range as high as $5/$10. In addition, there is a good selection of limit poker and Omaha. While they do offer some $60 buy-in tournaments, there is really nothing noteworthy going on in this poker room’s tournament scene. There are better tournaments elsewhere.

Overall, the Aladdin exceeded my expectations on comfort and competition. As it becomes more popular, the level of play will increase. In the next year, though, this casino should be one that you include on your poker rotation. The people are nice and they keep you coming back for more.