David Sklansky - The Theory of Poker

Other Books From Two Plus T~yo Publishing

Gambling For a Living by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth is the ultimate book for anyone interested in making a living at the gaming tables. The book includes chapters on horse racing, slot and poker machines, blackjack, poker, sports betting, and casino tournaments. It is designed to shoxk anyone new to this field how to be successful and what it takes to become a professional gambler.

Hold 'ens Poker For Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth is the definitive work on this very complicated game. Some of the ideas discussed include play on the first two cards, semi-bluffing, the free card, inducing bluffs, being beaten on the river, staying with a draw, playing when a pair flops, playing trash hands, fourth street play, playing in loose games, and playing shorthanded.

Seven-Card Stud For Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee is the definitive work on this extremely complex game. Sonic of the ideas discussed include the cards that are out, ante stealing, playing big pairs, reraising the possible bigger pair, playing little and medium pairs, playing three flushes, playing three straights, playing weak hands, fourth street, pairing your door card on fourth street, fifth street, sixth street, seventh street. defending against the possible ante steal, playing against a paired door card, continuing with a draw, scare card strategy, buying the firecard on fourth street, playing in loose games, and playing shorthanded.

High-Loi%-Split Poker, Seven-Card Stud and Omaha Eight-or-Better For Advanced Players by Ray Zee is the third book in the "For Advanced Players" series. Sonic of the ideas discussed in the seven-card stud eight-or-better section include starting hands, disguising your hand, when an ace raises, fourth street, fifth street, sixth street, seventh street, position, bluffing, staying to the end, and scare cards. Some of the ideas discussed in the Omaha eight-or-better section include general concepts, position, low hands, high hands, your starting hand, play on the flop, multi-\%ay versus shorthanded play, scare cards, getting counterfeited, and your playing style.

Hold 'em Poker by David Sklansky is must reading for anyone planning to play anyplace that hold 'ent is offered. Covers the importance of position, the first two cards, the key "flops," Itow to read hands, and general strategy. This was the first accurate book on hold 'em and has now been updated for today's double blind structure.

Getting The Best of It by David Sklansky contains six sections discussing probability', poker, blackjack, other casino games, sports betting, and general gambling concepts. This book contains sonic of the most sophisticated gambling ideas that have ever been put into print.

Sklansky on Poker by David Sklansky is a combination of Sklansky on Razz and Essays on Poker with much new material added. This book not only contains the dcfiniti\c sork on rail, but also contains chapters on choosing your game, middle round strategy, and the protected pot; plus a section on tournament play.

Poker, Gaming, & Life by David Sklansky contains more than sixty recent essays where the author analyses a multitude of situations. The majority' of the essays are about poker and gaining concepts, but it also includes some newer essays where lie applies his unique style of thinking to other aspects of life.

Sklansky'l'alks Blackjack by David Sklansky is a great book if you are new to blackjack. It addresses c\cry possible total in a clear conversational style that should make blackjack easy for anyone. Also included are discussions of blackjack theory. betting strategy, and how to conduct yourself in a casino.

A product of Two Plus Two Publishing

About David Sklansky

David Sklansky is generally considered the number one authority on gambling in the world today. Besides his nine books on the subject, David also has produced two videos and numerous writings for various gaming publications. His occasional poker seminars always receive an enthusiastic reception including those given at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

More recently David has been doing consulting work for casinos, Internet gaming sites, and gaming device companies. He has recently invented a new game called Poker Challenge, soon to appear in casinos.

David attributes his standing in the gambling community to three things:

1. The fact that he presents his ideas as simply as possible (sometimes with Mason Malmuth) even though these ideas frequently involve concepts that are deep, subtle, and not to be found elsewhere.

2. The fact that what he says and writes can be counted on to be accurate.

3. The fact that to this day a large portion of his income is still derived from gambling (usually poker but occasionally blackjack, sports betting, horses, video games, casino promotions, or casino tournaments).

Thus, those who depend on David's advice know that he still depends on it himself

Other Books by David Sklansky

Hold 'em Poker

Getting The Best of It

Sklansky on Poker

Poker, Gaming, and Life

Sklansky Talks Blackjack

Gambling for a Living by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth

Hold 'em Poker For Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth

Seven-Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and Ray Zee

This book is about the general theories and concepts of poker play, which are operative in nearly every variation of poker from five-card draw to Texas hold 'em. It is not a how-to book in the sense of providing the basic rules and a step-by-step procedure for playing the various games. Beginning poker players sometimes ask, "What do you do in this particular situation?" There is really no correct answer to that question because it's the wrong question. Rules of thumb that say to fold one hand, call with another, and raise with yet another simply won't get a poker player beyond the beginning stages.

The right question is: "What do you consider in this particular situation before determining what to do?" The Theory of Poker addresses itself to such considerations. It analyzes every aspect of a poker hand from the ante structure to play after the last card has been dealt. By explaining the logic of poker, the book will, I hope, show the reader what kinds of things to think about in order to become a better player.

To illustrate the concepts presented, I use primarily five games - five-card draw, seven-card stud, hold 'em, draw lowball, and razz or seven-card lowball. For readers who may not be familiar with one or another of these games, I give brief summaries of their rules in the Appendix. I also use standard poker terms like flop, on board, sixth street, back-door flush, and the like. As much as possible, I explain these terms in the text, but readers can avail themselves of the Glossary of Poker Terms at the back of the book to check the definitions of any terms about which they are uncertain.