I haven’t bothered to post negative reviews of the books that aren’t very good, there are simply too many of them to include here. The list of books are rated on a scale of one to ten and I’ll be getting to websites and other ways to learn about no-limit soon. For now the books should keep you busy.

No Limits: The Fundamentals of No-Limit Holdem by Chris Wallace and Adam Stemple – 9/10 – This is the only book I have given a score of nine out of ten so far, because I love the way it’s put together. No Limits is easy to read, simple to understand, and helps me to understand the game correctly so that I can make decisions my self. A great theory book and the hand examples are pretty good as well. I understand the game because I read this book, and I think it should be required reading before any of the other books on the list. I see my opponents making mistakes now that I would never have noticed before and I have easier decisions because I understand no-limit Holdem.

Professional No-Limit Hold ‘em: Volume I by Sunny Mehta, Ed Miller, and Matt Flynn – 8/10 - A great system book and it does a good job of explaining how to play the game with specifics. Not geared toward creative play or progressing on your own as much I would like, but definitely a good guide to correct play. I recommend this book and Stemple and Wallace’s book together to develop and complete understanding of the game and a good feel for correct play.

Small Stakes No-Limit Hold’em by Ed Miller Sunny Mehta and Matt Flynn – 7/10 – Directed at online and shorthanded games, though applicable to other games. Lots of preflop play math and theory stuff, but not a complete treatment. Defnitely worth having. Probably the third best book on this list.

The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky – 7/10 – This book is filled with correct and important information, but the text is very dry and hard to read. If you get Wallace and Stemple’s book you’ll understand no-limit theory anyway and it’s a much easier read.

Harrington on Cash Games, Volume II: How to Play No-Limit Hold ‘em Cash Games by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie – 6/10 – Both of these books have lots of good information, but pretty dry, tough to wade through, and not really a complete description of anything. The idea of balancing your ranges and not playing a hand the same way every time is useful, but is really only worth the trouble if you are playing the highest stakes against very tough competition. This book is basically a bunch of thoughts on the game from a very good player but not a structured approach like Professional No-Limit or a way to develop a complete understanding of the game like No Limits: Fundamentals.

No Limit Hold ‘em: Theory and Practice by Ed Miller and David Sklansky – 6/10 – While Sklansky and Miller know a lot about the theory behind the game, this is yet another book where the authors simply say some things about the game and don’t provide a framework or a clear way to use the information. Teaching such a complicated subject is tough, and this book shows how tough it is to teach the subject even if you are an expert in it. Most of the information in this book is good but it’s very tough to read and learn.

Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone – 6/10 – This book actually isn’t bad, and I learned some things about how players think, especially the older players at the table, from reading it. Unfortunately, it’s outdated and I don’t think the examples apply to the games I see here in Silver Springs or in Vegas. A book written before internet poker started just doesn’t apply to the real world anymore.

Mastering No-Limit Hold’em by Russel Fox and Scott T Harker – 5/10 – There is some useful stuff in this book, and the writing is good, but I don’t think the writers are good enough players or have a deep enough understanding of the game to write a good book. After reading more books and learning to play on my own, I think many of the hand examples are misplayed.

I have seen at least twenty other books on no-limit holdem on Amazon and browsed through many of them in my lcoal bookstores in addition to buying a few of them. I have found out that if you don’t know who the author is, it’s not from a major publisher, and you can’t find reviews of it, the book won’t be very good. There are a surprising number of books out where the author just talks about what he thinks about no-limit games for 200 pages and calls it a book. The ramblings of a poker player do not make an instructional book! Stop writing bad books!