Books are a fountain of knowledge, but you can’t learn everything from a book. That goes for the general art of living, as well as for some specific instances, such as games. Take poker as an example. While there are plenty of classic poker books that very much belong on the shelves of aspiring poker players, it’s also important to keep in mind that, for some poker-related knowledge, it’s best to turn to other sources, such as the internet, opponents, and individual experience.
In this post, we’ll guide you through what poker players should learn from a book, and what they should not.
Strategy
Having a poker strategy will greatly enhance your chances of winning. Many people develop their own strategies, but unless you’re a math expert, it’s usually best to outsource this all-important aspect to the knowledge of experts. While advanced poker strategies are available online, it’s usually best to look for books on the subject. Why? Because most of what you read on the internet will be free and readily accessible by all, which diminishes the value (remember: you’re trying to get an edge). Poker strategy books will also be available to all, but there’ll be a barrier — the cost — that prevents many people from accessing the information. Plus, paid-for information has to be valuable in a way that free content does not.
The Rules
You can’t play poker effectively if you don’t know the rules. You could ask the other players how the game works, but in truth, it’ll only distract you from your performance — and the other players will probably get pretty annoyed too! While you can learn the rules in a book, you’re unlikely to have it with you at all times, so it’s best to bookmark a website that runs through all the rules of poker. That’ll ensure you have access to the much-needed information wherever you are (provided you have your smartphone with you!).
Reading Your Opponent’s Poker Face
You can certainly read about human psychology in books. In fact, that’s the best place to read it. But it’s difficult to say how applicable that knowledge is to poker games. While there are certain characteristics that all humans possess, each individual is also unique in their way, so trying to apply broad strokes to every opponent just isn’t possible. The better approach is to learn how to read people, and then make your own judgements on a game-by-game basis. It all comes down to experience — a person may read a book on reading opponents, but their skill is unlikely to be anywhere near the level of someone who’s been trying to read opponents in real-world settings for decades.
Reviewing Your Performances
There’s no book that’ll tell you how you performed in a game, including what you did well, what you did poorly, and what you didn’t do at all. You can learn how to critically analyze your performance (in general, not specifically poker-related) in books, but the actual act will come down to you. If you’re trying to improve your poker performance, then spending some time reviewing your games — even when you win — can give you a competitive edge. Who knows: if you keep on improving, then you might one day find that someone has written a book about a performance of yours if you reach the big leagues.
Experience
Experience counts for a lot. And the reason we know that is because the people that write books have a lot of experience; it’s their USP when it comes to book marketing! If you want to get better at poker, then reading books on the subject will help, but what will really push you forward is simply playing as many games as you can. They say that if you want to know what a good painting is, then you should look at a thousand paintings. Equally, if you want to know how to play, you should play a thousand hands. There’s really no other way to become an expert.
