6 Best Books on Tournament Poker

Poker, Chips, Cards, Tables, Money

Welcome to my list of the best tournament poker books. I cover the top books for learning poker strategy so you can dominate multi-table tournaments.

I provide a blend of everything from books covering specific strategies to those covering game theory and online tournaments.

What’s the best poker tournament book available right now? Let’s find out together.

Every Hand Revealed

  • Author: Gus Hansen
  • Published: 2008

If you’re going to learn about poker, you might as well learn from the best. Gus Hansen has played at the top for a long time, and this book lets you inside his mind.

This book is based on the strategy Hansen deployed when he won the 2007 Aussie Millions Poker Championship. He analyzes every hand he played and how he came to oust 747 players and win $1.2 million.

As far as the best books on tournament poker go, this one is definitely up there. The unusual approach makes it exciting and different from most theoretical poker books.

Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker

  • Author: Jonathan Little
  • Published: 2011

Another legendary poker pro, Jonatan Little, shares his secrets in this book titled Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker: A Complete Guide.

Important:

This book delves into how poker tournaments work, playing deep, mid, and short stacked, the late stages, hand examples, and other considerations related to live tournaments.

Little has over $7 million in tournaments and has dedicated himself to educating players through pokercoaching.com.

Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time

  • Author: Eric Lynch, Jon Turner, Jon Van Fleet
  • Published: 2010

I wanted to include at least one book on the online element of the game. This one struck me as one of the best poker books for online tournaments.

The authors are frequent winners of large online tournaments, so they’re well-positioned to cover things from this angle. The knowledge imparted in this book is based on 35,000 tournaments played with over $6 million in cashouts.

If you’re primarily interested in online tournaments, this is the first book you should pick up. It’s a real gem.

Tournament Poker for Advanced Players

  • Author: David Sklansky
  • Published: 2002

If you’re a little bit beyond beginner books and want something with more meat on the bone, this is the book for you. As the title suggests, it’s geared towards advanced players with some experience under their belts.

Note:

This is one of the best tournament poker strategy books as it focuses on a handful of strategies very few players have mastered. You’ll need to bring some knowledge of the game to the table as it won’t cover old ground, but you don’t need to be a semi-pro or anything like that.

David Sklansky is renowned for his mathematical approach to poker, and that shines through in this book. If you pick it up, you’ll be learning from one of the best.

Play Optimal Poker: Practical Game Theory

  • Author: Andrew Brokos
  • Published: 2019

Play Optimal Poker is a more general poker book, but it does have specific information on how to apply its principles to poker tournaments as well as cash games.

This one is interesting because it focuses on how game theory applies to poker. It opens up a whole other element, such as how to manipulate your ranges and exploit common mistakes. This is always handy to know since most players don’t understand it.

If you want to add extra depth to your Texas Hold’em game, this is an excellent choice.

Kill Everyone

  • Author: Lee Nelson
  • Published: 2007

I wanted to finish with one of the best tournament poker books I’ve read in a long time. The full title of this book is Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold’em Poker Tournaments & Sit-n-Go’s.

 This book has achieved legendary status among poker players since it was first published in 2007. It takes Nelson’s experience, poker math, and various strategies and applies them to sit-n-go games and tournaments.

This is one of the best poker books for tournaments ever written. If you only pick one book on this list, let it be this one.

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Petko Stoyanov
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About Petko Stoyanov
My name is Petko Stoyanov, and I've been a gambling writer for more than ten years. I guess that was the natural path for me since I've loved soccer and card games for as long as I can remember! I have a long and fairly successful history with English Premier League betting and online poker, but I follow many other sports. I watch all big European soccer leagues, basketball, football, and tennis regularly, and I keep an eye on snooker, volleyball, and major UFC events.