Poker Magazine

Paul Kammen, a writer from Minnesota, plays both live and online poker. He has written 2 books on poker to date. Read his personal book recommendations below.

Paul Kammen is an avid low-stakes poker player from the Twin Cities of Minnesota. He has played regularly at the Canterbury Card Club since it opened in 2000, playing primarily in low stakes Stud and Holdem games. Since then, he has played at various other casinos in Minnesota and Las Vegas, and also plays regularly at the low-stakes tables on PokerStars. He is the author of two books on poker, How To Beat Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better.

When asked what books on poker he preferred, Paul responded with a list from his personal poker library, and gave some comments on each:

Caro’s Book of Tells by Mike Caro. Originally published in the early 80s, having to do with the “tells” to look for — unintended body language that people exhibit when holding certain hands.

Play Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth, Jr. Covers a variety of poker games with general strategy by the 1989 World Champion. Big on content, but not on depth.

Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee. A good book on 7-stud, but geared for more high stakes games.

7 Card Stud: The Complete Course in Winning by Roy West, columnist for Card Player magazine. Geared for lower and medium stakes games.

How to Beat Low Limit 7-Card Stud Poker by Paul Kammen. (I have to have my own book in my library, right? :o)

Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky. A good guide for finding success in tournaments, which differ from regular games.

Super System and Super System 2 by Doyle Brunson with contributing authors. Covers the common poker games. Volume 2 makes some updates, especially to limit holdem, and has some added tips from Mike Caro. Considered by many to be “The Bible” of poker.

The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky. A poker classic which covers concepts to success in poker, as opposed to being a guide about games — concepts include check-raising, semi-bluffs, pure bluffs, deception, etc.

High Low Split Poker for Advanced Players by Ray Zee. A good guide to Omaha High-Low and Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better, but a bit too brief and geared for higher stakes games.

Small Stakes Hold ’em: Winning Big with Expert Play by Ed Miller, David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. The best book on small stakes hold ’em games, but it assumes that the reader is already a player so not an intro book. Fantastic in-depth analysis of key concepts, especially on the flop and the turn.

Winning Low Limit Hold ‘Em by Lee Jones. A fantastic guide to success at low-stakes hold ’em games, and good for the novice hold ’em player. Not as in-depth as the Miller book, but very helpful.

The Biggest Game in Town by A. Alvarez. A gem of a book and a great read about the world of high-stakes poker in 1981 Vegas.

Hold ’em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. A good book on hold ’em, but not for the small stakes player. This book has helpful concepts but they do not always work at low stakes games.

Hold ’em Poker by David Sklansky. An introduction to holdem poker, notable for the “Sklansky hand rankings” charts. A short, quick read.

7-Card Stud: The Waiting Game by George Percy. A short intro to 7-card stud. A bit dated, but a nice read nonetheless. The main focus on third street.