This month we decided to take a look at books on alternate and mixed games. There is a great deal of money to be made playing these games online, in live cash games, and the tournament fields in alternate games are much weaker than your standard no-limit holdem tournaments. Everybody has read a little something about holdem, but very few people play the alternate games well, which gives you a big advantage if you study up. Mixed games are a nice distraction when you get tired of the grind of holdem too!
Our Rating System
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- This book is terrible. If you own a copy you should give it to your worst enemy in hopes that they will read it and suffer a tremendous drop in both IQ and personal fulfillment. Jack high can’t even beat a bluff.
- Not great, but it has it’s moments. Sometimes Ace-high wins, but don’t pay much to find out.
- It definitely has merit, though there might be something better on the market. It’s just one pair after all.
- An excellent book that is likely to entertain you, make you more money, or both. Top set usually wins.
- Our highest ranking. A must have for any poker player. It’s tough to beat quads!
Super/System 1 and 2
by Doyle Brunson and Friends
This is the first time we’ve reviewed two books in one article, but since some of the games were removed from SS1 (notably the Stud games) and some new games were added to SS2 (ie Triple Draw) we see the two books as one huge volume. If you want to excel in mixed games, you’ll probably need both volumes. Luckily both volumes have been circulated heavily and used copies can be found on Amazon cheaply.
While some games are covered better in other books, SS1 and 2 do a fine job with a number of games that aren’t covered elsewhere. Daniel Negreanu’s chapter on Triple Draw in SS2 is the best work we know of on the game, and Todd Brunson’s piece on Stud/8 is also solid. Jen Harmon’s piece on limit Holdem is excellent for intermediate players looking to understand how a great limit player sees the game.
Buy Super System and Super System 2 on Amazon.com
High-Low-Split Poker
by Ray Zee
This is really two books in one. The first volume covers Omaha High-low, and is probably the best work on the subject anywhere. No other book has covered O/8 nearly as well or gone into such depth on the practical skills necessary to beat a limit O/8 games, and many excellent players still consider this the definitive work on the game.
The second half of the book is dedicated to Stud High-Low, and is the only in-depth work on the game. Brunson’s piece in Super/System is fine, but if you want to get serious about Stud/8, you’ll need this book. Even though it came out many years ago and hasn’t been updated, no other volume covers these two games nearly as well as Zee.
Buy High-Low-Split Poker at Amazon.com
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players
by David Sklansky
Not much has been written about advanced play in Stud games since this book hit the shelves, because it covers the subject almost completely. No other book provides such a complete treatment of one game, and it is much more readable than much of Sklansky’s usually dry writing. If you want to crush Stud Games, this is the book to have. Buy it, study it, take notes in the margins and study it some more.
Buy Seven-Card Stud for Advanced Players on Amazon.com
The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide (Tournament Edition)
Various Authors
If you are playing mixed-game tournaments, The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide covers tournament strategy for a number of mixed games. Some of the best players in the world discuss advanced strategy in this book, and while the writing isn’t always perfect, it is certainly readable. Sections on things like tournament Razz provide information you just can’t find anywhere else. Some no-limit holdem tournament strategy is included as well, helpful for times when holdem is the only game in town and you are forced to grind it out two cards at a time.
Buy The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition on Amazon.com
Editor’s Note - While there are many books on the more popular games, and seven stud in particular, we try to cover the best of the best. Most books available on Stud are terrible or can’t compare to the books we’ve reviewed this month. Save your money by buying the books we recommend and checking reviews on Amazon and other sources before buying books that turn out to be worthless or contain misleading information.
