The poker industry has seen incredible growth in the last few years. This has been created somewhat by the incredible surge in the online poker rooms. The other element was the "hole card cam", which allows audiences watching on television to observe what cards the players have while watching the action. This heavily influenced the television viewers interest in watching poker.

When internet amateur Chris Moneymaker out deuled some top pros to win the 2003 WSOP Main Event, poker boomed. Currently, the best players are celebrities, and household names because of the television coverage. Now let's look at a small sampling of the most highly regarded poker tactics books on the market today.

Barry Greenstein is an all around poker superstar. He has three WSOP bracelets, in three varieties of poker, and has also won on the World Poker Tour. Add on top of that well over $6 million in career winnings, and a reputation as a winner in the "big game", considered the biggest cash games that are played, and you can trust that he is one of the best. He wrote Ace On The River to present his approach to professional poker.

The style and approach of this book is quite different from your run of the mill poker books. His approach is give us his observations into the intriguing world of being a professional poker player. He gives you plenty of hand strategy also, but has more interest in getting you ready to challenge the different people, game styles, and the game conditions, that you will find yourself in.

1995 WSOP Main Event champ Dan Harrington deseves a place on this list of player/writers. Having won over $6 million in tournament winnings, two wsop bracelets, and a WPT victory also, he certainly has the credentials of a great player. His stategy trilogy, Harrington on holdem 1,2 and 3, a relatively new book, is considered a tournament poker the best.

Harrington's work only deals with the world of tournament poker, diving into the subtleties of the tournament game. A lot of professional players felt, Dan revealed too many secrets to a large group of players hungry for knowledge. The information in this book has lowered some of the edge many pros could count on having against many players. Worth a look for any serious tournament player.Dan focuses solely with the world of tournament poker, diving into the subtleties of tournament play. In the minds of old regulars, Dan revealed invaluable information to an ever growing field of up and comers. The basics learned in his books have reduced a few of the edge many pros had over their amateur counterparts. A must read for a tournament player.

David Sklansky doesn't have the playing reputation that the others listed are. However, he has captured three World Series Of Poker victories. We know David Sklansky more as a writer than as a player. He has produced a number of poker books, on probably all the various types of poker that are being played today.

Although he does deal with each aspect of poker, he empisizes the mathmatical part of playing poker. He works through examples so basically that you will be clear that you are making good choices. Playing with a drawing hand can be incorrect in some instances, and save you money sometimes. He helps you to understand how to calculate your odds with incomplete information. Which is one of the keys to playing winning poker.

Legendary Doyle Brunson won the big one (WSOP Main Event) two times. His two wins were a back to back feat, in 1976 and 1977. It's widely viewed that Doyle is the best poker player ever. He has attained an amazing 10 WSOP championships, and also has been victorious in an WPT event. He also plays with the best as a regular in the big game, considered the toughest cash game that are played. Doyle wrote Super System back in the 1970's, and it has been called the bible of poker by many poker greats.

His super system books are his strategy classics. In these great books he gives strategies for many of the different types of poker games played. In the super system books doyle enlists the help of other great players to help with the task, of teaching us how to play the different games. So basically, it is a group effort. Although the first book is quite old now, The second one is there to fill the void, and update the original classic.

All of these players have dedicated themselves to make sure that their readers get a chance to improve their games. Even some top pros will list these writings as major contributors in leading them to becoming professional level players If you can study these poker books they will help you become a better player.