Tao of Poker

Iggy's Thoughts... Reading Poker Books = Success?

Iggy from Guinness & Poker recently wrote this on his blog: "I'm not saying you can't be a successful poker player without reading poker books, but I can't help but wonder how much he would improve if he immersed himself in conceptual/strategic thinking ala Sklansky, Carson or Caro.

David Sklansky estimates that of those players who try without studying to become solid winners (making good money in middle limit games, for example), no more than one percent succeed. Of those who do study diligently, he believes about ten percent succeed. If we accept Sklansky's numbers, which seem reasonable, books make a big relative difference. Still, they clearly don't guarantee success, by any stretch."

In the end, you can't go wrong with reading everything out there... the real talent lies within absorbing all the information out there and morphing together your own personal style, discipline, and outlook on the game of poker. Sort of like how religion works for some people...