Poker is in the blood like water, and the bookmakers are aware of this fact very well. They are in it and they are due for a continual flow of new people drawn in by the game. But with the publication of hundreds of books on poker over the last twenty years, it is going to be difficult to keep the old clients interested and coming back for more.
Unfortunately, most of the books will not offer anything useful to the average poker player. Sure, they will probably get you to play more, but nothing will ever replace a visit to the casino or the game room. The possibility of getting rich is considerably dwindled by the size of the event prerequisite for getting started, and this is simply not worth paying someone else’s money just to read some dry, outdated information.
A lot of the books available offer dry, outdated information. See, people want to win more than they want to lose, and if they are going to wager money, they want to win. Furthermore, casinos know that the most profitable thing to do is to keep people in the building and playing. They know that it’s easier to keep people in the building and playing than it is to get them out. And this is why they are paid: because they are losing their money to the point where they will come back another day and probably lose it all again.
The third reason why books won’t work is that people assume that the information available is all outdated and worthless. This is far from the truth. There is every possibility that the most recent book will offer some good wisdom, but many people believe that the information available is outdated and don’t make use of it. If the book has been running for a decade, there is no reason why it can’t offer some good advice. On the other hand, if new, exciting, and informative material hasn’t been published, it probably won’t be due to people’s lack of interest.
Many books offer great advice, but fail to offer the kind of service that their authors can recommend. Many books lack aerning eye for detail and interest. The impressions given by reviewers and analysts are far from the truth, and not necessarily because the authors don’t care about the material, but simply because they aren’t knowledgeable enough to make the proper comparison.
On the other hand, many books offer dry, uninformed advice. If you can believe what these reviewers and analysts are saying, you can conclude that they aren’t intimately involved with the sport and aren’t reviewers who have lived and played and studied enough to offer informed opinions. Therefore, the only reliable information you can get from them is as much related to what they know as what they aren’t saying. If a book offers uninformed opinions, chances are that the book is going to hurt your chances of making money.
So, what’s the answer? About what you need to make money is much simpler than what you should do. Just find a book you are comfortable with, one that offers what you are looking for, and then start analyzing what they have to say. Even if you don’t think you will like it, know that you are getting something for your money, any money. Read between the lines and follow the advice to make it work for you.