How many poker books are there?
There are currently 637 poker books on the market. You can find a free list with all the books at the end of this article.
You are probably wondering how did I come up with this number? The answer is simple, I counted them.
Since I couldn’t find online the correct number of all the poker books ever written, I went to various websites (mainly Amazon and Goodreads) and put all the poker-related books together into one file. It took me a few weeks to get all the data together, so the received poker book stats are as close to the actual numbers as possible.
It’s essential to assume that I missed a few books because some are no longer sold or mentioned on any website. But you can be sure that the total number of poker books received (622) is the closest to the real number you can find anywhere on the Internet.
If you know of any books that I missed, please let me know, and I will be happy to add them to the list.
Anyway, let’s look at some interesting stats that the book list allows us to pull:
Who has written the most poker books in history?
The author that has written the highest number of poker books is Jonathan Little, who published 30 books. On the chart below, you can see the top five poker book writers:
| Author | Number of Books |
|---|---|
| Jonathan Little | 30 |
| Tom McEvoy | 27 |
| David Sklansky | 22 |
| Mason Malmuth | 19 |
| Mike Caro | 18 |
| Doyle Brunson | 14 |
What is the oldest poker book?
The oldest poker books that mentioned poker include:
- Hildreth, J. (1836) Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains
- Green, Jonathan H. (1843). Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling
- Cowell, Joe (1844). Thirty Years ed Among the Players in England and America
- Anners, Henry F. (1845) Hoyle’s Games
The first book that stated the rules of poker is New Handbook of Game by Bohn, Henry George. It was printed in 1850:
How Can You Get A Poker Audiobook For Free?
| Title | Author | Published |
|---|---|---|
| New Handbook of Games | Bohn, Henry George | 1850 |
| The American card player | Dick, Willium B. | 1866 |
| The Modern Pocket Hoyle | Trumps | 1868 |
| The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims | Steinmetz, Andrew | 1870 |
| Rules for Playing Poker | Schenck, Robert C. | 1872 |
| The Game of Draw Poker Mathematically Illustrated | Winterblossom, Henry T | 1875 |
| The Complete Card Player | Blackbridge | 1875 |
| How to Win at Poker | John Moss | 1955 |
| The Education of a Poker Player (High Stakes Classic) | Herbert O. Yardley | 1957 |
| The Cincinnati Kid: A Novel | Richard Jessup | 1963 |
| Win at Poker | Jeff Rubens | 1968 |
| Scarne’s New Complete Guide to Gambling | John Scarne | 1968 |
| Complete Guide to Winning Poker | Albert H. Morehead | 1973 |
| Amarillo Slim’s Play Poker to Win: Million Dollar Strategies from the Legendary World Series of Poker Winner | Amarillo Slim Preston | 1973 |
| Winning Poker Systems | Norman Zadeh | 1974 |
How many female poker book authors are there, and how many authors in total?
Three hundred twenty-seven people wrote at least one book about poker. Out of 327 writers, only 15 are women (two books with a woman as co-author). Such a small number of female writers proves that poker is a male-dominated game.
| Title | Author | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker | Annie Duke | 2005 |
| Decide to Play Great Poker: A Strategy Guide to No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em | Annie Duke | 2011 |
| Heads-Up Tournament Poker: Hand-by-Hand | Annie Duke | 2013 |
| How to Turn Your Poker Playing into a Business: Knowing What to Deduct to Improve Your Odds With the IRS | Ann-Margaret Johnston | 2005 |
| Girls’ Guide to Poker | Eliza Burnett | 2006 |
| Poker Wit and Wisdom: Everything You’ll Never Need to Know About Poker | Fiona Jerome | 2006 |
| Poker Face: Master Body Language to Read and Beat Your Opponents | Judi James | 2007 |
| Peak Poker Performance: How to Bring Your ‘A’ Game to Every Session | Patricia Cardner | 2016 |
| Shuffle Up and Deal | Susan DiPlacido | 2010 |
| For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker | Victoria Coren | 2009 |
| The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win | Maria Konnikova | 2020 |
| Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker | Molly Bloom | 2014 |
| Outplaying the Boys: Poker Tips for Competitive Women | Cat Hulbert | 2005 |
| Fundamentals of Poker | Lynne Loomis (co-author) | 2000 |
| The Professional POker Dealer’s Handbook | Donna Harris (co-author) | 1998 |
Which years have the highest number of poker books published?
Years 2005, 2006, and 2007 were the years the highest numbers of poker books were published. The high numbers of poker books printed in those years are presumably the effect of Chris Moneymaker. A 27-year-old ant, winning the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and a US$2.5 million prize contributed to spreading poker around the World and publishing a high number of poker books.
| Year | Number of poker books published |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 54 |
| 2006 | 47 |
| 2007 | 41 |
| 2014 | 34 |
| 2010 | 33 |
| 2008 | 32 |
| 2013 | 32 |
| 2011 | 32 |
| 2004 | 30 |
| 2015 | 27 |
| 2012 | 27 |
| 2003 | 24 |
| 2009 | 23 |
| 2017 | 20 |
| 2016 | 18 |
| 1997 | 12 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2000 | 9 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2001 | 9 |
| 1996 | 9 |
| 1995 | 7 |
| 1984 | 7 |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1992 | 4 |
| 2020 | 4 |
Please click here to get the list of all the poker books ever written! I hope you will find it useful 🙂
Two books with a women as co-author:
Fundamentals of Poker by Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis
The Professional POker Dealer’s Handbook by Dan Paymat, Donna Harris, and Mason Malmuth
Thanks for your input Mason. I have updated the list and the total number of books is now 637 🙂
For Your information, Bartek.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_poker
Early books discussing poker:
Hildreth, J. (1836) Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains, Wiley & Long, New York: mentions poker
Green, Jonathan H. (1843). Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling, Philadelphia: Zieber
Cowell, Joe (1844). Thirty Years ed Among the Players in England and America
Anners, Henry F. (1845) Hoyle’s Games: refers to Poker or Bluff, 20-deck Poker, and 20-deck Poke
Bohn, Henry George (1850) New Handbook of Games: stated the rules of poker in print for the first time
Dick, Willium B. (1866) The American card player
Trumps (1868) The Modern Pocket Hoyle New York: Dick & Fitzgerald
Steinmetz, Andrew (1870) The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, London: Tinsley Brothers
Schenck, Robert C. (1872)Rules for Playing Poker, private circulation
Winterblossom, Henry T (1875) The Game of Draw Poker Mathematically Illustrated
Blackbridge (1875) The Complete Card Player
“Poker: A Guaranteed Income for Life” by Frank R. Wallace (1966).
Thanks Evert 🙂 I added all of those books to the list. Apologies for the delay.
I am writing a book on business body language and talk about poker face.
Can I determine how many of the books you have identified talk about poker face (that is, without getting and reading all of them!)?
Thanks for your help.
Hi Barbara, I haven’t seen any books focusing only on ‘poker face’. However, there are a few books that talk about poker body language.
Hi Bartek
Winning 7-card Stud, Ashley Adams, 2002 Kensington/Lyle Stuart
Winning No Limit Hold’em, Ashley Adams 2012, Lighthouse/Prostar
Winning Poker in 30 Minutes a Day 2020 D&B Poker
Thanks Ashley. Your books are also included in the list now.