There are only a handful of poker books on the market right now, with many professional players and writers trying to get a share of that lucrative market. Some do so with blatant disregard for quality content, while others have become so proficient in mastering poker education that they have solidified their status as a writer on the bestseller list for years to come.

In order to restrict your gift shipment, these books recommended here are for very new players in the game. Maybe they saw a few WSOP and WPT events, played some home tournaments and maybe they ventured into the casino once or twice. There is a great selection out there, but the next two are my favorites for the new player.

No Limit Holdem Tournaments is the game on television’s most popular poker shows and is what most poker players are playing now – even beginners. In fact, it’s a better choice for beginners too, because you can only lose your entry fee and not the stack of chips you see being pushed all-in on the TV! Here are some great purchases that focus predominantly on NL Hold’em tournaments.

Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book – This is a cute-sized hardcover that contains a solid and exaggerated tournament strategy from a respected player, commentator and the best poker writer out there today. While many of the chapters delve into specific tournament probabilities QQ Online, positions and strategy, Gordon allows the reader to jump right into the mind of a true tournament professional and can experience many real decision-making situations that are essential to making money at tournaments. I certainly think Phil Gordon has leaped ahead of the class of all the poker writers out there today. Your unique ability to make you think about the game, while showering your sentences with love for poker, invades your system and makes you want to play even more. An excellent gift too, for the small packaging.

Harrington On Hold’em by Dan Harrington [http://www.pokerbookreport.com/danharrington.htm] – Although not as fun to read as Phil Gordon, Harrington makes up for it and more by creating a real reference work in this book for unlimited tournament games. It’s a unique system of learning by playing / watching, as critical topics are covered using real-time replays involving many prominent professionals, live tournaments and typical Internet games – but Harrington lets you try to make the right move first, while he then dissects what he would do (or do) in that situation, allowing you to rethink your position if necessary. The advice in this book is valid and organized in a structural sense, allowing the reader to delve deeper into the psychology of the tournament as well as critical concepts. This is the most highly regarded tournament book among tournament professionals and semi-professionals on the Internet. Each page of this masterpiece will effectively challenge the reader to become better

Any of these books will stay at home for a long time and will be much more appreciated than many other gifts received over the years.