Throughout 2025, we asked a number of poker players to share their all-time favorite books — the ones that inspired them and shaped their poker careers.
If you’re looking for a source of inspiration heading into 2026, check out the books below and the players who recommended them.
Jonathan Little: The 4-Hour Workweek
Create the freedom to live life on your terms. "My favorite book is The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. When I first read it years ago, it had a major influence on both my poker career and my life in general. The central message of the book is about efficiency and how success should be redefined, not simply as the pursuit of money, but as the pursuit of freedom.
"Ferriss emphasizes that while money is necessary, the ultimate goal isn’t to make as much of it as possible. Instead, it’s about creating the freedom to live life on your own terms. This idea resonated with me deeply, especially as it applies to poker."
Read Jonathan's full review.
David Lappin: Harrington on Hold'em
'The Gospel According to Harrington'."Harrington on Hold’em - Volume 1 came out in 2004, just a couple of years before I turned pro. If Doyle Brunson’s Supersystem was the Old Testament, then Harrington on Hold’em was the new poker covenant, the new agreement on the best ideas from which to build a poker game.
"As poker evolved, the lines between optimal and exploitative blurred, and game theory optimal exposed some of Harrington’s more conservative tendencies. His aversion to bluffing in uncertain spots and his lack of sufficient adjustment for ICM left significant strategic gaps to be filled.
"Nonetheless, it was a seminal book to which I owe an awful lot. Just like in many other disciplines, poker players are standing on the shoulders of giants. Harrington was undoubtedly one of those giants, and Harrington on Hold’em remains a brilliant introduction to 'the why' of tournament poker."
Read David's full review.
Darren Elias: The Professor, The Banker & The Suicide King
The Professor, The Banker & The Suicide King is a rollicking read."My favorite poker book is The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King by Michael Craig.
"I always gravitated more towards these types of poker books than anything strategic.
"I remember reading this book in 2005 as a young aspiring poker player and enjoying the insight into what the world of high-stakes poker looked like.
"There were also a number of anecdotes and tales of well-known players from that time, which I found fascinating. And how can you not love a true story about one of the largest cash games of all time?"
Read Darren's full review.
Ashley ‘PokerFace Ash’ Frank: The Mental Game of Poker
The Mental Game if Poker was first published in 2011."Poker players are obsessed with studying hands, ranges, and solvers. We will spend hours memorizing charts or breaking down spots, yet tilt and self-sabotage can undo weeks of technical study in a single bad session.
"Early in my career, I realized my biggest leaks were not in my ranges; they were in my head. That is when I picked up Jared Tendler’s The Mental Game of Poker, and it became one of the most important books I have ever read."
Read Ashley's full review.
Lena Evans: The Miracle of Mindfulness
"When I first began playing poker seriously, I thought the game was about control of cards, chips, opponents, and outcomes. The sharper my focus, the better I could manage everything around me.
"But over time — not through a final table or a trophy — I realized that the greatest opponent was my own mind.
"That realization began with a teacher. Not a poker coach, but a Zen master.
"This is the book that taught me to find stillness in the storm, transforming not just my poker game, but my mind, my balance, and my understanding of what it means to compete with compassion."
Read Lena's full review.
Nikki Limo: The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho - author of The Alchemist and many other best-selling titles."It was really hard to narrow it down to just one book.
"I love Play Optimal Poker by Andrew Brokos and also The Joy of Poker by Jason Su. As far as life books that have empowered me, I like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.
"But the one book that most sums up my philosophical view of the world — which is really weird because I mostly just read non-fiction books — is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
"It’s a great book, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It captures many concepts from new-age nonfiction books but encapsulates them into a fictional story."
Read Nikki's full review.
Frankie C: Atomic Habits
"I think we all struggle with focus and motivation, and at the root of it all, it comes down to our habits — the healthy ones and, more importantly, the unhealthy ones.
"I've always been very process-oriented. My major was industrial engineering, which is about the processes behind engineering.
"In Atomic Habits, Clear breaks down the issues of our subconscious. The whole point of the subconscious is that it doesn’t think — it just acts.
"The book explains why we develop certain bad habits and where they originate. It turns out that a lot come from the location we're in and the people we surround ourselves with. It’s a reminder to surround yourself with people who have the habits you aspire to build."
Read Frankie's full review.
