The sage seeks not to have a store
of things or knowledge, for he knows,
the less of these he has, the more he has,
and that the more he gives,
the greater his abundance.

            -81, The Tao Te Ching

The best players in professional sports constantly train. Between games, before games, and even during the off season, you will find them taking batting practice and practicing free throws. They used to say that Michael Jordan, at the height of his superstardom, practiced more than any other player on his team. I'd say that's a pretty hearty endorsement of the theory, wouldn't you?

I play poker for fun, and I have no intention of ever becoming a professional player, but let's be honest here: it's a hell of a lot more fun to win than it is to lose, even at the small stakes I play. So I take it as seriously as one can take a hobby, and I train between sessions by reviewing a few essential poker books, and talking about my game with a couple of people I trust and respect.

The books I regularly read are: Harrington on Hold'Em (volumes one and two), Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by Sklansky and Malmuth, and Winning Low Limit Hold'Em by Lee Jones. There are others, and I'm sure different players will find different texts which are more suited to their particular game, but those are the ones which work for me. (I've recently added Small Stakes Hold'Em to my library. I'll let you know if it becomes a regular read or not.) The trick is to find a book (or even a DVD) that speaks to you, that helps your game, and then read it over and over again. It's remarkable how many times I've read Lee's book, yet I still find something new in there, some flaw in my game that I was unaware of, each time I pick it back up. In fact, I discovered and plugged a serious leak just this weekend (no, I'm not telling you what it was, so don't ask.)

I am lucky to know a few poker authors and talented players who will help me honestly assess my game, but I won't out them here . . . instead, I'll out one of the most helpful bloggers on the Internets: Mr. HDouble.

HDouble (also known as Henry or Hank) rarely updates his blog, but when he does, it is always worth the wait. View classic posts like Morton's Theorem vs. Sklansky's Fundamental Theorem of Poker and Self Affirmation, for two examples.

Then there is the ongoing series of poker wisdom Henry extracts from movies like The Matrix, The Big Lebowski, and Rushmore.

Recently, however, Hank has managed to outdo even himself, with a post called "On The Shoulders of Giants." In it, he lists the top ten internet poker reads, from Abdul Jalib's pre-flop strategy to The Tiltboys' best trip report ever. There's easily enough wisdom contained in that post alone to improve just about anyone's game. It's so useful, in fact, I hope I don't have to play against anyone who reads it all.

We're never going to get better by simply playing the game. In fact, just playing poker without studying is the best way to go broke, and have a lousy time doing it. While we may get lucky a few times and suck out, or find ourselves bluffing with the best hand, poker is largely a game of skill, and the skillful players who study and understand the game will find a way to take our money away from us.

HDouble is one of those rare players: a skilled master who is willing to share his wisdom with the rest of us. Bookmark HDouble's site, or subscribe to his RSS feed, and pay attention to his posts. Your bankroll will thank you for it.