POKER BOOK REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS and NEWS
Coming Soon ... a complete overview of the best Poker Books with Reviews and News"Poker is a writer’s game. Beyond all the hype, it’s a serious and fascinating game with a novelistic scope. It’s hard to explain ‘novelistic’, but this will be understood by anyone who has ever caught poker fever (and if you haven’t caught the fever already, play about five hands and I think you will)."
Levi Asher on LitKicks.com (2005)
"Poker, America’s card game, is another form of warfare that repays literate groundwork. Basically two kinds of books are available: tactical primers and rogues’ galleries rife with hand-to-hand combat."
James McManus in The New York Times (2002)
"Regardless of what you play, there is a decent poker literature out there for your game … It is very handy to have the results of hundreds of hours of professionals’ thought, or millions of computer simulations at your fingertips. Not having to reinvent the wheel here has saved many a player thousands."
Alex Rousso in Bluff magazine (2009)
"If you do happen to feel guilty about taking money from someone who clearly hasn’t a clue, better stifle your qualms and give him a book on poker. That won’t do any good either, but it’s the thought that counts."
David Spanier, The Little Book of Poker (2000)
The Quotable Poker Player's
Top Ten List of Poker Books
BIG DEAL
by Anthony Holden
"Big Deal, published in 1990, was one of the first, and certainly one of the best, books about poker - one of few on any subject that can be said to have changed people’s lives. They read Big Deal, they gave up their jobs, they became poker professionals, they made a fortune."
Marcus Berkman in The Daily Mail (2007)
FOR RICHER, FOR POORER: A Love Affair with Poker
by Victoria Coren
"This miseducation of a poker player is terrifically funny and terribly moving. Victoria Coren plays cards like a demon and writes like an angel."
Patrick Marber
THE EDUCATION OF A POKER PLAYER (1957)
by Herbert O. Yardley
"Page after page takes a fierce joy in laying out every possible kind of hand you should stay out of. After several chapters of this you feel it is unwise to enter any pot unless you hold a pat hand, everyone else has dropped and two FBI men stand behind you with pistols pointed through the pockets of their trench coats. One cannot help wondering if Major Yardley wants to be that safe, would he not be better off in bed with his head under the covers?"
Barbara Tuchman in Esquire magazine (1966)
THE THEORY OF POKER (1987)
by David Sklansky
"The single most important poker book of all is The Theory of Poker, but if you’ve never played, you’ll find it tough going."
Andrew N.S. Glazer on Poker.net (2005)
SHUT UP AND DEAL (1998)
by James May
"Thinly fictionalized memoir of a gruelling six-year spree as a professional poker player, told in a motor-mouthed vernacular so mesmerizing for better or worse that the pages seem to reek of cigarette smoke, stale clothes, and cheap booze."
Kirkus Reviews
POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET (2003)
by James McManus
"We are all jealous of James McManus for several reasons. First of all, he’s published four novels. Second, he once came in fifth in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, winning $247,760, which, if anything, places him even higher on the respect-o-meter. And finally, he had the gall to write a bestselling book about it, which is a little like having sex with Paris Hilton and then selling the home videos online. We get it, you scored; do we have to hear about it all day?"
Art Chung in The Village Voice (2004)
THE BADASS GIRL'S GUIDE TO POKER (2005)
by Toby Leah Bochan
"Poker is equal parts seduction, lie-detection, and mind game. Now tell me why it’s always been considered a man’s domain. To women around the world, this book serves as an invitation into the casinos, bar-rooms and basements where poker is played. As informative and practical as it is fun to read, The Badass Girl's Guide to Poker is going to transform poker games around the country."
Andy Bellin, author of Poker Nation
More great poker titles to be added soon ...
While we set up our online Poker Book Library, check out a large selection of poker titles from the High Stakes Bookshop in London:
Poker Books from the High Stakes Bookshop
BOOK REVIEW
funny quotes in here"
Review by ANDREW KICAK on SmokePoker.com THE QUOTABLE POKER PLAYER
"There are some really, reallyfunny quotes in here"
You learn the game. You play the game. You play the game online. You watch it on television. You may even read instructional books or pro player biographies. But have you ever imagined being able to quote poker? Or rather dish out famous poker quotations and quips?
I admit I never really considered anyone would compile an encyclopaedia of poker quotations. That is, until I received Colin M. Jarman’s The Quotable Poker Player in the mail. Essentially, The Quotable Poker Player (TQPP) is a thorough compilation of over 1500 poker quotes or attributed remarks taken from pro players, celebrities, films, historical figures, etc.
Now I’m not a huge reader. Despite being an English and Theatre major in university, I have rarely found the time to pick up a book for a good read. And when I do, it’s usually related to my businesses or technical in nature. So I was understandably relieved to see that TQPP is more a reference book than a suspense-laden page-turner. But the funny thing is, once I started flipping through it… I couldn’t put it down! There are some good, funny, and smart quotations in the TQPP. And improbably, it IS a good read.
The Background
Author Colin Jarman has published over 30 books in the United States and in the UK through publisher Blue Eyed Books. He’s written just about every kind of book from biographies to humour to science. TQPP is one of his newest books in his quotable book series. Colin spent nearly two years compiling the quotations for this book. And it shows. With over 1500 references, there’s a lot of exhaustively researched material packed between the pages. Colin used a systematic process of evaluating the content for his book through the lens of “hilarity”, “cleverness”, and “originality” to select the quotations that made it into the book.
The Product
The book is a 156 page paperback with a 2010 publication date. The contents are divided into 12 chapters or general categories which are further subdivided within each chapter. Some notable chapters include Poker Faces (real & fictional), Poker Warfare, Poker Song (yes, this book couldn’t possibility have credibility without a mention of The Gambler by Kenny Rogers), and a concise chapter on Poker Movie quotations. There is no foreword or afterword
The Review
Okay, so it’s a quotations book. There’s not really much to review. There’s obviously no narrative or compelling writing structure. However, the quotations themselves had to be assembled, organized and edited into the book. There are quotations from almost every major poker personality and player. What I was particularly impressed with was the eclectic nature of the quotations. Besides, the usual poker pros you see and hear about at WSOP and WPT, there are quotes attributed to “Fulltilt.com” for example, as well as celebrity players like Jason Alexander, Brad Garrett, etc. It’s a great mix. Overall, this is a great flip-through-read book that makes for an interesting browse. The special treat was the movie quotes and lines that related to poker, as well as music lyrics, etc. And given the recent publication date, it’s pretty up-to-date with 2009 and 2010 references.
The cover illustration is a little cheesy looking and I’m not a personal fan of the font used. But I suppose you could argue that the book has an intentional campy, quirky sort of feel to it. I also found that the author was reaching a bit when it came to certain quotations. Like the Gus Hansen quote, “I like to see a lot of flops” seems to me more of a general statement that a humorous, interesting observation. I’m not sure I would’ve included it in the book. But then again, I’m not the author!
On the flip side, there are also tons of gems in here – too many to list. But I loved some of the online poker promoting quotes (ie. “Show me a professional player who refuses to play on the Internet these days and I’ll show you a dinosaur.” – Jesse May (2005)) . There are some really, really funny quotes in here as well. I highly recommend checking out the author’s site. If you want to preview some quotations prior to purchasing, the publisher’s site is peppered with interesting quotations.
SmokePoker.com Book Review: 4 out of 5
If you have any suggestions for great poker books to read, please leave your choice(s) in the comments box below.
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