1 comments about How to Hustle Home Poker.

1. Book discusses home poker games. However, the value of the book lies in its description of various hustle moves that can be done at the table for those who want to take every advantage in a game.

1 comments about Poker Slam.

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. I am no poker player, so I wasn't sure what I would find in a novel about poker. I was pleasantly surprised, and came away with a lot more understanding of the game, and even a passion for playing it myself.
   
   Neal tells a great story, and uses poker as a metaphor for the human condition. He does this well, with a beautiful construct. We are following two stories in the book. One story is a battle for the world championship of poker, played out card by card and hand by hand in an intense battle of skill between two great players. The other story is the tale of Utah McCormick and his journey to learn about poker, while also learning how to read the card game that is his life. Both stories are written with the view of a poker player; dispassionate observations and careful consideration of logic; no flowery phases and no wild extrapolations. The style of writing matches the story line perfectly.
   
   Since I knew nothing of poker going in, some of the terminology was a bit intimidating. Neal doesn't interrupt his narrative with contrived explanations of the highly technical terms. Instead, he has provided us with an extensive glossary at the back of the book with all the slang and technical jargon that we need to understand the story, and feel like we are learning about poker in the process. I really like that approach, and I think he uses it well.
   
   Neal's use of metaphor is excellent and thought provoking. I enjoyed looking at the story of Utah as a hand of poker, identifying the events that occurred in the context of his hole cards, the flop, the turn, and the river. The story is fun and entertaining, and the book is all the more educational for the complete immersion into poker.

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5 comments about The Prop: A Novel.

1. In THE PROP, Pete Hautman spurns his usual Minnesota setting for Arizona. Also gone are the Fargo-esque characters, Joe Crow and Sam O'Gara. Poker also takes on a prominent role here; whereas usually it's only mentioned referentially.
   
   The main character here is also a woman, "Peeky" Kane, who works as a "prop" at an Indian gaming casino. A prop is a player employed by the casino to fill in when there aren't enough players.
   
   The action starts when Peeky becomes unintentionally involved in a cheating scam, then is witness to a casino holdup. A subplot involves Peeky's daughter who's addicted to crack cocaine.
   
   Patricia "Peeky" Kane is a very likable character. Hautman does a nice job with a woman's voice. When she's feeling stressed, she turns to Cherry Garcia ice cream and Vouvray (wine). She keeps thousands of dollars hidden away in shoe boxes and cookie jars. Cisco, the Santa Cruz elder who founded the casino, is also very well drawn. We're not quite sure the Santa Cruz indians ever existed; yet Cisco is able to convince the government to give him land upon which to build his casino.
   
   The subplot involving the daughter gets old after awhile; Peeky and her son-in-law, Eduardo, whom she calls "The Black Prince," keep trying to save Jaymie, the daughter, from herself, but she keeps running away. The secondary characters also leave something to be desired. Jaymie is a stereotype; Eduado doesn't do much except fight, and Peeky's lover, Buddy, just isn't believable. I would imagine Hautman wrote this because of the popularity of Holdem poker on TV, but I think he would have been better served if he'd stayed with his tried and true characters, some of whom have played poker professionally.



2. I was a bit disappointed about the poker scenes in Pete Hautman's previous poker theme titles but The Prop more than makes up for that as this book is "the nuts" of poker fiction. Pete captures the deep layers of the poker world and spins a great tale involving cowboys, indians and the gamblers of the world. Those not as versed in poker will find this an easy enough primer of the intricate psychology involved and will find it a delightful compliment to the deeper mysteries of the plot.



3. The author holds your interest effortlessly. Well written, populated by interesting characters, and an author to look for. A summer dream.



4. This is the first book by this author that I've read and I won't waste my time with another of his "mysteries". There was NO mystery in this book. There was no real direction to the story. It seems that Hautman added numerous filler stories because his main concept was so weak. The characters were barely believable and incredibly stupid. The main character was so pathetic. Hautman has no idea how to write a woman's character. This story seems to have been written for an adult market in a child-like fashion. It had no twists or turns in the plot and the ending just stopped. You know when you read a really good novel and you have that feeling of contentment, like you were glad you took the time to read the book. Well, after reading "THE PROP", I felt like I wasted my time. The book got tossed it into the trash where it belonged. Reading should be fun and entertaining - this book didn't come close to being fun or entertaining.



5. This is my first Pete Hautman book in some time and it was well worth the wait. I enjoy books that involve gambling and are well written and this one surely qualifies. It is right up there with James Swain's numerous books involving Tony Valentine.
   
   In using Patty Kane as the narrator, Hautman does a difficult thing. I could find no place in the book where I felt "Peekey" as she is called, was anything less than authentic.
   
   I spend half the year in Tucson, so I was familiar with the venues she described which were not fiction. However, the Casino Santa Cruz has yet to be built (which is probably a good thing) and while Hautman may live in Minnesota, he has certainly spent a fair amount of time in The Old Pueblo.
   
   If you like a book that is fast paced, has a lot of interesting characters and spins a yarn that keeps you turning the pages, this is for you. I loved it.

3 comments about Luck of the Draw (Leisure Historical Romance).

1. Abigail Butler hopes to find a new life in Montana, although to do so she must live a half lie. When she encounters Beau McMasters, the young woman begins to wish she could live the truth, but fear holds her back. Loving Abby may be the biggest gamble this man has ever taken, but it will also have the biggest payoff.
   
   *** Although the conflict in this book seems to be a bit forced and contrived, Abby and Beau's sweet story is one that has a certain charm. ***
   
   Amanda Killgore



2. Pinkerton and an assailant want to find Abigail Breckenridge with both interested in her; one because of what she did which led to a price on her head and the other for what he assumes she saw. Knowing she is in trouble, Abigail changes her surname to Butler heading west as a widowed schoolteacher. On the stage she meets Beau McMasters who recently won at a card game a saloon and a ranch in Heaven's Gate.
   
   Beau and Abigail are attracted to one another and the locals encourage their relationship. As they fall in love, Abigail's past shows up and to her horror Beau is shot. Refusing to leave his side though that leaves her in peril, Abigail knows she owes Beau two truths: who she truly is and that she loves him.
   
   This is a solid western romance that the audience will fully enjoy due to the antics of the lead couple though it is the outsiders who bring the late suspense to the fine nineteenth century story line. LUCK OF THE DRAW is a fast-paced read though the climax seems off kilter as the chasers converge on Butler, which would seem more like a needle in a haystack. Still sub-genre fans will enjoy this fine tale as Beau tries to prove that he loves Abigail risking his life as his stake.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. Favorite scene with Abby-
   Learning about her parents' deaths. What a short, powerful scene. How like a strange dream. She didn't feel a thing, and yet, she did.
   
   Favorite scene with Beau-
   The final showdown with Baser.
   
   Together-
   Telling each other their truths before coming together in love.
   
   What did you like about Abby-
   Not wanting to be like society. Her strength and courage, especially when she fled New York and her parents. Wanting to help others, like the doves and Sabina. Thinking of Gussie as her mother. Her love for Beau despite his secret.
   
   What didn't you like about Abby-
   There wasn't anything I didn't like about Abby.
   
   What did you like about Beau-
   His love for his parents. The good he did for the town, and the respect he had for it and it's members. His love for Abby. Although I wish he had killed Baser, I'm glad he didn't. He showed such great restraint.
   
   What didn't you like about Beau-
   There wasn't anything I didn't like about Beau.
   
   If I had to cast Beau, I'd cast Julian McMahon.
   If I had to cast Abby, I'd cast Reese Witherspoon.
   
   You can read my Beau and Abby blog at http://romancereadingclub.blogspot.com/

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2 comments about Mastering Hold'em and Omaha Poker.

1. this book seems to have really been written by mike cappelletti, and the impression otherwise is misleading, if not disingenuous. (though presumably there is some publishing rule which was followed to accomplish this? likewise, if, inconsistently with the text itself, caro and cappelletti actually did co-write the main text, that also should have been clarified.) what was written by caro are little "tidbits" in blocked greyed type. (caro's notes, while sparse relative to the text, appear to be worthwhile and are a bit more straightforward than the more enigmatic approach of the text's apparent true author.)
   
   at the same time, caro's page sized charts of hand play seemed like a big waste of space. does one really need over half a page taken up solely by the blank side of every player's playing cards? also, figuring out the play of the hand on these over sized charts (explained as well in the appendix, but I urge you not to "cheat" and consult therein) could be looked at one of at least two ways. a bonus exercise in problem solving, or a pain in the buttockia. what makes it amusing is that it seems that the point of using a whole page to convey a hand lay out that could be easily conveyed in a fraction of the space, would be for the sake of simplicity and clarity, not the opposite.
   
   the Hold em section is not reviewed here, since there are so many books on hold em, and so few on Omaha. that said, so far the Hold em section seems like a worthwhile read.
   
   while the Omaha sections contain their share of stating the obvious type filler sentences, cappelletti also includes a large amount of the opposite; that is, advanced or thoughtful concepts expressed far more succinctly than perhaps many readers may like. however, the side result of this is that the book also, indirectly, gets one to think about the game a bit more as one tries to figure out what he may mean. (also, note that the book covers both Omaha, and Omaha hi low, which one would not necessarily get from the title.) while this may seem like a drawback, it may not be, particularly as the book is not written for beginner or neophyte Omaha play, and sometimes thinking about conclusions rather than just inadvertently trying to memorize or "learn" them, can be as, if not more productive.
   
   thus, the author also presumes a lot of knowledge, including on hand selection. this last would seem to be reasonable, given that hand selection (and how to play those hands pre flop) is a fairly elementary concept, not a "master" concept. but on the other hand, many players do not seem to understand it in Omaha. (although that again may be semi purposeful or self reinforcing on their part, as many players, online at least, play hands that are so atrocious (which can be okay), and then over play them post flop to incorrect odds (which is not), that one wonders how they do not manage to bankrupt their roll. some in the so called tin foil hat club may more reasonably suspect that it is possible that this is because some online play may not in fact be truly random -- whether done purposefully or more likely by unacknowledged imperfections in the idea of computer generated randomness at certain levels of play (and/or whatever is being used as input data), a question that given the popularity of poker has seen surprisingly little erudite and COMPREHENSIVE, rather than incomplete and overly presumptive, analysis).
   
   so if one can follow what cappelletti means, or, perhaps even better, at least figure something out which the reader thinks he may mean, there is a good bit of helpful and even advanced analysis in the book.
   
   Another thing which cappelletti does which is somewhat unusual, and very helpful, is that he helps the reader think more about the overall situation and impressions, and how that might play into overall strategy as well as the play of individual hands. as a result, his analysis is not overly formulaic, but helps the reader not only to potentially absorb some interesting ideas, but learn to think about the game itself more broadly.
   
   in sum, while this book, which by virtue of its double bifurcated subject approach only devotes about a quarter each to Omaha hi and Omaha hi low, may leave different readers with vastly different impressions, overall, it seems to be a worthwhile read for the non neophyte Omaha player.
   
   one non poker point, which may seem picayune. but do poker authors sometimes not believe in editors? maybe certain types of grammatical or editing mistakes may lend a little salty coolness to poker books. but confusing "than" and "then" is not among them. while these terms get botched on occasion (or inadvertently when in a hurry, but "then," if one is in a hurry this may be more productive "than," as with many grammatical errors, taking the time to edit), to make this mistake in a published book is petty sloppy. while cappelletti's book seems to be worthwhile and add to the overall quality of information and thought on this game, there are a lot of crap books out there on almost every subject, written by seemingly anybody and everybody with an opinion. not that this is necessarily bad, as what is "good" is ultimately subjective, and it should be this way at least when it comes to opportunity (although a lot of trash, particularly in other subject areas, most notably politics, tends to cover up far better AND MORE ACCURATE material). but what is not subjective is editing for basic mistakes. and this book makes a pretty bad one.



2. This book is misrepresented. It is not written by Mike Cappelletti and Mike Caro. It is written by Mike Cappelletti, with Caro sanitizing only the first half on Texas Hold'em. In the introduction Caro says he didn't touch the Omaha section, relieving it of his discipline and mathematical validation. This is a great disappointment for his insights into Omaha play would be invaluable, should he ever deign to share them. It's a major reason I bought the book, only to be let down.
   
   Second, this book was twelve years old when it was published, even by the authors' admission. It is on limit Hold'em and Omaha, not no-limit / pot-limit. Twelve years ago - even five - limit was the most popular form of Texas Hold'em, and all books were only on how to play it. Today, no-limit has far surpassed limit, and it's hard to find a limit Omaha game. Even Omaha high-low is mostly played pot limit. (But if you want to see something funny, such as all 10 players in all the way to the river, sit in on a limit Omaha game. If you can find one.)
   
   If you are interested in limit Hold'em and Omaha, this is possibly the best book I've seen. The instructions are clear, smart, and well founded. You will get a much better idea of what you're looking for, what you can expect, and what you're trying to accomplish for both games than poker books.
   
   But whether in Europe or the US, Omaha has always been by far mostly played pot limit. It's even rather silly to play it otherwise. And despite the author's assertions that much of limit strategy can be transferred to no limit, there are significant differences.
   
   This book is a disappointment for not giving accurate authorship nor admitted its limit limitation. The latter didn't matter 12 years ago, but matters a lot today.
   
   But one little inset box on page 69 may make this book worth the price for many players: an operative definition of aggressive play.
   
   All poker authors do the same thing: describe a tight entry strategy, then say, "But play aggressively." That's like saying, "Be happy," or, "Don't be mad." How do you "be" anything? Most of us can barely control what we do. If I could control my being I'd be a saint, or possibly a god.
   
   In Super System 1, Doyle Brunson is at least a little more helpful. He adds, "But don't be foolish."
   
   But in Mastering Hold'em and Omaha Poker, on page 69, Mike Caro tosses in a description to give the reader some idea of what is meant by these references to aggressive play. It's well worth reading.

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