No comments about The Only Poker Book You'll Ever Need: Bet, Play, And Bluff Like a Pro--from Five-card Draw to Texas Hold 'em.

1 comments about Jackpot Ridge.

1. Most western novels contain white hats, black hats, horses, fistfights and lots of gunsmoke. This one is no exception. What a lot of western novels don't include is a story that would work well in any genre. If you like a hero that's compassionate as well as nail-tough, a heroine you would take home to meet the folks, a man who hangs on to his life-long dream to the very end, a mystery, nail-biting suspense, and a great old-west shoot-em-up-bang-bang yarn to boot, you will definitely like Jackpot Ridge. Way to go Ralph Cotton!

2 comments about Secrets of Winning Video Poker, 2nd Edition.

1. If you find a secret here you've been living in a cave. Reviews of game types are interesting, but you'll not find illustrations of the machines, or the odds, or the various underlying deal algorithms. The editing is poor (e.g., slots are in isles), and advice like "play the machines that give the best odds." Duh!



2. Okay, this book has this information ---
   
   Chairs: Each video poker machine in the casino has a chair in front of it so that you can play the machines in comfort, even if you were to play for hours, as many of the players do. --- No, I am NOT kidding. And that was one of the more helpful paragraphs! Okay, now I AM kidding. I would be embarassed if I had written this book.

5 comments about How To Play Winning Poker.

1. The Book took on too many games to provide any kind of useful information on how to play. It should be used more as an introduction to the various rules of the different styles of poker. Touched only briefly on the issues of starting hands and calling bets in each of the different games.



2. I picked up this book at a used bookstore on a whim and was completely disappointed. There were one or two interesting pieces of information, but for the most part the book was repetitive and uninformative. I agree that this book is only useful as a rulebook and extremely basic strategy. You could get that same information from a general card game anthology, like hoyles or scarnes if you wanted to. Or, if you are really interested in learning how to win at poker there are a variety of other, more detailed books available.



3. In all seriousness Avery Cardoza couldn't have spent more then 5 hours putting this book together in it's entirety. The chief ill of this book is that it takes on too broad of a scope in covering the major forms of poker (Hold'Em, Seven card Stud, Lowball, Draw, etc) but then serves further insult by providing only a cursory explaination of rules for these poker variations with no inclusion of specific play strategy for each of them. The other information (winning strategy, money management, etc.) is completely generic and skimpy in weight. Do yourself a favour and fold this weak hand before the flop.



4. As you can tell from the other reviews, if you are an intermediate or advanced player, you will probably want to skip this one. If, however, you are jumping on to the band wagon or otherwise new to poker it is an excellent introduction.
   
   Cardoza introduces you to the history of the game (not essential, but mildly interesting) as well as the basic rules. He then takes you through Draw, 7 Card Stud, Hold 'Em and Omaha. He does a good job of introducing you to some of the differences between a casino and a home game. This can help the novice player feel a bit more comfortable when sitting down at a table. Then, he goes on to the 15 Winning Concepts of Poker as well as an introduction to bluffing and discusses money managment.
   
   His analysis of Draw and 7 Card Stud are very good. He skimps a bit on Hold 'Em and Omaha. His rather abbreviated discussion of these two popular forms is why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
   
   If you follow the advice in the book, you will become a bit of an A-B-C player (a tight player who plays the same hands the same ways), but you can expand as you get more comfortable.



5. Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "How To Play Winning Poker" continues to establish itself as an invaluable instructional guide to successfully playing poker whether it's a kitchen table game or a world class tournament. This newest and thoroughly `user friendly' edition includes No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Hold'em, and the diverse aspects of tournament play. Players seeking to enhanced and refine their poker skills will be instructed in winning strategies for the main home and casino poker games that also include 7-Card Stud, Draw Poker, Omaha Cash Games; and playing poker online. Features include twenty-one of poker's essential winning concepts, fifteen critically important bluffing strategies in poker, advice on reading opponents, how to calculate and use `pot odds', the importance of player position, professional money management. There's even a poker glossary. If you only have time to read one `how to' book on playing poker for fun and profit, then you would be well advised to make it Avery Cardoza's "How To Play Winning Poker".

5 comments about King of a Small World.

1. An excellent grasp of the poker world and how it relates to life. Rick Bennet is a great poker player that I first met in early 1996. I played WITH him and then later dealt TO him. This is the first time in print, film, or television that I wasn't forced to watch some incredible Hollywood poker hand where one player has four Aces and the other player says "no good, read 'em and weep". As a poker dealer that has played for a living, I am thrilled to finally find someone that undertands my world well enough and can also translate it so that others can see it. This novel IS what all of us in the poker industry HOPED the movie Rounders would be but fell so short. King of a Small World is the most accurate account of poker life from the many different aspects; professionals that grind out a living, dealers that blow all there tips, and recreational players that are there to enjoy themselves because they rarely win and are where we all make our money. Poker is a game of skill with short term luck. There has to be some luck or people wouldn't "gamble". I never heard of chess being played for big money. Finally an accurate portrayal of the life of a person that plays for a living. It is done by reading people and playing the odds, not by someone in a tuxedo betting $100,000 per hand on a table game where the house has the edge. Through the eyes of a professional poker player, the reader learns how poker gives us the tools to perceive the rest of life. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the characters are very realistic; I know people like this. At the same time, I learned about the charity and underground games in Maryland that I have always heard about from the many poker players that have moved from the D.C. area to California, the new poker capitol of the world. I highly recommend King of a Small World.



2. I wasn't expecting much when I got this book. I am a big reader and a relatively new and still small wager..... poker player. I have been reading every poker book both instructional and literary I can find. The poker in this was great and very realistic to me though I have never played at the larger bet levels of the characters. The game is the same and losing still hurts. I was most surprised and pleased by the writing. It's not Shakespeare or Tolstoy, but it isn't too bad. It is a good read with real people for characters and true feelings. While there is action it is not nor does it try to be Hollywood. It will sit on my poker shelf next to the Cincinati kid, Shut up and Deal, The Biggest Game in Town, Big Deal, and The Education of a Poker Player.



3. I read in Poker Pro magazine that this was one of the top 6 poker books ever, and I read the first 4 allready, but not this one or the last one they listed. So I read this one and it was great. I'm new to poker, but still, this a really good read. I sometimes watch Rounders to get excited about going to Vegas, but I think maybe sometimes I'll read parts of this, too. And this is not even a lot about poker, its about the slacker life, to me.



4. As a current player of underground games in MD I really liked this book. It portrays a real description of poker life. Poker players can relate to this book in an eerie kind of way. Winning makes you feel like the king of the world, losing makes you feel like the scum of the earth. Book could have been alot better if it concentrated more on poker playing scenarios, but I was content.



5. This book had something I haven't seen in a book in a very, very long time. As I was reading along, I noticed something was missing. There were NO typos, and the grammar was perfect. What a pleasure!
   
   It also contains, towards the back, a couple of the most eloquent and memorable paragraphs on the game I've found in all the poker literature I've read.
   
   Otherwise the story is fair but hardly great. It definitely is on a level below "Shut Up and Deal", which is the best poker novel I have yet to encounter, but it is certainly worth reading.

No comments about How to Win at Duplicate Bridge.

1 comments about Champion of champions: The authorized biography of Johnny Moss.

1. This is an awesome read from start to finish. Read all about the daring exploits of poker's finest son, Johnny Moss. Hear the inside scoop from the man who was there, fighting his way to victory year after year to be the world championship of poker champion several times over! Also, this book has a special bonus. It includes 12 full page glossy color photos of poker legends Crandell Addington, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, Pat Callihan, Pete Crist, Eric Drache, Hal Fowler, Pug Pearson, Sam Petrillo, Amarillo Slim, Chip Reese, and Stuey Ungar. Get it if you can, you won't be dissapointed.

4 comments about Championship Table: At the World Series of Poker (1970-2007).

1. I received this book with the compliments of Cardsmith publishing. I am in Iraq and was looking for some good poker books. I read the book in two days! This book was very interesting and sparked my interest in several other poker personalities like Amarillo Slim, Unger, Moss, etc. Very entertaining. In addition, Dana Smith's interviews with the final table participants were very well done. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a light read about some of the great poker players.



2. Reminds me of one of those baseball books with statistics but not much else. The stories are short and typically discuss one or two hands at most. If you want history it may have value but it will not improve your play.



3. I greatly enjoyed the book! I found the year by year history of the world championship of no limit holdem facinating. Benny Binion created a fantastic event! It's wonderful to see how the event has grown over time from just a one table event, to probably 1000 players this year. If you are looking for playing advice go elsewhere. There are many other great how to play books available, but if you love poker and are interested in the history of it's biggest event then you will enjoy this.



4. The stories about playing poker on the old pro circuit are worth the price of the book. I enjoyed the brief attention paid to the often lucky final hand showdowns and the much greater time given to interviews with the winners. The big disappointment is the photos attached to the text. They resemble what photos would look like if they were taken by an infant, through a foot of water, with the lights turned off. The pictures should have been omitted; they are that bad.

   This is an OK read with some exceptional advice from the top names in poker from the past two decades. Not destined to be a bestseller, but a good book for poker enthusiasts.

No comments about Drawing Dead to a Gutshot: How to Talk Poker.

5 comments about John Patrick's Advanced Craps: The Sophisticated Player's Guide to Winning.

1. As always, Patrick does a great job with his money discipline in this one. He reminds me of alot of high level money managers in Wall Street. The upside always takes care of itself, when you take care of the downside. Great book.



2. This guy is a machine in writing books, and giving new logic and money discipline. I have about everything he's written, and always pick up new things in each. He throws in alot of stories as well about what it's like in his professional world of gambling. It must be something to have his skills and mindset when you walk into the room. Never hesitate in buying a Patrick book.



3. I have read this book several times. I have tested all of the systems in the book at great length and all have had the same results. All of the sytems and methods outlined in the book are, in the long run, losers. The best thing that can be accomplished (and not by all the systems) is that you learn how to manage your money and to leave the table if you should have a short term win. The newer books on craps have been revised to include more disclosures, but all in all this one has no more value than any other I have read. If any of the methods outlined in the book actually made money Las Vegas would be a ghost town.



4. If you understand the basics of the game but are still looking for a way to win on a consistent basis - John Patrick is your man. John's theories are simple and straight forward. You have to have near-perfect knowledge of the game in order to win consistently. You need sufficient bankroll to have a shot. You should approach the game with a theory or plan for HOW you are going to play. Set win objectives and loss limits. And have the discipline to walk with a small win. Will you do what it takes to win? Probably not. And according to John, that makes you a dork. Hey - get over it. After all, he's probably right.
   
   On a personal basis, I've known John for about ten years now. He's a class guy and one of the few in this business who actually does the things he writes about. This book is a "must have" for serious crapsters.



5. I read most of John Patricks books and they all are well written, he leans very hard on money management and discipline. If you enjoy leaving the casino with your money and some of theres this book is an excellent investment. I've used many straight forward betting systems of Johns and have had good returns. He really leans on Place betting, taking several hits and taking them down. I've down very well with that system. You will too.