More Book Reviews
Best Selling Poker Books of 2014How did the new books compare to the old classics? Well, we will let the data speak for itself. Take a look at the list of the best selling poker books of 2014.
Deal Me In and Eat Professional Poker Players Alive ReviewedThere isn't a clear path by which people become professional poker players. There aren't any good courses at the local vo-tech for a person to study. The road to becoming a poker pro is inevitably difficult, circuitous, and filled with setbacks. Deal Me In is a book describing the course by which twenty top poker players became professionals.
Poker Winners Are DifferentThere is a big difference between what's typical human behavior and what is called for to play poker at a high level. There aren't a lot of people for whom maximizing their expectation in poker games comes naturally. Poker Winners Are Different by Alan Schoonmaker examines this conundrum.
52 Greatest Moments World Series of Poker
by Mark Rogers
This coffee table book makes a great poker gift, autograph book and display item for discussion. Whether you are looking to preserve exciting historical moments or learn the details of the World Series of Poker, this book provides both in an entertaining and controversial format.
Over it's 37 year history (to date) the
World Series of Poker has produced many moments of remarkable drama. Some of these events have already achieved legendary status. Mark Rogers attempts to
Nick Christenson is widely regarded as one of the best gambling book reviewers publishing today. He is a contributor for Poker Player magazine, and has published in Full-Tilt and Gambling Times. He is also the editor of the very funny 'Casino Death Watch,' which chronicles the comings and goings of casinos in Las Vegas. He is an avid poker and blackjack player. Nick's website is www.jetcafe.org/~npc/
52 Greatest Moments World Series of Poker catalogue and, ambitiously, rank the top 52 World Series moments in his awkwardly titled book, 52 Greatest Moments World Series of Poker.
Rogers' book is a beautifully bound volume that contains brief descriptions of some of the most remarkable milestones in WSOP history. The layout is well executed and the book is filled with photographs carefully reproduced on high-quality paper. This is an attractive book that would look fabulous on any poker player's coffee table, even buried under mounds of casino chips, bundles of c-notes, and dog-eared copies of Theory of Poker.
The process of selecting and ranking these events will always be controversial. A certain amount of criticism over any such selection process is inevitable, and there certainly are orderings that caused an arched eyebrow or two from this reviewer as I made my way through the book. Moreover, there are places where Rogers stretches what falls within the boundaries of the World Series of Poker and what doesn't. Overall, though, it appears to me that the author put some significant time in creating his list, and at the very least I think that the choices made here are defensible. I may not agree with all of them, but I respect the decisions Rogers made, and that's not faint praise.
The text descriptions of the events listed in this book are fairly short. Moreover, without exception every one of them has been covered in other sources. While 52 Greatest Moments can work as a history book, those interested in detailed accounts of these events will almost certainly be more satisfied with the books and articles Rogers uses as sources. These include
All In,
The Biggest Game in Town, and
Big Deal among others. I really appreciate the carefully compiled
poker bibliography in the back, a feature that many
poker books unfortunately lack. It's a good thing that Rogers went to the effort of referencing his primary sources.
While Rogers' book can't be categorized as a necessary book for poker readers, it does have its utility. One great use for 52 Greatest Moments is as a gift for that poker fan who has everything. This is an attractive book that isn't in wide release, so as a gift it is likely to both be appreciated and unlikely to be duplicated. It's also a nice book to page through for someone who wants to read some entertaining poker stories in small doses. Is it a must read? No, it's not an essential part of a poker aficionado's library. However, it is a fun book that's likely to be appreciated by those with a strong affinity for the game.