Tag: Books

The Poker Gods Wish Me a Happy Birthday

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The poker gods must know it’s my birthday. The big 25!

I played two $2/4 tables this morning and won 48 BB in 99 hands at one table and finished less than a BB ahead at the other. Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

My brother gave me 4 suited show glasses as a present to go along with the card protector he bought me for Christmas. The shot glasses are pretty neat. My sister bought me a few more books, namely Tournament Poker for Advanced Players and Caro’s Book of Poker Tells. With all of the new reading material I won’t have any time to play poker, but I should be making a TV final table soon. Ha ha!

Christmas Wishes

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What’s on your Christmas list this year related to poker? I really hope I get Zen and the Art of Poker: Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Game. I’m doing well at handling all of the bad beats, simply because I’ve come to expect them, but I think this book would really help out the mental […]

Hold'Em Poker

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Hold 'Em PokerAt about $20, this book is no where near being worth the purchase. I’ve only read one other Sklansky book, so I’m not an expert on his writing, but Hold’Em Poker comes up short in value. I own Small Stakes Hold ’em: Winning Big With Expert Play, which is a much better book. Everything that is discussed in HP is in SSH and with 10 times the amount of detail.

While reading through all 108 pages of HP, I didn’t really learn anything I hadn’t read in SSH. The concepts are all the same. Since HP was one of the first books written on Texas Hold’em the information is also a bit outdated for today’s game. If I hadn’t read SSH first, I think I would have been confused by some of the advice Skansky gives in HP. He discusses a lot of great information, but a reader is left without the proper details. There are a few hand examples to illustrate some of the concepts, but not nearly enough.

Where the book is useful is in the sense of a refresher course. While reading it, I was reminded of a few things I had forgotten from SSH. Also, since the book is so short (I already mentioned the whopping 108 pages) you can easily take it with you anywhere.

In my opinion, if you are going to buy a book, spend the extra money and get SSH or even The Theory of Poker. I haven’t read TOP, also by Sklansky, but it’s the next one on my list after I review some of SSH.

If I had to grade Hold’Em Poker, I’d have to give it a C+.

Every Second Counts

Nick Momrik4 Comments

Every Second CountsAs I’ve said before, he is the greatest American story of our lifetime. After reading his book you get an understanding of what makes him tick. He doesn’t have anything to lose, so he gives everything he’s got in everything he does. He faced death, battled it head-on, and kicked it’s ass! Everything after that is a bonus.

In the book, he talks about each of his first 5 wins in the Tour de France. He gives you a glimpse into his family life. He explains some of his relationships with other cancer patients and survivors, which he could spend days with. He’s not afraid to dismiss the role of God and religion in his surviving cancer. He says flat out that he beat it with the help of his doctors, nurses, family, and friends.

Lance isn’t the selfish arrogant asshole that some of the press make him out to be. His teammates on U.S. Postal ride for him during the Tour de France each year, so he rides for them in other races. He wants them to have the glory so he’ll protect them or bring them water from the team car. It’s not all about Lance and it never was for him. Cycling is a team sport and he understand that better than anyone else.

If I had to choose between winning the Tour de France or having cancer, I’d choose cancer.

Lance Armstrong

Not exactly the answer I would pick, but Lance is one in a million. I could go on and on about Armstrong and the amazing human being that he has become. Instead, I’ll just recommend that you read this book. I give it an A-.

Amarillo Slim In A World Full Of Fat People

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Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People : The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever LivedWhat a great read! The book is broken down into twelve chapters, each having their own theme. Then each chapter is broken down into a series of what are really short stories about Amarillo Slim (Thomas Austin Preston Jr.) and his adventures.

You get to learn about Slim’s pool skills, how he started playing poker, and some of the craziest bets I’ve ever heard of. Like he mentions many times throughout the book, “if there’s anything worth arguing about, either bet on it or shut up.” More times than not, Slim made the bet. More times than not, Slim also won that bet. He’s beaten a horse in a foot race, rafted down “The River of No Return” in the middle of winter, and rode a camel through a casino; all to win money.

This just isn’t a book about poker. In fact, it’s more about gambling in general. Slim was never one to back away from proposition bets and he made a few of his own. His insights into the world of gambling let me in on my dream life, but also reinforced the fact that it’s “a hard way to make an easy living.”

I give this book an A-.

Day 2 In Philly

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Today, in the first day of class, we covered a lot of material that I had already learned from classes I took during college, so it wa a little boring. After class, I waited for Lindsay to return from her trolley tour and then we headed off for some excitement. I promise this post isn’t nearly as long as Lindsay’s was yesterday…

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The Biggest Game In Town

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The Biggest Game in TownThe cover of this book by Al Alvarez quotes the London Evening Standard, “…probably the best book on poker ever written.” I’ve read other places online making similar claims and although I haven’t read every book on poker written, this has been the best I’ve turned a page on.

Alvarez has a way with words that makes reading easy and fun. I almost read the entire book on the flight to Philadelphia and couldn’t even put it down when we landed. From what I knew before reading The Biggest Game in Town, it was about the 1981 World Series of Poker, but that is barely the case. Most of the book is composed of gambling stories explaining why the best players in the world play the game. It explains desires and motives of gamblers, giving a new insight into the poker world.

You learn things about Doyle Brunson, Jack Strauss, Stu Ungar, Amarillo Slim, and other poker players that you won’t find anywhere else. After reading this book and Positively Fifth Street, I have a whole new vision of the poker life. Read this book if you enjoy the game.

I give Alvarez’s work an A+.