Three diverse
new books arrived at Gambler's Book Shop recently and each has its
special audience. Let's look at each and what they offer the recreational
gambler or the person who just likes a good read:
George
Epstein really likes the game of poker. His choice of titles, The
Greatest Book of Poker for Winners (296 pages, paperbound, $24.95)
covers a lot of territory, and indeed he does it well and in an
entertaining fashion. An engineer (He also teaches a course on the
subject at UCLA.), he has a mind for the various facets that comprise
a winning player-and it's simply often a matter of trying "to maintain
order out of chaos," as he says. This book is for beginners and
players who already know the basics and want to improve their game-and
much of it is not so much mathematical, but in understanding yourself
as a player and getting into the minds of your opponents. Epstein
covers seven stud and hold'em primarily, but much of what he discusses
is applicable to all forms of poker. The casual home player will
gain confidence and the potential casino player will be better prepared
as well after Epstein's material is absorbed and analyzed. Among
the subjects he includes are selecting playable hands; playing aggressively;
bluffing; tracking cards; developing a sense of observation (on
"tells"); assessing your opponents. Although he doesn't include
tables and charts along with sample hands, his relaxing, knowledgeable
tone will help you enjoy your first experience at the table and
the occasional forays into more serious play later on. Like a friend
with his hand on your shoulder and pep talk, combined with common
sense, this book should find its rightful place on your bookshelf.
R.D.
Ellison's new book is part of another work, which was in and out
of print too quickly. Initially it was titled Gamble to Win, with
sections on craps and several other casino games. Somewhere along
the line the publishers decided to "reposition" (remarket) the book
under three separate titles. The first is Ellison's Gamble to
Win: Craps (245 pages, paperbound, $l4.95).
This book contains
16 chapters and should appeal to the rank beginner, to those searching
for systems and progressions (which they hope will provide a hot
streak and profits if all goes well) and every player in between.
The first 90 pages are for beginners-odds, bet explanations; the
table layout; role of table personnel in controlling the game, and
although it covers old territory, it does so in a manner that is
different from most books since it contains stories, incidents,
episodes which the author (who hails from Cincinnati) remembers.
These help illuminate key points about the game.
Ellison doesn't
waste any time getting to what all crapshooters crave: systems,
and they include the usual suspects: Martingale; Antimartingale;
D'Alembert, the fascinating Oscar's Grind (this conservative system
is explained in a page and a half-but it's there for those who search
everywhere for an explanation). One fascinating section is called
The Application of Racetrack Wagering Techniques to Casino Games;
and later he gets what establishes a table as "hot" or "cold" for
those seeking one or the other.
Ellison sounds
both cocky and confident in his style. He is convincing in the way
he presents his material and his audience should enjoy this presentation.
I've talked to him on the phone (I never met him.) and he "sounds
the way he writes."
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Overall, I
think you'll like his book and should pick up a few new ideas
if you're open-minded enough.
Helen
Stapinski may never win the Nobel Prize for Literature--but has
she got a memory and an eye for detail when it comes to growing
up among swindlers, bookies and crooks in New Jersey (especially
Jersey City)! Her memoir of growing up in a somewhat offbeat family
environment, shall we say, is titled Five-Finger Discount (A
Crooked Family History) (255 pages, hardbound, $23.95), and
it's the type of book that, as the cliché goes, "grows on you."
"The day I
was born, my whole family hit the number," she recalls in the
opening line of one chapter. Then she jumps in to describe how
the numbers racket operated, how they avoided arrest and what
happened when you hit. A train wreck in the area created one of
the biggest disasters of all time for bookies when number 932
hit. (That was the number of a passenger car shown in a newspaper
picture one day.) She estimates that in Jersey City the number
was played and hit so often the bookies lost $5 million there
alone and in the whole New York-New Jersey area, the total was
more like $50 million. If you grew up or knew the area of Jersey
City, North Bergen, Hudson County, or knew the infamous "Newsboy
Moriarty" (who had a photographic mind, never wrote a bet down
and yet was known to carry $7,000 or more in cash with him at
any time), you will find warm memories of a time gone by and will
find your mind wandering to it.
Any
book reviewed here is available at Gambler's Book Shop, 630 South
11th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101. Call 1-800-522-1777 from 9 to
5 Pacific Time to order, using MasterCard, VISA or Discover cards.
Orders usually shipped the next working day. You may order via
the store's website at www.gamblersbook.com
or send a check or money order for the price of the book plus
$6.50 for postage for the first book, $1 more for postage on a
second book. Ask for a free catalog or view the store catalog
on the website, where 1,000 titles, computer software and videos
are listed. The store is two miles from Downtown Las Vegas and
about the same distance from where The Strip begins, a block west
of Maryland Parkway, just off Charleston Boulevard.
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