Almost
20 years ago, English writer-poet-poker player Al Alvarez wrote
a book titled THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN. It was an
immediate smash hit. Every level of poker player, from world-class
professionals to beginning Friday night recreational players bought
it and loved it. It wasn't a book about how to play as much as it
was about what went on in the minds-the thought processes--of those
who won and lost millions at the turn of a card or in the span of
a year.
Once the book
went out of print in the late 1980s, a new generation of players,
having heard about it or seen the book referenced in other works,
sought copies. Few were to be found. The used price soared to $60
or higher at times, regardless of condition.
Happily, the book is back in print-at last-with one minor change-no
index of names and places, but the price for this wonderful, colorful,
188-page paperbound is $15.95.
The book is about colorful players and colorful places, about Binion's
World Series of Poker in the early 1980s; the romanticism of gambling;
the men and women who think nothing of raising a pot beyond a quarter
of a million dollars or more based on "reading" an opponent's
eye, head or hand movement; profiling proven, solid, legendary survivors
of the game like Doyle Brunson, and the late Johnny Moss; Stu Ungar
and Jack Straus.
Alvarez is a master of observation and has a way with words about
the game, the moves, the philosophies of the players, the men who
run the games and those (like Puggy Pearson) who add so much color
and character to the big matchups. Vegas poker and its people might
have overwhelmed even the great Damon Runyon should he have lived
to see Las Vegas as it has become in the last two decades. Alvarez
was not overwhelmed.
Along with Education of a Poker Player, the great l957 book by Herbert
Yardley and Doyle Brunson's classic Super System, published in 1978,
Alvarez's 1983 work became a triggering force in creating countless
numbers of new poker enthusiasts in this country and internationally.This
is a truly educational, entertaining and important book for players
to have or to buy as a thoughtful gift for a potential player.
Pro Football
Weekly annually produces a great source for those following the
April drafts. This year's PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY 2002 DRAFT PREVIEW
(191 pages, paperbound, $19.95) has arrived. Compiled by the respected
Joel Buchsbaum, it offers in-depth scouting reports for each position;
looks at each pro team's draft needs; rates players by position
(7 points or higher shows potential for being a future Pro Bowler;
and 6.03 or better-should go in the first round); contains an alpha
index of all players from Aaron to Zolman.
This could be a helpful tool for those betting NFL propositions
like most games won or lost in a season and for fantasy leaguers
looking for a sleeper.
Sometimes a
little pocket-sized book can pack a powerful informational punch.
So it is with John Robison's THE SLOT EXPERT'S GUIDE TO PLAYING
SLOTS (85 pages, paperbound, $6.95).
The author, who has established a solid reputation as a person who
knows slots, shows you how to recognize the different types of machines
and explains what makes them different. Which machines will keep
your bankroll in action longer than others with small but more frequent
payoffs and what do terms like "hit frequency," "hold"
and "long-term payback" mean? He explains that there are
"hybrid" machines and "multi-lines" and Australian-style
machines. And he
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