Carson's New Hold'em Book;
Pawlicki On Roulette Solid Works
By Howard Schwartz

Two new books keyed to two popular games have arrived at Gambler's Book Shop recently. The first, titled The Complete Book of Hold'em Poker ( 313 pages, paperbound , $14.95), written by Gary Carson, has been in the works and anticipated by players for some time.

Carson, a veteran player since the mid-1980s, knows the game well and has been careful to cover it for both beginners and somewhat experience player. The latter, always interested in alternate theories regarding minimum opening or calling hands in a variety of situations for example, should find the information here quite useful. The book in fact is divided into two sections with the first 86 pages devoted to informing novices of the game's fundamentals (the first betting round; the flop; the last two cards); then moving to more advanced concepts.

The advanced material looks at picking the right table; picking a seat; poker theories; betting theory; a theory of the starting hand value; and the dynamics of game conditions. Carson later presents advice on table image; player stereotypes (aggressive or passive; loose-tight); kill games; and short-handed games. He devotes six-pages to tournament play and concludes with a comparison between no limit and pot-limit poker, a small section on charting and a small discussion on playing as professional.

For centuries, roulette players have had a dream: learning and applying techniques which will help them predict where the ball will land. Christopher Pawlicki, a veteran of the game and a writer who, as does Carson on poker, truly understands the game of roulette. In Get The Edge at Roulette (229 pages, paperbound, $13.95) he presents both new and previously-established material in 21st Century format. He offers a look at the basics-the different types of bets; table layouts; an explanation of systems which have been attempted (Martingale, Grand Martingale; D'Alembert, Labouchere, Fibonacci, Oscar's Grind included); the construction of the wheel and sector slicing. He also compares the French wheel to the American wheel.

When Pawlicki talks about "professional roulette play"(beginning on page 125), the book truly becomes interesting to those who want more than the basics. Here we see material on "wheel tracking" and determining the "wheel' s angular velocity," crossover patterns and biased wheel play. Pawlicki also believes certain dealers have "signatures," which may help an observant player who keeps track of these "quirks" of habit. In some end-of-book sections, the author offers his thoughts about betting roulette