- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Chronicle Books (Sep 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 081184627X
- ISBN-13: 978-0811846271
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 22.1 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,330,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In Poker--Bets, Bluffs, and Bad Beats, journalist, poet and novelist Al Alvarez looks back on a lifetime's immersion in the business of playing cards for money, and quantifies the emotional and intellectual pot into which he and millions of other players past and present have been tossing their chips for nearly 200 years.
For the past 40 years or more I have played poker regularly, once or twice a week, except when I am in Las Vegas, when I play all day every day for a couple of weeks on end. Poker changed my life, and sometimes I think it may even have saved it.
From the card-sharps on the Mississippi steamboats, to the thrill-seeking octogenarians playing for $5 jackpots in corporate Las Vegas, Alvarez explores the history and mythology of the game, the legends and the also-rans, arguing that the legacy of poker is far greater than sum of its losers and winners.
Alvarez gauges how far the language and underlying attitudes of the game have become interwoven with American-led culture; how the bluffing and dollar-bullying that are key to winning are writ large across the history of power brokering in the USA, from the days of the "wild frontier" to the ongoing struggles for supremacy in the White House; how the professional players' maxim, "never give a sucker an even break", is the guiding principle of a me-first consumption-fixated society. Or as Walter Matthau put it: "The game exemplifies all the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great."
A witty, intelligent study, lavishly and eclectically illustrated with images of the ephemera and iconography of the game, this is a gorgeous book--product of one pipe-smoking poet's turbulent, enduring love affair with poker, with risk and reward, and the men and women, both real and imagined, who have marshalled the qualities of high thinking and low cunning that mark out the true card player. --Alex Hankin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A smoke-filled room. The clink of chips breaking the silence of furious concentration. The occasional muttering of "check," "raise," and "fold," as staggering amounts are wagered on a simple hand of five cards. In this fascinating book, acclaimed writer A. Alvarez narrates the history of poker-its most amazing stories, unforgettable players, and incredible hands. From the first great Las Vegas poker marathon, in which Nick the Greek played Johnny Moss for five months straight, to the more recent World Series of Poker, Alvarez captures a subculture rich with legend. His lively text is combined with a colorful array of poker-inspired art, advertisements, movie stills, and photos to create an entertaining ode to the pastime that is not so much a game of cards as a way of life.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book aims to capitalise upon the new wave of interest in poker that has followed Channel 4's Late Night Poker, as a duckling follows an ornithologist's wellington. While not uninteresting, the book mainly focusses on anecdotal material, rather than playing tips. Still, given the profusion of other tactical books, Alvarez has identified, and glossily filled, a gap in the market. However, to anyone who has read his introduction to the daddy of all poker books, Herbert O Yardley's Education of a Poker Player, or his own Biggest Game In Town, large tracts of this may be familiar. Indeed, at times I was sure he was transposing material verbatim from his earlier works.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Nifty addition to any poker enthusiast's library
14 Oct 2003
Format:Hardcover
Cool book to peruse on a rainy afternoon for those who fancy themselves as poker enthusiasts. While the book provides no insight or tips on game strategy - keep in mind that that's not what this book is for. Rather, it delves into other topics such as the history of the game, the colorful personalities, game lore and historical/memorable bad beats and monster calls. The other great highlight of this book are the numerous illustrations pulled from a few centuries worth of poker art found in advertising, book covers, etc.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
pleasant surprise
28 Jan 2002
Format:Hardcover
Bought it for a friend...cheated...and read it before giving it. What at first appears to be a coffee table picture book is actually a well written, informative and lively account of various poker facts and stories. If you love poker you'll definitely enjoy this book
Good book but missing something...
26 May 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Alvarez is a great writer and the history of poker detailed in the book is very interesting; I enjoy any story from poker's hay-days. The only problem I had was with the missing text between pages 39-40 where he quotes Jennings Perry about tells. It would be great if someone could post the missing text.
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