These books won't tell you how to play and aren't about teaching you how to win -- but you might pick up a few tips from these fascinating tales of the table and stories of gamblers and the people who surround them.
For me, like many others, this memoir that not only chronicles the author's path to the final table of the 2000 World Series of Poker, but also the murder trial for Binon of the Horseshoe Casino, as well as the state of women poker pros, hooked me into Hold'em and the current poker scene. A riveting read with plenty of poker action.
This book gives you a fascinating inside look at the biggest poker games of all time. Craig chronicles how banker Andy Beal took on some of the best poker pros in heads-up limit Texas Hold'em matches in this well-written book that gives an incredible level of insight on the lifestyles of poker pros and the motives and methods of Beal as he tries -- and sometimes succeeds -- to beat the best players in the world.
Tony Holden decided to take the challenge and live the dream of so many poker players -- he quit his day job and became a poker pro for one year. Holden is a hilarious and engrossing writer who you're happy to travel with from London to Vegas to Morocco, where he talks and plays with pros like Amarillo Slim as he tries to build his bankroll and keep from busting out.
Bellin subtitles his book, "A High-Stakes, Low-Life Adventure into the Heart of a Gambling Country," and he delivers what he promises. I thoroughly enjoyed the peek into New York City underground clubs, Bellin's analysis of his poker pals tells, and the way he mixes in poker lore and legend with practical tips and advice you can take to the table.
Alvarez was the first to profile the world of high-stakes poker players, and shows how the craze that is now the World Series of Poker began. Published in 1983, Alvarez talked to poker pros such as Doyle Brunson and Jack Strauss in Vegas during the weeks surrounding the 1981 WSOP.
Katy Lederer is the sister of
Howard Lederer and
Annie Duke, but isn't a poker player herself. Well, she can play, but as she chronicles in this well-written memoir, even with her siblings as tutors, she didn't have the heart for it. An interesting read in and of itself, as well as for those curious to what kind of family produces two top poker pros.
This novel follows a young woman who's father, a professional poker player, disappeared years ago. As luck would have it, she ends up befriending a housebound man who trades her poker lessons for making him a window box -- and there's where the adventure begins.
Dip into poems, stories, and excerpts of great poker writing with this anthology. Editor Stravinsky has done a great job compiling a lot of great writing that's hard to find elsewhere, as well as provided a way to find new authors and poker books to buy and read in full.
