Book Review Information: How to Become a Successful Professional Poker Player, written by Barton M. Gratt. 1. What does this book do? Poker is very popular. There are over a dozen TV poker shows (e.g., High-Stakes Poker, WSOP, WPT, Poker After Dark, etc.). Many of the competitors shown on these TV shows are "pros"- poker professionals. Viewers, seeing rich, cool, professional poker players, watch and wonder exactly what it takes to become a professional player? This book teaches readers how to become successful professional poker players - how to make a great living by playing cards. This book is well organized, detailed, and provides step-by-step instruction, teaching poker knowledgeable readers how to become successful professional players. This book provides instructions on how and when to play and win. It explains, in intentional repetitious detail, the four key elements needed for success: Patience, Money Management, Game Selection, and Card Playing. Included are when to play and when not to play. How to select the correct stakes and games in which to play. How to play at each position on the table, playing pocket pairs, playing a set, playing pocket Ace King, playing on the button, playing in the blinds, and finally, when to fold your cards. This book is aimed at no-limit poker games played in busy brick-and-mortar casinos and cardrooms, where opposing players are plentiful, active, and visible. In addition, overall poker playing strategy is discussed, covering many topics, including life style issues, cheating, and internet poker playing. Twenty-six (26) Practice Hands are included aiding learning. Finally, a typical 6 hour real-life poker session is included, showing the play of 79 hands, with a winning outcome. If followed precisely, this book will make a knowledgeable poker player into a successful Professional Player. 2. Benefits of this book? The information in this book is easy to learn and it really works. After reading this book only once, a knowledgeable, disciplined poker player will be able to become a successful professional player, making a living by playing poker. 3. Intended audience? This book is intended for knowledgeable card players who have aspirations of becoming Professional Poker Players. In addition, all poker players around the world, playing no-limit Texas Hold'em, will gain valuable winning information from this book.

Bridge Philosopher 3 by James S. Kauder He's back That old curmudgeon, the Bridge Philosopher, is back for a third try at explaining the art of dummy play. He claims that he is losing his memory, but he hasn't lost his ability to reason or to analyze a bridge hand in an instant. And, as usual, he has cogent (often biting) comments to make about the sad state of affairs in the world at large: the rising cost of living; unfunded Social Security liabilities; dysfunctional political parties. He unashamedly (in fact, somewhat proudly) admits to personal weaknesses of one sort or another: diet; neatness; relationship issues; and all around dissatisfaction with the world. Learn a little; laugh a lot. He isn't the only one who isn't getting any younger.

Canadian expert Roy Hughes' first book, Building a Bidding System (2005; ISBN 9781897106 02 5), has become a must-read for expert pairs looking to develop effective constructive bidding methods. Now Hughes turns to the theory and practice of competitive auctions, a critical component of the modern game. Beginning again by establishing what the bidding system needs to accomplish, Hughes goes on to discuss every type of contested auction, and recommends useful methods and agreements from which the reader can select. This is a state-of-the-art discussion, covering many topics in detail that have at best seen cursory treatment in print up to now.

A Beginners guide to playing Texas Hold'em Poker.Starting with the basics. Included are many pointers for understanding the game, whether it is a cash game, tournament, internet or home game, this guide explains them all along with some of Gator's columns regarding this fascinating game of poker.

How to become a professional blackjack card counter. The good news is you don't have to be a mathematical genius to learn how to count cards, the bad news is many of the Hollywood movies depicting the life of a card counter as fast cash and penthouse suites make it all seem a little too easy. This book will give you a realistic look at what it takes to be a professional card counter. I will take you step by step through the entire process. As a former educator, I came up with a simple progressive learning model using a basic Hi-Lo level one count system that in combination will make it much easier for you to learn how to count cards. I broke the entire system down to make it as easy as possible so you can get into the casino quicker. Many times people do not even attempt to learn card counting because they think it is too hard. If they do attempt it, they get frustrated after a short time because the system is so complex they get lost in the mathematics. The only two things you need to be able to do to learn card counting are memorize and practice. This book isn't filled with hypothetical theories, it shows you the exact steps you need to take to learn to count cards. Now don't get me wrong, learning everything in this book will not be easy but most people can do it if they dedicate themselves to learning. However, card counting is much more than simply learning the process, the hard part is finding the right games and not being detected by the casinos. Those areas will be covered as well. Don't worry, the courts have ruled that counting is not cheating or illegal, but in Vegas they can throw you out because it is a private establishment, not because you are doing anything wrong. Counting cards is simply using your mind in a game of skill. If using your mind is cheating than I don't know how else to play. This book is for those of you familiar with blackjack that want to find out what card counting is all about. If you're tired of losing and are ready to take your game to the next level so you have the advantage over the casino, this book is for you. If you can already count cards, you may pick up a few tips here and there but you probably already know most of the content in the book.

Antoinette Akasheh is a veteran bridge player who has successfully participated in many national and international bridge tournaments. This book provides her very simple way, with her extensive knowledge of the game, to take the reader along an interesting journey, to absorb the most popular, skilful, entertaining, passionate brain exercise, which will keep one alert and entertained for years to come. Antoinette uses her wealth of experience to introduce the reader to 'Bridge' in her first book, written in a simple straightforward manner.

Start playing a winning system.

Not since the introduction of Precision has a new bidding system created such an immediate impact as Fantunes, the unique methods of Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes, the world's number one ranked pair.

The Italians have several world championship wins to their name, and their system has played a major role in that success. This book delves into the system, explaining how it works and just as importantly, why it works. Two words best describe Fantunes: natural and fun. It is the definitive text for those who would like to try an innovative and proven new bidding system.

Bill Jacobs has won many Australian national championships, the most recent three playing Fantunes, and has twice represented his country at Open level. He regularly provides astute vugraph commentary on Bridge Base Online. For the last ten years, he has been editor of the monthly bulletin of the Victorian Bridge Association.

This is the definitive book on the oldest - and most useful - convention in bridge, the takeout double. Originally published in 1994 (Magnus Books, 978 0963753 31 1), this book quickly became recognized as a 'must-read' for any would-be bridge expert, and has never been out of print. Now, almost twenty years later, the author has revised and updated the text to take into account modern developments in competitive bidding, one of the most rapidly changing parts of the game, not least in the new and varied uses of doubles.

Just about every bridge player in the world has read Victor Mollo's Bridge in the Menagerie, a book that is on any list of the all-time top ten on the game. Towards the end of his life, Mollo penned a number of stories about the same well-loved characters (the Hideous Hog, the Rueful Rabbit, Oscar the Owl, and the rest), but they appeared only in the pages of obscure magazines. Now, for the first time, they are available collected in book form.

Pinochle has many variations. It is hard to find a strategy manual that addresses the way you play the game. This manual is for you if you play the four-card-pass-game using the following rules: *You play with a single deck. *You play with 4 players in two partnerships. *Your point counters are Ace, King, and 10, and each is worth 1 point (or 10). *Your minimum opening bid is 25 (or 250). *The auction winner (declarer) chooses the trump suit. *Declarer's partner passes 4 cards to declarer who looks at the cards before passing 4 back. Then meld is put down. *You use basic meld scoring. No bonus for a third leg of a marriage or pinochle. No super bonus for a double trump marriage. This manual shows you how to determine the best bidding range for your hand. It is based on the mathematical probability that your partner will have the card(s) you need to boost your meld. You can use this bidding system even if your partner doesn't. Also introduced are simple but optional bidding conventions. These bids allow you to describe features of your hand to your partner. The Table of Contents identifies the strategic turning points that occur throughout the game. The text suggests ways to take advantage of the opportunities available to you at each point. Both new and experienced players will find many ideas to sharpen their play.

From the mind of Charles M. Schulz, the world's most beloved cartoonist, comes these funny looks at the game of Bridge. The game, the culture, and the very human foibles of those who play it all come under his masterful attention.

In the modern game of bridge, the majority of auctions are competitive, and every improving player needs to acquire the tools to handle this kind of bidding. This textbook covers the basic building blocks of competitive bidding (takeout and negative doubles, pre-empts, overcalls, competing over their no-trump openings and dealing with competition over your own, forcing pass auctions, the Law of Total Tricks). It describes a number of useful conventions and gadgets with which the reader needs to be familiar, and suggests other optional treatments for partnership discussion. There are reviews and quizzes, and the final chapter is a quiz covering all the material.

Winning Notrump Leads was a ground-breaking and very well-received book that used the power of computers to determine which opening leads work best against a variety of auctions at notrump. Using enhanced software, the authors now turn their attention to suit contracts. They generate millions of random deals, retaining those that match the chosen auction, for example 1S-2S-4S. By playing these deals automatically against each of the 13 possible opening leads from a given hand, they are able to discover which lead is most likely to beat the contract (also the best lead at matchpoint pairs). The authors provide insightful commentary to each result, answering timeless questions such as: When should I lead a trump? When is a doubleton a good opening lead? Should I lead differently against a partscore? Should I make an aggressive or a passive lead? Should I lead an ace against a small slam? Which leads work best against a grand slam? By using the number-crunching computer power available nowadays, there is no longer any need to rely on general opening-lead guidelines passed down by our ancestors. We think you will be surprised by many of the discoveries made during this investigation! DAVID BIRD (top) and TAF ANTHIAS were contemporaries at Cambridge University, both reading mathematics. They carried out research and development on software systems for over 30 years at IBM's UK Laboratories. In the 1970s they formed a successful bridge partnership, winning a number of national events. David is now one of the world's top bridge writers with 116 books to his name. Taf moved on to the USA, where he became a vice president of Cisco Systems. They have joined forces on this ground-breaking book.

Audley V. Walsh presents a fascinating overview of the popular street (and con) game of Three Card Monte, with contributions by magician John Scarne. There are multiple methods and card maneuvers used by tricksters of which the general public is unaware and magicians can incorporate into their acts Walsh (1894-1957) was a Vaudeville comic turned policeman, and an expert on gambling fraud.

Granny's Kiss represents a new bidding system for contract bridge scored with International Match Points. The book provides the reader with both the system and the reasons and objectives which lie behind its bidding treatments.

Poker has been on a boom for almost a decade now, and writer Sean Chaffin's new book Raising the Stakes: True Tales of Gambling, Wagering and Poker Faces offers up stories of gambling and poker's unique history and lore. From underground games in Dallas to tales of the World Series of Poker to crazy stories like wagering at a Puerto Rican cockfight, Raising the Stakes features something for everyone interested in gambling, poker, or history in general. "There is just such a unique history and lore to gambling and poker," he says. "Some of these stories are really out of the mainstream and not too well-known. I just know there is an audience out there like me, who love that unique poker culture." Some of the book's features include: The Top O' the Hill casino, an underground casino in Arlington, Texas, that was a forerunner to today's modern casinos. The story of how it was raided by law enforcement and eventually turned into a seminary is one of a kind. Jack Strauss - his comeback story at the World Series of Poker spawned the phrase: "All you need is a chip and chair." Many know the phrase, but not the larger than life story of this amazing poker player, gambler, and big game hunter. The Amvets Club in Dallas - an underground poker room where many of the World Series of Poker's greatest players got their start. That history includes a gripping robbery and raid by law enforcement. And many more. In recent years, Sean's work and coverage of the industry have appeared in many publications including Poker Pro, World Poker Tour magazine, American Cowboy, Hooters magazine, Fort Worth magazine, H magazine in Houston, Poker Europa, Poker Player Newspaper, and more. He has interviewed and covered some of the biggest names and events in the poker world. For the last year, he has been a contributor to Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Canadian Poker Player magazines. For several years, Sean has served as monthly crime writer for Advocate magazines in Dallas. He also owned a weekly newspaper in Rockwall, Texas, for five years. Chaffin grew up in Crandall, Texas, playing poker in his father's regular poker games. He is a native Texan who attended Texas A&M University, majoring in journalism and English. He now lives in Rockwall, Texas, with his wife Kathy and daughters Marie and Chloe. Beyond his magazine writing, Sean is editor of www.PokerTraditions.com, a site all about poker history, lore, and people. The site is re-launching with the book's release. ***** "Raising the Stakes takes readers from the saloons and back rooms of poker's early days to the high-stakes tables and televised tournaments of today. Its entertaining anecdotes and insider's perspective will leave even casual players itching to play a few hands." - Tom Wilmes, Deputy Editor, American Cowboy magazine "Sean's writing offers a unique insight into poker's past, present, and future." - Antonio Esfandiari, poker pro and ESPN World Series of Poker commentator "Sean Chaffin has a unique insight into casinos and gambling and is one of the go-to writers in the poker world." - John "Johnny Quads" Wenzel, Editor-in-Chief, Poker Pro magazine "Sean Chaffin is a lot more than a journalist. He's an incredible writer who understands the casino and gaming industry on a very deep level. When I need to assign a big story, I contact Sean." - Rob Wiser, Editor, Casino Player magazine "Sean Chaffin is one of my favorite writers for many reasons but mostly because he's a great story-teller. Lots of people can write but only the best can tell stories as if you were sitting around the campfire." - Paul K. Harral, Executive Editor, Fort Worth, Texas magazine "Sean has a unique voice that captures the seriousness of stories while also injecting bits of humor and irony. He does a good job of collecting oodles of information and condensing it into easily digestible short articles." - Christina Hughes Babb, Managing Editor, Advocate magazines-Dallas

A book to assist all developing bridge players in learning to use the tools of the experts to become better players. Can also be used by teachers as a textbook. Covers Standard American Bidding, a new outlook on hand evaluation, a new outlook on defense, traditional declarer play including simple explanations of how to execute strips, end plays, and squeezes. Teaches counting. Four chapters on understanding and using the Law of Total Tricks.

Winning Legal Online Poker teaches those who play or want to play online poker how to turn a consistent profit with their online poker play - on sites that are legally available from the U.S. Proven by thousands of amateurs prior to and since publication, Winning Legal Online Poker includes the exclusive "19 Hand Hold 'em" Mastery system and a Quick Start Play Chart to use while playing online. This chart covers pre-flop through river play in one easy to read chart Winning Legal Online Poker is one of the few proven "fast track" methods for online poker success.

I have been dealing and supervising the game of craps in major casino's across this country for over 25 years now. I have noticed that the reason people do not play craps is because they are intimidated by the game's complexity. I have broken down the game bet by bet and explain how each bet will win and lose. Individually! And why! You will learn table etiquette and be able to attack the game at your speed and avoid any embarrassment that may be holding you back from playing. This is a game you will thoroughly enjoy playing. And its not as hard as you might think...