The Play Book is a simple and straightforward instruction manual for new tournament poker players. It is designed to teach NEW players how to "play" and "win" starting from the basics. This BOOK is also a great recap for INTERMEDIATE players. Many players that have their own style when playing the game, but The Play Book will help you develop your own unique and customized style of playing Texas Hold'em in tournaments. From bar games, home games, online games to casino games, the author has found a unique style of play that separates his game from others. As a poker player for over 20 years, in addition to Stud and Blackjack, the author's experience in Texas Hold'em affords him a wealth of knowledge which he now shares with players searching for ways to learn and improve. Unlike other versions of poker, Texas Hold'em stands out because it has taken the author places he has never been before. Inside these pages are his personal strategies that have provided him with financial, recreational, and social achievements, in addition to great moments. By following these same strategies, you are on the right path to enjoying the same. See you at the tables

Make the right decisions after you know the odds. After enough playing it will become second nature to know them. Have fun with your poker buddys establishing your own odds. As an added bonus this book also doubles as a journal for all of your tips and tricks so you can make your own odds, and jot down important ideas on how to become a better Texas hold em player. Get in the game.

Over a ten year period (and counting) the woman of the Gal Pal Poker group have been meeting twice monthly for a fun-filled night of laughter and camaraderie. Gal Pal Poker is an accumulation and explanation of standard poker games the woman have tweaked and re-created to add to their already good time. Eat, drink, and play poker Want to have a night of fun with your Gal Pals and laugh yourself silly? Gal Pal Poker is what you have been waiting for. Gal Pal Poker includes games, interesting poker facts, and even recipes for your special food and drink to fill your poker party with fun and excitement Create your own special night of Gal Pal Poker friendship, or incorporate some of these interesting twists into your already established game time by adding Gal Pal Poker to your collection. Warning: some of these games may become addictive Partial proceeds from the sale of this book benefit The Women's Safety and Resource Center in North Bend, Oregon. The Women's Safety and Resource Center exists to contribute to a violence-free community by providing a safe haven and life-building empowerment for abused women and children and inspiring the community to new levels of cooperation, thoughtful effort, and action.

Man is not a born gambler but when he experiences playing the slot machines he acquires a fascination for the element chance. With all the advertising we're to believe that it's ok for the lottery to rob us blind because so much of the money is going to good causes like education. Gambling is neither an immoral nor a noble exercise it is motivated by both a desire to win big and foolishness. "During my career as a gambler I began to notice that people would win and two hours later lose it all." There are three kinds of machines - good, bad, and indifferent. The good will give you some money back, the bad will hardly pay, the indifferent are the ones that malfunctioned and you are out of luck, no money. Studies generally consider a person a problem gambler if they report at least five problems associated with gambling. Those problems range from lying about gambling and having to steal, having to borrow money, losing jobs, dumping your kid at the entrance to a casino so you can play the slots, and being unable to cut down or stop gambling. A recent report from the state task force of compulsive gambling estimates New Mexico has anywhere from 90,000 to 108,000 problem gamblers, compulsive gamblers that is. I do go to the casino at times and without a doubt it is questionable whether many of the gamblers I see playing the slots should be there at all. Compulsive gambling is like any other addiction (drinking or smoking). It is arrested only by total abstinence and cannot be cured. Compulsive gamblers live in a fantasy world that tells them the big wish is around the corner and they will be set for life, all debts will be paid, and life will be good again. As we see today, when they don't win there are disastrous effects and heartbreak that are caused by compulsive gambling every day.

Texas hold'em is the most popular kind of the old and famous poker game. Currently Texas hold'em is the major and vastly played poker game online and in all casinos and card clubs in many countries. Several players sit at a table. Two cards are dealt face down to each player (starting hand). Then the dealer, first opens three cards (flop cards), next he opens one card (turn card), and last he opens one more card (river card). These five cards are the "community cards." Players use one or more of their cards, in conjunction with one or more of the five community cards to make the best hand to win the hand. The game has several stages. There are folding, betting, calling, raising, and re-raising between the stages of the hand. All monies are piled in center of the table (pot). During each hand, when a player makes a bet that no one calls, or at the end, whoever has the best hand wins the pot. In Texas hold'em the three cards of the flop are very important. These are 60% of the five community cards. Flop cards are the base and foundation of most of the hands that are made in this game. By observing these cards the players would know: 1) what hands they've already made or will make soon, 2) what hands their opponents may already have or will make soon. Flop cards come in many different rank and suit combinations. For better understanding of the flop cards, the three cards of all flops were classified into seven types. Flop type 1 has one, flop types 2 and 3 each have two, and flop types 4, 5, 6, and 7, each have three variations. Practical frequency of occurrence of the 7 flop types was surveyed and the results are discussed. For recognizing the flop types and their variations a quiz is given. Many aspects of each of the 7 flop types and their variations are extensively discussed. For example, hand making possibilities under all flop types, what players learn from each flop type, which flop types are safe or dangerous, what are the visible and invisible danger signs in each flop type, etc. along with the use of many tables are explained. In short, in the long run, flop type knowledge helps players to be more successful in the game of Texas hold'em.