Poker is much more than just a popular game. It is a world unto itself, populated with a multitude of colorful characters: professionals and amateurs, hustlers and dreamers. This royal flush of a collection brings together short stories, essays, poems, and excerpts from novels by a host of renowned writers -- from the Wild West to present day -- who have mined their personal experience of the game. Entertaining and enlightening, you'll want to ante up for Read 'Em and Weep.

With pieces by ...

Nelson Algren Andy Bellin Anthony Holden Katy Lederer James Thurber Barbara Tuchman Billy Collins Pete Dexter Martin Amis David Mamet Herbert O. Yardley A. Alvarez

...And More

Make money in thoroughbred racing now. No more putting out money with no return. Marino Specogna outlines the steps to become a consistent winner as an owner, and a handicapper. Learn to never claim a losing horse, and learn how to find that special claimer that will continually take you to the winner's circle. Training and Jockey secrets are exposed allowing the beginner or pro handicapper to pick consistent winners. This is a complete Thoroughbred horse guide to, claiming winners and claiming unknown superstars, outlining breeding and handicapping basics, and most importantly, finding the right trainer for you. Ever wonder what a proper feed program is for a horse? How about the type of steroid program to turn an average horse into a winning athlete? Or, why do the same people continually end up in the winners' circle? Learn these secrets and more. Learn from the Author who claimed a USD10,000 filly, then four months later ran her in a USD225,000 Breeders Cup race, and, in a five month span, made over USD150,000 Learn the secrets to consistently claim winners. a winner, and stay at the top, you will keep this book with you at all times. Learn how to find your winner today

"How To Gamble At The Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like A Chicken," gives expert advice on Casino Gambling in a light-hearted manner. It advises readers on which games give them the best possibilities and how to play them correctly.

It covers all major casino games: Blackjack, Video Poker, Craps, Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Slot Machines, Keno, Big Six Wheel, Roulette, Sports Book, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Let it Ride, War and miscellaneous promotional games. It contains explanations of mathematical percentages, Gambler's Ruin, Money Management and Gambling Systems.

Not only does this book give clear, concise advice on the best games to play and how to play them, it unequivocally points out which games should be avoided so you don't get plucked like a chicken.

This book contains 900 ready-made 6/49 Lotto Distribution Wheeling SystemsTM arranged in three catalogs of 300 systems each. The systems chosen for this book are the first part of a global project that is meant to be a comprehensive, abbreviated Lotto wheeling net of systems covering all statistically important values and giving the player the very best chances of winning. Like the enchanted fish of the fairy tale, this book grants three wishes to the Lotto players: 1. To include more numbers in the abbreviated wheeling system, 2. To pay for the least number of combinations, 3. To have the best guarantees of winning the top prizes. The whole philosophy is reasonable, logical, and simple, and no extra knowledge is needed to understand its values. When choosing Distribution Wheeling SystemsT, the player tries to choose a distribution of numbers that will match the pattern of the winning numbers. Since there are very few statistically important distribution patterns, the player's job is simple and easy. And when the chosen distribution pattern matches the winning distribution pattern, the system guarantees that the player will win top prize. Even if the winning distribution pattern is partially matched, the system reaps the most winnings possible, given the player's hits and the misses.

TESTIMONIALS "Wish I had read this book twenty years ago..." --Compulsive gambler "I hope my customers don't read this book..." -- Las Vegas casino president "One of the most complete explanations of gambling pitfalls that I have ever read..." -- Caesars Palace pit boss "I wish my husband had read this book and followed its edicts before it had ruined our lives..." -- Wife of compulsive gambler "If you were moved by Lillian Roth's biography, "I'll Cry Tomorrow," you will doubly be moved by this true story..." -- Sol Bernstein, Tribune book reviewer

Pot-Limit Omaha is one of the major poker variants. Over the last twenty years it has increased hugely in popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. Written by a world class Omaha player, this book offers help to those players looking to improve their understanding of this complex game.

The Eastern approach to Feng Shui practice is timeless while from the Western perspective it is timely. Feng Shui is Chinese in origin while the casino game of craps is American in design. For the first time in print, the author advocates the use of this Eastern approach to enhance the player's chances of winning at casino craps. No book to date has addressed the influence and role of Feng Shui in craps or the subject of craps and Feng Shui together.

The book has an affluence of new material heretofore not published, such as the concept of the Circle of Chi, the flow chart of Feng Shui concepts, which eventually leads to a craps table, the statistical validation of the number 7 coming out more often, after a die accidentally falls off the table, dice presetups, medical tenets germane to the Yin and Yang concept, Feng Shui of selected casinos, and much more.

The superstitions that thrive at a craps table are presented with humor and insight. Learn about Chi management that is as pivotal as money management in augmenting one's chances of winning at craps.

Tom Collins known as "The King of Video Keno" has authored a quick and easy guide to winning at Video Keno.

Tom, a 15 year author of technical and "how-to" manuals, has written an easy to understand guide that is short and to the point. This is a one of a kind source of knowledge you should read before you drop one more coin into a Video Keno machine. "Keno Winner: A Guide to Winning at Video Keno" covers essential winning topics such as: Identifying trends and groups of numbers to help you win more often.
Using the "seven number payoff" to identify "high pay machines" and avoid "low pay machines."
Avoiding Video Keno machines that are "scattering" numbers; making you a sure loser.
Taking advantage of "Vertical or Horizontal Blocking" video Keno machines, dramatically increasing your chances of winning.

"Keno Winner: A Guide to Winning at Video Keno" is an easy to read guide that will show you how to become a winner of some of the largest jackpots the casino has to offer.

"America is going Bunco! According to a recent article in Time magazine, 'Women are going crazy over this old game.' Now the World Bunco Association offers one book full of everything Bunco players need to know. Complete with rules, scorecards, recipes, and information on how to start a Bunco club and organize a Bunco party, It's Bunco Time! will let readers join the craze -- without rolling the dice. Played by 8-20 people, Bunco is a friendly game of dice. Players are divided into small groups and compete with each other to roll a set of 'ones,' progressing in rounds up to rolling 'sixes.' Bunco encourages social interaction, and eating and drinking are a big part of the fun. The old-fashioned game of the future is becoming ever more popular at parties and social events, and new groups are popping up across the country. The cookbook includes recipes for beverages, appetizers, main and side dishes, desserts, and much more, all aimed at increasing the fun!

The female perspective on how to win this ever-popular game.

Louisiana is our most exotic state. It is religious and roguish, a place populated by Cajuns, Creoles, Rednecks, and Bible-thumpers. It is a state that loves good food, good music, and good times. Laissez les bons temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- is the unofficial motto. Louisiana is also excessively corrupt.

In the 1990s, it plunged headlong into legalized gambling, authorizing more games of chance than any other state. Leading the charge was Governor Edwin Edwards, who for years had flaunted his fondness for cold cash and high-stakes gambling, and who had used his razor-sharp mind and catlike reflexes to stay one step ahead of the law. Gambling, Edwin Edwards, and Louisiana's political culture would prove to be a combustible mix.

Bad Bet on the Bayou tells the story of what happened when the most corrupt industry came to our most corrupt state. It is a sweeping morality tale about commerce, politics, and what happens when the law catches up to our most basic human desires and frailties.

"Double Down" is a true story, a terrifying roller-coaster ride deep into the heart of two men, and into the world of floating Gulf Coast casinos. When both of their parents died within a short time of each other, the writers Frederick and Steven Barthelme, both professors of English in Mississippi, inherited a goodly sum of money. What followed was a binge during which they gambled away their entire fortune-and more. And then, in a cruel twist of fate, they were charged with cheating at the tables.
Told with a mixture of sadness and wry humor, and with a compelling look at the physical aura of gambling-the feel of the cards, the smell of the crowd, the sounds of the tables-"Double Down" is a reflection on the lure of challenging the odds, the attraction of stepping into the void. A cautionary tale (the brothers were eventually exonerated), it is a book that, once read, will never be forgotten.

The Insider Guide Instant Win Tickets is a 'How to' guide. It answers the questions of how to win, how to sell and how to profit from instant win tickets. This book will increase player's odds of winning.

A casino manager fights discrimination, regulations and ever-changing state policies during his career.

Long recognized as the gambler's "bible," The Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling is the most comprehensive book in its field, covering blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, keno, slots, the side games, video poker, and others. You will learn: * How to play such games as Caribbean Stud Poker, Let It Ride (R), Chuck-A-Luck, and others * What theme casinos in Las Vegas, such as the MGM Grand, Luxor, and Treasure Island, mean for Gamblers * Which states have Native American reservation casinos, and which games are offered there * Where you can get in on riverboat gambling along the Mississippi and other great American waterways, how and where you can play the new electronic games Plus: a glossary of terms for each game, tips on self-control and money management, casino etiquette, methods of protecting your winnings, and much more-all supplemented with solid, timeless techniques to slant the odds in your favor and make you a winner! "A must-read book, written by the man many consider to be the greatest authority on gambling in the world."-Gambling Times Magazine "Edwin Silberstang knows more about gambling from the inside and outside than any of the other current writers on the subject. I wholeheartedly recommend his expert advice."-John Luckman, Publisher, Gambler's Book Club

Providing a needed historical perspective on current debates about industrial and agricultural policy, Kenneth Finegold and Theda Skocpol compare the origins, implementation, and consequences of two similar programs from Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, each of which committed the federal government to extensive intervention in sectors of the U.S. economy. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and its industrial counterpart, the National Recovery Administration (NRA), had very different fates. The politically and economically successful AAA set trends in American farm policy that continue to the present. The NRA was rejected as an abysmal failure. Why such drastically different outcomes? A historical and institutional approach, Finegold and Skocpol contend, can explain the similarities and differences of the NRA and AAA better than competing approaches of pluralism, elite theory, Marxism, or rational choice. They show that the AAA aided large commercial farmers and increased their power over tenants, sharecroppers, and farm workers. The NRA, however, worked against the interests of its original business supporters and encouraged union organization among their workers. Finegold and Skocpol explain the contrasts in these programs by showing differences in the organization of governmental intervention in agriculture and in industry before the New Deal, and by tracking the differing ways capitalists, farmers, and workers participated in the New Deal political coalition. Both Finegold and Skocpol have been prominent in bringing renewed attention to national political institutions. Their crisp analysis of state and party dynamics contributes to theories of politics in advanced industrial societies and will appeal to political scientists, policy makers, sociologists, historians, and economists--in short, all those who must understand how past programs influence present U.S. policies.

A day at the races, with its colorful variety and fast-paced action, appeals to people from all walks of life. Not surprisingly, the idea of going home with a few more dollars than when one arrived is part of horseracing's charm. In this entertaining but substantive volume, two distinguished economists, who happen to be horseracing buffs, outline a tested strategy for placing bets that will increase the reader's chances of a happy outcome at the track.

The authors are the first to point out that getting rich at the racetrack is unlikely. They do maintain, however, that with attention to their systematic approach, the racing fan can achieve the best possible chance at winning. In the process, the reader learns some of the most important measurement techniques in the social sciences, as well as the basic methods of market analysis.

There are two types of people in Texas: those who play 42 and those who need to learn. Winning 42 is written for both. A team game that no one tires of, 42 does not rely mostly on luck or memory. Skill and strategy separate the best from the rest. Veterans who relish the logic of each domino played will find challenge in the advanced chapters and fascination in the history and lore. Many who've grown up with 42 are nonetheless surprised by its utterly Texan heritage, reaching back over a century and a quarter. Beginners will find easy instruction in all the basics, from bidding a hand or setting an opponent to the challenge of the 84 hand, and can advance at their own pace. Replete with championship statistics and stories from veteran players and strategists--including many celebrities from astronauts to presidents--Winning 42 illumines a cherished tradition that links Texans from all walks of life.

Most people playing online poker think they are winning players when they're actually losing month after month. But, if you have basic knowledge of the game and follow Paul Mendelson's techniques, you can ensure that you win regularly and consistently. Find out how to: Select the best poker sites for your standard. Analyse your opponents and their games. Adapt your game to combat the styles of play you meet. Counter the costly dangers of 'tilt' and temperament. Manage your bankroll and build it into serious money. Play to benefit from being alert while others - in another time zone - are exhausted. Make the right decisions - and avoid costly mistakes. Read your opponents correctly - and keep them guessing about you!

A winning strategy for the game of 21. The essentials, consolidated in simple charts, can be understood and memorized by the average player.