Tag Archives: books
Five of the Best Poker Books for Starting Your Career as a Player
You have seen them on the sports channels: the big-time players dealing cards and playing it cool under the Vegas lights. Perhaps you have even dreamed of one day becoming a high roller. How hard could it be, really? The guys on TV make things look so easy. Of course, the reality is that poker is a game easy to learn but difficult to master. And if you plan on mastering it, it helps to have a few good tricks up your sleeve. But before you get into figuring out a way to beat the high rollers, you need to become grounded in the basics. And there is no better place to get an education than the five books listed below. While these may be what you would call “starter books,” they are poker books filled with spectacular information that will allow you to gain a solid footing in the game, so that your knowledge grows into a full-fledged education for how to excel. So without further ado, here they are!
1. Poker for Dummies: Don’t let the title fool you. Reading this book will leave you anything but a poker dummy. All of the basics are covered in this manual by Card Player Magazine writer Lou Krieger, along with extensive info on the many variations of play and a nice reminder on what it means to your experience to keep fun at the forefront.
2. The Poker Player’s Bible: Another Lou Krieger book, The Poker Player’s Bible promises to take your game to the next level. It helps to have a handle on the basics, but there is a primer for you if you don’t understand it all together. From there, Krieger goes into all the different strategies for poker games such as Omaha, Texas Hold ‘Em, and Seven-Card Stud. By the time you are done with The Poker Player’s Bible, if you have really stopped to hone in on and focus on the information, you will be anything but a beginner.
3. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Poker: Like Poker for Dummies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Poker will leave you feeling a whole lot smarter about the game itself. “Poker Pundit” Andrew Glazer writes this easy-to-follow manual, which is much more useable as a flip to where you need it reference book rather than a straight cover-to-cover document.
4. The Smarter Bet Guide to Poker: Basil Nestor’s 128-page manual for learning the game of poker is a bullet-fast read. It contains succinct information on how to play with plenty of tips and tricks and a section at the end of each chapter that summarizes what you have already learned. This constant reinforcement ensures that you will have a firm grasp on the basics before moving on.
5. Winning 7-Card Stud: Ashley Adams, for those of you who want to get more specific, takes you on a journey into the intricacies of the seven-card hand. With key tips and strategies, you’ll always want to suggest this variation at a party once you’ve finished!
Poker books are a great way of learning and perfecting your craft if you want to be a high roller. With proper attention and care, that’s exactly what you’ll be.
Gift Ideas for the World of Warcraft Dad (Page 1 of 2)
Forget boring old mugs and t-shirts with “no.1 dad!” hastily scribbled across, todays dad is tech savvy and media hungry, and more than anything, he’s a gamer.
You want to show him you love him and you want to avoid that look of masked utter disappointment that flashes across his face when he unwraps yet another bundle of socks or car magazines, so listen up, and listen good to our great gift ideas for WoW-mad dads!
Clothing:
Unless you really, really know his tastes in clothing, you might want to steer clear of World of Warcraft shirts and jackets.
The quality of WoW-related merchandise varies wildly, some looks great, and is beautifully understated in its design, while others proclaim proudly from the rooftops, “Yes, I play World of Warcraft, and I love it”. You’ll need to know what kind of fan your dad or husband is before getting some WoW-clothing, as he might not appreciate the boys knowing about his super-secret hobby when he sets of to have a beer at poker night.
That said, accessories like rings, trinkets and other types of er, man-jewelry are probably really safe, especially since such items are usually understated enough anyway that you can’t really go wrong. Nothing says “For the Horde!” like a pair of classy ogre-ish earrings (I kid).
A Dwarvish pendant here, some Alliance runes there, you’d be surprised just how naturally a lot of the patterns and motifs found in the artwork of WoW’s various factions fit into a nice piece of jewelry like a manly silver ring or pendant.
If you’re having trouble finding exactly what you’d like, consider screen capping a motif from the game and having a jeweler or metalsmith inscribe it for you, you’ll have a beautiful, unique gift with instant geek street cred. It’s worth noting that the same applies to clothing, if you’re looking for something unique and obscure, find a pattern or motif, and have it silk-screened onto a tee.
Books, comics and magazines:
Is your dad a bookworm? You might want to consider a World of Warcraft novel then. From newer titles like Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, and World of Warcraft: Stormrage, all the way back to classics like Cycle of Hatred, it’s apparent that World of Warcraft and its various expansions have a surprisingly rich literary history. Sure, it’s not Tolkien, but the books are sufficiently well written, entertaining, and are steeped in the mythology and history of Azeroth in a way that’s only hinted at in the game itself.
If dad’s more of a visual kinda guy that grew up on the pages of Marvel and DC, there’s a pretty cool ongoing series of books titled World of Warcraft: Alliance that’s worth picking up, as well as a number of trade paperback style graphic novels that are well written and well drawn.
Software:
What games can you really get someone who’s obsessed with World of Warcraft? Warcraft III, that’s what!
If your dad hasn’t had the pleasure of playing this delightfully polished precursor to Blizzard’s magnum opus, then he’s in for a wonderful surprise.