Jul 3
It’s not always easy for nice guys to win in the poker and whist worlds. Blake Eskin reviewed the article
The reason why nice guys don’t always win in poker and whist. Blake Eskin reviews
The majority of books on card games explain how to play, or how you can increase your chances of winning. Others focus on one type of strategy, such Omar Sharif for bridge. Others show techniques that can work in multiple games, like how to deal with the bottom. Although the following books offer advice and narrative examples on how some players achieve victory, none of them follow Hoyle’s exact rules.
All’s Fair
Penn Jillette’s How to Cheat Your Friends at Poker — The Wisdom of Dickie Rick (St. Martin’s: $19.95) might not be of much practical utility. It’s not a book on sleight-of hand, but it is a good reference. Erdnase recommends The Expert at The Card Table. How to Cheat outlines 10 ways to “make your home poker game free from cheating,” but also provides more information about how to avoid these dangers.
It is mostly an extended monologue of a man with remarkable social dexterity. Dickie Richard (or a pseudonym? Jillette being an illusionist — you never know! ) has spent the last 30 years trying to find strangers at country clubs and talking his way into their basements to get their money. He is arrogant and foul-mouthed but he’s also very friendly. “Good people don’t play poker,” Dickie says. “The purpose of poker is to win. Lies and unfair advantage are part and parcel of the game.” Poker players are able to see the cards of other poker players and “forget” to raise their ante. Isn’t that a quick step from there to marking cards and stacking decks or palming chips? Or, if you fail, just taking off with the cashbox.
Dickie states, “In poker,” “anything that you can get away and with is fair.” Even Dickie knows that cheating on the same friends is not allowed forever. But, as he points, it’s a large country. Dickie boasts about an outrageous story that involves a high stakes game hosted in New Hampshire by a judge. The prize is a $25 million payday and Dickie gets a discount. Dickie also receives a venereal illness as revenge. This is the gambling version the story about the big fish that got away. You’ll be astonished to find out if the authors are lying. The reason why nice guys don’t always win in poker and whist. Blake Eskin reviews
The majority of books on card games explain how to play, or how you can increase your chances of winning. Others focus on one type of strategy, such Omar Sharif for bridge. Others show techniques that can work in multiple games, like how to deal with the bottom. Although the following books offer advice and narrative examples on how some players achieve victory, none of them follow Hoyle’s exact rules.
All’s Fair
Penn Jillette’s How to Cheat Your Friends at Poker — The Wisdom of Dickie Rick (St. Martin’s: $19.95) might not be of much practical utility. It’s not a book on sleight-of hand, but it is a good reference. Erdnase recommends The Expert at The Card Table. How to Cheat outlines 10 ways to “make your home poker game free from cheating,” but also provides more information about how to avoid these dangers.
It is mostly an extended monologue of a man with remarkable social dexterity. Dickie Richard (or a pseudonym? Jillette being an illusionist — you never know! ) has spent the last 30 years trying to find strangers at country clubs and talking his way into their basements to get their money. He is arrogant and foul-mouthed but he’s also very friendly. “Good people don’t play poker,” Dickie says. “The purpose of poker is to win. Lies and unfair advantage are part and parcel of the game.” Poker players are able to see the cards of other poker players and “forget” to raise their ante. Isn’t that a quick step from there to marking cards and stacking decks or palming chips? Or, if you fail, just taking off with the cashbox.
Dickie states, “In poker,” “anything that you can get away and with is fair.” Even Dickie knows that cheating on the same friends is not allowed forever. But, as he points, it’s a large country. Dickie boasts about an outrageous story that involves a high stakes game hosted in New Hampshire by a judge. The prize is a $25 million payday and Dickie gets a discount. Dickie also receives a venereal illness as revenge. This is the gambling version the story about the big fish that got away. You’ll be astonished to find out if the authors are lying. Four of Poker’s Nice Guys
