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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The BEST non-"how-to" book about poker ever written,
This review is from: Big Deal (Paperback)
If you wasted your money on Bellin's Poker Nation, redeem yourself by picking up this previously out-of-print classic. You will not be able to put it down. Holden is one of the few serious poker players who comes off like a genuinely humane and funny person in print. You'll learn quite a bit about how to play, but this is really a book about the culture of the game. And when it comes to that topic, it has no equals. Alvarez's Biggest Game in Town came first, and is also well worth buying, but Big Deal has better pacing and a more personal touch that makes it compulsively readable. I've never written a review before, but I really think this book is worth rooting for. You won't be disappointed.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and fun, even for the non-player,
By ensiform (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Big Deal (Paperback)
Jounalist 'London' Tony Holden, clearly no slouch at the poker table, is emboldened by a boss placement at the World Series of poker (he finished ninetieth). He decides to see if he can 'run with the big boys,' or become a professional poker player. Thus begins a year of much intercontinental travel and poker play. Reading this account, it helps to be familiar with card games, especially Texas Hold 'Em; if you're not you might be perplexed or just bored by the play-by-plays of various hands ('the flop was a Qc-Kh-7c... Did the river hold an ace?'). But you need know nothing about gambling to enjoy Holden's breezy writing style: within these pages lie more than a few telling and insightful remarks on the foibles of gamblers, on his own gambling obsession (courtesy of a shrink Holden hires for that purpose), on the history of gambling and cards, especially in America, and the crazed capitalism concentrate that is Las Vegas. It's good stuff, delivered with the wisdom of a seasoned traveler and the self-effacement of a confirmed Briton. The book probably isn't representative of what might happen if Joe Public were to start mixing it up with the pros of poker; given the ease with which Holden mops up most of his competition, and regularly busts out old pros, he must be one of the better players out there. But if you're looking for a book that takes a hard, sympathetic look at the culture of gambling, this is a good one.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic poker diary,
By A Customer
This review is from: Big Deal (Paperback)
British journalist Holden recounts a year in his life spent travelling the world playing poker, his training course for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.A classic of poker writing, it makes me ask whether all poker writers know each other. The other best-read in the category is A. Alvarez's The Biggest Game in Town. Alvarez and Holden are regulars at their Tuesday Night Game in London. Another well-known author David Spanier (Total Poker) reports on Holden's playing for a UK newspaper. The book is wide-ranging: from a brief history of the game to exciting card-by-card retelling of hands. It even teaches you the odds in Texas Hold 'Em. If you like the game, you will enjoy this book. Follow this up with Positively Fifth Street by James McManus, a new poker saga inspired by Holden and Alvarez.
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