Customer Reviews

Diary of a Mad Poker Player: A Journey to the World Series of Poker

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an extremely novel book as it is a first hand account of a journalist's obsession with poker and of his online attempts to procure a seat for the 2004 World Series. The narrator, Richard Sparks, spends the first half of the diary talking about the game in general and providing us with accounts of his own efforts to gain a seat. Sparks is a good writer and possesses a creative mind. One would never describe him as boring. Overall, it's an average+ book, although it could have been a better. Sparks pastes in too many conversations from online poker chat boxes, and does not devote enough pages to the 2004 WSOP event itself. There is, however, one section in which Diary transcends, and that is where we are made privy to the transcript of the interview he had with Sammy Farha. It's absolutely excellent. We learn more about the man in those few short pages than we do over the course of all his ESPN human interest moments. There are other titles to buy ahead of this one, but it's still enjoyable.

Anyone who has ever played online poker and tried to win a seat in "the big one" will enjoy this book. Richard Sparks takes us along for the ride in the post-Moneymaker world of big-time poker as he tries to win a seat in the World Series of Poker. He explores the legitimacy and legality of online poker, the highs and lows of the game, and the rewards and consequences of America's new pasttime. And he does it in such an entertaining way! I thought it was awesome and highly recommend it.

"Diary" is terrific for learning the inside game of poker and laughing. There are very entertaining characters behind those reflector glasses and grain feed caps. I discovered important plays and strategies while enjoying the author's Monty Python-esque humor. Finally, my knowledge of "tells" has exceeded waiting for a gasp, heave or howl. I don't think amateurs or experts will be disappointed.

"Diary of a Mad Poker Player" is an exciting quest for the big one.... and Richard Sparks is a witty insightful author who spins his poker tale with an enlightened mix of philosopy and humor combined with a practical knowledge of the game. I learned almost as much about the game of life as I did 'no limit hold em.' Anyone who plays poker, is thinking about playing poker, knows someone who plays poker or even knows someone who knows someone who is thinking about playing poker... would enjoy this book.

Enjoyed it thoroughly. A great balance between telling funny stories about life and the poker table and giving solid insights into playing well, all tied together with the author's own campaign to win the big prize. You meet some of the crazy quilt of characters who populate the poker world, see behind the scenes and sit with the author while he lives through some of the agonizing situations poker can put you in. It made me want to get out and go find me a game.

A Quest! A Quest! Richard Sparks takes you on an adventure down the rabbit hole into the wild and wonderful world of Hold 'Em poker, where you will experience more of the incredible complexity of this game and the players who have mastered it than you could in A Thousand and One Nights at the poker table. You will feel that you have been there, and you will have an appreciation for the baffling subtleties of the game even as you wonder if you could ever get a handle on them yourself.

Make sure that you have some time available before you get started: Sparks writes with a riveting wit that will leave you with no rest. Be prepared to join the "living dead," as he calls those who have been in Las Vegas too long (like more than about 48 hours!). But fear not, you will emerge with bankroll intact, a fresh perspective on the latest obsession, and a new list of must-watch TV shows.

Richard Sparks has come up with a story that tells the tale of the Everyman, in that anyone who has ever played poker has experienced everything he went through. From start to finish, there is not a weak chapter in the book. While it may not be a strategy book per se, people can learn more about their game through seeing themselves in Sparks' words and from the commentary from many of the interviews that are included in the book.

Richard also shows the highs and lows of the game, the gut wrenching losses and the elation of the victories. He gives an excellent review of the major poker rooms in existence. And he has given the first major poker work of the 21st century, along with SS2. It should be a part of your poker library.

Richard Sparks' "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" is a wonderful read. It reaches out to the reader on so many levels.

It's the quest of a dedicated amateur poker player to win his way in to the World Series of Poker through a combination of online satellite tournaments and satellites held in brick and mortar casinos. Richard Sparks is an extremely witty man and a great teller of tales, and along the way he interviews everyone from legends of the game such as Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker, and Sammy Farha, to unknown players who are hoping for glory after winning their way into the World Series of Poker through an online satellite.

I'm not sure there's another writer out there who could combine his quest for winning a seat in poker's richest event with the make and model number banjo played by Earl Scruggs, classic Monte Python sketches, and a few quotes that William Shakespeare might have authored, had the bard been born a few centuries later, instead of in his own, unfortunate time, before poker was invented. Not only does he combine all this irreverence, but somehow it works in masterstrokes of wit and wordsmithing.

Sparks also tells the story of how online poker came to prominence and how it led to the incredible growth in tournament poker in general and the World Series of Poker in particular. After all, at the turn of the century, the World Series of Poker was happy to have slightly more than 300 entrants pony up $10,000 each to play in its main event. In 2006, nearly 8,000 played, a number no one would have dared to imagine just a few short years ago.

He delves deeply into the legal status of online poker, as well as its safety. So just while you're having fun with Sparks' madcap romp through poker's highly textured landscape, you find yourself on a knowledgeable ride through the underpinnings of contemporary poker.

There's even some good poker advice tucked into its pages. Though it's not an instructional book by any means, the advice that bubbles up to the surface is sound and solid.

There's actually nothing about "Diary of a Mad Poker Player" not to like. It's authoritative, informative, insightful, wildly funny, incredibly witty, and a book you can go back to time and again. If Richard Sparks represents everyman in his quest to play at the WSOP, this is everyman at his best, and funniest. I highly recommend it.

Diary of A Mad Poker Player" is a kick. Sparks is both subtly witty and laugh-out-loud funny. As a sometime poker player, I loved it. My wife - who has never played poker in her life - loved it, too. Sparks has a way of interweaving the facts of the game with wonderful characters, funny stories, and bits and pieces of his own life.

If you're already into poker, this book is a must. And if you want to introduce someone to poker, and help explain why it's endlessly interesting, this book will do it. Can't wait for his next one.

Compared to other gambling stories, I thought this one was unorganized, unintersting, and just under done. Not too much fun to read and gets boring trying to listen to a guy show off.