Customer Reviews

The Man's Manual: Poker Secrets, Beer Lore, Waitress Hypnosis, and Much, Much More

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

 

 

Listen, if you're looking for a poker guide and nothing else, you might want to check the "over a dozen books on gambling" you already own. If you're looking for a witty, clever, informative, humorous take on modern masculinity, you'll really enjoy The Man's Manual. I bought it for my son's birthday and couldn't put it down--I think I learned more than he did. I've always wanted him to learn how to make a bed so tight he can flip a quarter off of it. The segments on how to dress and how to exercise are invaluable--too many men look like fools and hurt themselves in the gym. True experience will only come the hard way, but this book might expedite the process.

I bought this book for my brother and he said it's the most fun he's had reading. He's a regular guy with a regular job, who doesn't normally read. I thought with all the fun illustrations and the short but sweet (and hilarious) directions for picking up waitresses and dumping women, it would be perfect for him. And so it is.

A smart, lively book. TONS of useful information here - tips on gambling, drinking, carousing, and staying relatively healthy at the same time.

The author is a well-known journalist who writes for MEN'S HEALTH and ESQUIRE - he knows his stuff.

Pick it up and open to any page, I can guarantee you'll want to read more.

I loved this product, I bought it for a college floormate of mine as a gag gift for a Secret Santa, mind you I'm a girl. When it came in the mail, I couldn't stop reading the book. Lots of helpful tips on gambling, drinking and picking up women, all of which are hilarious. My floormate loved it too. Ultimately, its a young adult type book, with that type of humor and all, but it gets the point across great.

with mr. hansen. i just got this book for a friend for father's day, and i haven't heard any complaints at all. not only did he love the thoughtful gesture, but he also thought it was hilarious. he actually called me laughing and said, "the man's manual says i'm going bald either because of hygiene or karma!" take it too seriously (like mr. hansen) or take it a little seriously. i still recommend it.

I say that because these films appear to be set in almost any urban '30s milieu. What makes it "Harlem" is of course the black cast. That said, it is a fascinating look at black life before WWII, a neglected group of Americans in an overlooked era.

Sadly, there is much that mimics white movies of the time, for better and worse. In that of course is the striving of outcasts for acceptance and seeking to express their own social, economic and romantic ideals. That is what lends appeal to these tales of a virtually unknown society.

I almost never take the time to write reviews on Amazon, but I must do it for this book to hopefully make it clear what a waste of money it is.

First, let's start off with the cover, which claims that the book includes "poker secrets." What the book does include is a two page description of how to run a poker night. I'm not sure when this book was actually written, or what planet the author is from, but there is no mention of Texas Hold Em - (the most popular form of poker today). Here's the section on what games to play:
"Games: Stick with games everyone knows. Esoteric games with lots of blind flips, wind cards, extra buys, and passes are social games, not poker games, and usually find favor only when the game is thoroughly co-ed. For a good, smooth game, stick to draw and stud games and their variants. Adding high-low splits can liven up a game." So what the author is saying is that only women (or men in the company of women) like to play the poker game "baseball?" Furthermore, the type of man who needs to read a book on running a poker night might not know the exact rules of "draw and stud games and their variants," not to mention high-low split. Of course, no description of rules are included in this book, just a recommendation to check out Hoyle's Rules of Poker (which was originally published in the 1940's long before Texas Hold `Em was invented).

The book gives a nice series of pictures on how to tie a bow tie. That's fine, but when it comes to a regular tie, the author gives just a text description of a Single Windsor. It wouldn't hurt to throw in a picture or two showing the common mistakes men make when using this knot - I see poorly tied ties all the time.

Back to gambling, the author claims that in Blackjack "there is such thing as a cold dealer." (As someone who owns over a dozen books on gambling and has counted cards playing blackjack, I can tell you with complete confidence that this is an absurd claim.)

Also, when gambling the author tells you to "Believe in streaks. They can be proven statistically." Really? Everything I know about statistics tell me that there is no mathematical basis to prove that a streak will or will not continue (unless you're counting cards, but that is not what the author is talking about).

The author correctly recommends that the best game to play at a casino is Blackjack, and he also correctly adds "if you know what you are doing." It would have taken less than a page to insert a basic strategy table and an explanation. But I suppose that the book was getting a little long. Plus he needed two entire pages to explain to a man how to build a snowman. (No explanation about WHY a man needs to build a snowman.)

There are many other absurdities in this book but I will stop here. I will admit that I found the section about buying a suit useful and informative.