Customer Reviews

Playing with the Big Boys: A Woman's Guide to Poker

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

 

 

If, as a stunt, someone set out to write the worst book of poker, they would not do as fine a job of it as have the authors of this truly awful book. Their annoyingly cutesy style is benign compared with the enormous number of serious errors about poker. Among their many factual errors, here are two: According to the authors, Aces are always high in poker (not true -- Aces are high or low. You can only draw three cards, or four with an Ace in 5-card draw (not true -- you can draw all five). The writing is so poor in general that it renders unintelligible even the information they get right. The book is also a major rip off -- really a couple of pages of original writing with the remainder just filler -- like an incomplete list of casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City (with no indication of where they spread poker)and a badly explained list of off beat home poker games. The one redeeming feature in this horrid text is the interview with Wendeen Eolis -- a truly interesting, thoughtful, engaging and highly skilled and experienced poker player. Too bad few if any readers will make it that far -- having thrown the book out after reading the first few pages.

If, as a stunt, someone set out to write the worst book of poker, they would not do as fine a job of it as have the authors of this truly awful book. Their annoyingly cutesy style is benign compared with the enormous number of serious errors about poker. Among their many factual errors, here are two: According to the authors, Aces are always high in poker (not true -- Aces are high or low. You can only draw three cards, or four with an Ace in 5-card draw (not true -- you can draw all five). The writing is so poor in general that it renders unintelligible even the information they get right. The book is also a major rip off -- really a couple of pages of original writing with the remainder just filler -- like an incomplete list of casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City (with no indication of where they spread poker)and a badly explained list of off beat home poker games. The one redeeming feature in this horrid text is the interview with Wendeen Eolis -- a truly interesting, thoughtful, engaging and highly skilled and experienced poker player. Too bad few if any readers will make it that far -- having thrown the book out after reading the first few pages.

This book is horrifyingly cute and offensively patronizing. The assumption is that the women reading it are stupid to the point of immobility. A paraphrase as an example: In defining and naming the four suits, clubs are "sometimes known as puppy paw-prints."

We had a huge laugh over this book at our monthly ladies' poker night, but it wasn't a good laugh. It was derisive laughter. We looked and looked for some indication that the book was meant to be funny, but couldn't find it.

The (female!) authors should be ashamed. Unless you're itching to get smacked, do not buy this book for the woman in your life who wants to learn poker.

This is an informative, smartly written book that is filled with details and tips on various games of poker. I enjoyed the wit and humor of the prose as well all the games packed into this book. The writers have a real flair and I learned alot from this book. Sometimes the writing reminded me of Sex in the City, very urbane and witty. Anyone (male or fremale) who is clueless about poker could benefit from reading this book. They even show you how to better your luck if you get stuck with a DUD hand.

All the women at my Saturday night game had better look out! Momma has an ace up her sleeve and I got it from this book!