Poker, Gaming, and Life [Paperback]

David Sklansky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

This volume is a collection of recent articles written by David Sklansky that have appeared in various publications including Card Player and Poker World magazines. A few have never before appeared in print.

Most of the articles are about poker or gambling. However, David has recently branched out into other areas that lend themselves to his unique style of analysis and some of these essays are contained in this book.

"Poker and gaming" topics include Being a Favorite, Are great Players Born? Talent Versus Discipline, Will Power, The Importance of Position, Never Go Broke, When Time is Not of the Essence, and Is Your Wallet Fat Enough? "Life" topics include What It Is that Makes an Issue Controversial, Coincidences, Some Thoughts on Dying, Legitimate Grievances, and Crime and Punishment.

Though these essays vary greatly in content, you will find them very thought provoking. Thus Two Plus Two Publishing proudly brings you these latest examples of David Sklansky’s work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Sklansky is generally considered the number one authority on gambling in the world today. Besides his ten books on the subject, David also has produced two videos and numerous writings for various gaming publications. His occasional poker seminars always receive an enthusiastic reception, including those given at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

More recently, David has been doing consulting work for casinos, Internet gaming sites, and gaming device companies. He has recently invented several games, soon to appear in casinos.

David attributes his standing in the gambling community to three things:

1. The fact that he presents his ideas as simply as possible (sometimes with Mason Malmuth) even though these ideas frequently involve concepts that are deep, subtle, and not to be found elsewhere.

2. The fact that the things he says and writes can be counted on to be accurate.

3. The fact that to this day a large portion of his income is still derived from gambling (usually poker, but occasionally blackjack, sports betting, horses, video games, casino promotions, or casino tournaments).

Thus, those who depend on David’s advice know that he still depends on it himself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Two Plus Two Pub.; 1st edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880685175
• ISBN-13: 978-1880685174
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Sklansky is generally considered the number one authority on gambling in the world today. Besides his twelve books on the subject, David also has produced two videos and numerous writings for various gaming publications. His occasional poker seminars always receive an enthusiastic reception, including those given at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

More recently, David has been doing consulting work for casinos, Internet gaming sites, and gaming device companies. He has recently invented several games, soon to appear in casinos.

David attributes his standing in the gambling community to three facts:

1. The fact that he presents his ideas as simply as possible (sometimes with Mason Malmuth) even though these ideas frequently involve concepts that are deep, subtle, and not to be found elsewhere.

2. The fact that David s teachings have proven to be accurate.

3. The fact that to this day a large portion of his income is still derived from gambling (usually poker, but occasionally blackjack, sports betting, horses, video games, casino promotions, or casino tournaments).

Thus, those who depend on David s advice know that he still depends on it himself.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Precise as Always, April 10, 2001

By 

roGER - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poker, Gaming, and Life (Paperback)

Among serious amateurs, semi-professional and professional players, David Sklansky is THE author to read.

"Poker, Gaming and Life" is collection of articles that have appeared in "Card Player" and similar specialist magazines during the 1990s. The bulk of them are on poker, and reading them one is reminded that Sklansky almost invented the serious, logical, and carefully reasoned approach to the game based on statistics and probablity. An entire generation of winning players has been the result, changing poker forever.

Sklansky isn't a great writer, and his style suffers from too much passive voice. But every essay is well thought out, and his conclusions hard to dispute. Since the pieces are almost all short, this book is somewhat easier to read than his full length treatments of specific games.

The last section finds the author in a more relaxed mood, as he tries to apply some of the mathematical and statistical principles of poker to more general "life" topics.

One small criticism - some of the articles and examples apply to games that were once common in public cardrooms, but for one reason or another have all but disappeared now. For a younger player unfamiliar with Jacks or better draw poker, or Razz, this can be a little confusing.

Its hard to imagine any David Sklansky book that won't improve your poker - this one, although not essential, should provide some thoughtful and informative reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Splendid, January 20, 2006

By 

Brett A. Ogorzalek "Ogie" (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poker, Gaming, and Life (Paperback)

This book is good ... and if you're familiar with Sklansky, you know that he is THE authority in poker writing ... hands down. The book is made up of around 50 essays, each a page or two in length; the first 3/4 of the essays cover different poker/gambling tips & points of interest. This section of the book sheds light on different theories and how to logically handle certain senarios ... it's not totally essential to a poker players arsenal, but his ideas presented should intrigue an already experienced and well read player - (examples include : 'Comparing AK to AQ', 'Odds for a backdoor flush', 'last round strategies', 'Why I don't like 7 card stud').

I especially enjoyed the last chunck of the book ("Life")- Sklansky's essays on using logic and rational thinking in our world. Might be a good idea for a few political leaders to ponder a few of his ideas - Examples include 'Crime and Punishment', 'Risking your life', 'Diversity', & 'Will Power'.

While I've learned more poker strategy from Sklansky's other (textbook-like) writings, this one was the most interesting and pleasurable read ... you won't be disappointed.

4.0 out of 5 stars An exercise in logical thinking, January 10, 2012

By 

One Tough Customer (Henderson, NV, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poker, Gaming, & Life: Expanded Edition (Paperback)

One of the most enjoyable poker-related books I've ever read. The comments of the previous two reviewers are right on the money

This book is an exercise in logical thinking. Not for everyone, though, and maybe a little outdated. Use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature to read a few pages and judge for yourself.