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Maryann Guberman has been a writer and editor with many gaming publications, including Sports Form, Card Player, Poker World, Player's Panorama and Systems and Methods. She also has written and edited numerous books on gambling.

May 31, 2008

What to Get for Father? You Know ...

A good book, always a perfect gift can't be overlooked as something every poker player should appreciate. Notice I said should? Over the years I've had to qualify recommendations about books for a number of reasons but when I heard that certain poker pros have never read (and probably never will read) a book, I tend to be a bit more cautious. So let me reiterate in different words: a good book is a great giftfor someone who can and will read because he wants to expand his knowledge.

Father's day is almost upon us so if you are a son or daughter searching for a gift, or if you are a dad and you need to suggest to your children what you'd like to have for this special day that honors your existence, be aggressive; say, "Poker book."

But which poker book(s)?

One general category that will suit a player who doesn't specialize in any variation or limit or who wants to know how to handle poker from a higher plain would be a book covering the psychological aspect of poker. This kind of book focuses on how players think, why the act or react the way they do, and teaches the reader how to recognize those intrinsic, nearly imperceptible moves that can make the difference between dragging in a big pot or watching it slide to the other end of the table.

This is strategy of a different kind. It's poker strategy that goes beyond probability, odds and outs and beyond bluffs. At the same time, while helping you get inside your opponents thought processes, these strategies also help you understand your own persona, the one you bring to the table.

The P$Ychology Of Poker P$Ymplified by Whalen, David is a good starting point and could well be the only book a student might need for a long time. Published a decade ago, the work insists that to be a good player you have to observe everything around you at the table, evaluate it and remember it, not just for the current session, but for every game you'll ever sit in to play. Why do you have to watch everything? Well, let's say there's a fellow in Seat No. 4 who smirks every time Seat No. 3 gets snapped off on the river. You weren't in the hand but that smirk, or some tell that preceded it, might come up again when you're Seat No. 3. Maybe this guy just likes to see people punished or injured. Whatever the reason, Whalen explains how to pick up these tidbits of information so they can help you.

Poker, Sex and Dying by Jule Anderson has always been one of my favorites mainly because the day after I read it I discovered a personality profile at my table and managed to beat that player four hands in a row, two of which I probably would have discarded had I not read this book. By the way, it's older than the 2003 publication date but the current version is a reissue.

James McKenna, a psychotherapist, poker player and writer, produced three books that deal with the subtleties of poker -- those parts that don't have to do with the cards or flop you get, but instead deal with reading players, gauge their hands and zooming in on their weaknesses. All three books, Beyond Tells, Beyond Bluffs and Beyond Traps, are priced reasonably at $15.95 each but could be worth tenfold that to a struggling player.

Pro gambler Andy Bloch teamed up with Bobbi Dempsey (or maybe it was vice versa since this line of books usually likes to have one of its stable writers work with a field expert) to do a good job of pointing players in the right direction for reading opponents. Selling for about ten bucks, Pocket Idiot's Guide Poker Tells will help kick off the studies on psychology.

Of course the classic by Mike Caro, Caro's Book of Poker Tells, can't be ignored, not just because it started a new era in poker but because it is the basic starting point for using tells in all games. And a new entry into the list, which I haven't read ye so I can merely mention the title an author, is Poker Face by Judi James.

But perhaps the book that has made the biggest impact on the study of psychology as it relates to body language comes from the former FBI counterintelligence officer and profiler Joe Navarro in association with Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth. Read 'Em and Reap, when read and put into practice, will truly make a huge difference in any player's game. So if the decision has to be narrowed down to one title and it's for someone with poker experience, this is the one to get.

There you are: Eight choices for the poker dad, gifts that won't be regifted.