Real Poker Night: Taking Your Home Game To A New Level

6 Comments

1. Michael Vanier says:

   September 2, 2010 at 8:12 am

   I’ve always enjoyed real poker, but too often the following scenario has happened to me: I get together with some people who claim they “really like poker”, it’s dealer’s choice, and the first person calls this game: “seven-card stud, fours, whores, and mustaches wild, high-low, low spade in the whole takes half the pot, and if the ace of spades shows, all bets double”. Sigh. Then the next person wants to play something called “guts”, which is only vaguely related to poker, and the next person wants to play something called “in-between”, which has nothing to do with poker at all. Finally I deal, and I call seven-card stud, no wild cards. Everyone looks bored and disappointed. I point out that this is the only real poker that’s been played up until this point. They say “well, we like to *gamble*!” Soon afterwards, I lose interest and leave. They say “I guess you don’t really like poker after all…” Sigh.

   This is the disease, and _Real Poker Night_ purports to be the cure. The author clearly understands the phenomenon I’ve described, and makes a very valuable contribution by giving it a pejorative name: “kiddie poker”. Now at least I can tell people who claim to like poker that I have no interest in playing “kiddie poker” because it cheapens the real thing. The author also gives detailed instructions for setting up a real poker game, with reasonable games and reasonable limits (it isn’t poker unless losing stings a bit). Then he describes basic strategy and tactics both as a whole and for the most common real poker games (primarily Texas Hold’em, seven-card stud, and omaha/8). He doesn’t pretend that his book is all you’ll ever need to read to become a good player (poker is way too complex for that, fortunately), but he sets you off on the right track.

   I’m a cynic, however, and much as I’d like to believe that this book will generate hordes of new real poker players, I know in my heart that it isn’t going to happen. The people who “just like to gamble” play kiddie poker for a reason: the real game requires skill, patience and a lot of _work_ to play well, and kiddie poker fans don’t want to work hard. So my advice is not to try to convert the kiddie poker players — they’re not interested in real poker. What you need to do is to find other people, like you, who are sick of kiddie poker and want to play the real game. Once you get a group of like-minded people together, this book is a good starting place. The only thing I would have like to have seen added to the book is a bibliography of books to further your study of the game.

   Finally, I’d like to point out that the real author of this book is Henry Stephenson, and famed poker author Lou Krieger only wrote the foreword (Amazon puts Krieger’s name first, for some reason). Thanks, Mr. Stephenson, and I hope that your book does indeed encourage more people to take up the real game.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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2. David Fudor says:

   September 2, 2010 at 11:11 am

   Just finished reading this informative and entertaining poker book, and its one of the best. The author skillfully weaves deft poker strategy along with a insightful and often surprising look at the history of the game. For the beginner, the book gives you all you’ll need to set up the perfect home game. Discussions of rules for all the major poker games(NOT KIDDIE POKER) are included, so you and your friends can really look and play like those WPT and World Series players. For the advanced player, the book offers in depth discussion of pot odds and implied odds and explains it in a very simple way. The book also offers help for internet players, tournament players, and anyone who would enjoy reading about the history of this great and uniquely American pastime. You’ll make the cost of the book back very quickly(and much more) learing the tips Mr. Stephenson offers.

   Great Book
   Rating: 5 / 5

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3. Steven B. Ashby says:

   September 2, 2010 at 11:58 am

   This book is well written and is one of the few poker books that does not talk down to the average reader.

   It addresses home game players as if they are intelligent people, not (just) drunken morons who can only understand poker in terms of one-line catch phrases or the ever present television sound bite. That does not mean there isn’t plenty of humor – there is; and the book is fun to read with plenty of examples.

   Some recent books about home poker patronize silly homespun poker games, which are fun to play with the kids to teach them pattern recognition and have some good family time, but not with your poker buddies.
   
   This book, then, explains why home players should stop wasting their time always playing the kids games and start playing the real game.

   From the poker examples and references of modern entertainment culture to poker situations; to one page on strategy that had references to Clauswitz, Sun Tzu, Lincoln and Washington – plus a joke and a lesson in situational awareness; to how to make your poker nights valuable in both money and self esteem; this is the book that most of us need. It taught me a great deal, from reel to real, but it is also simply a good read.

   Finally, it includes the clearest, most thorough explanation of general strategic poker concepts that you’ve seen in any poker book. For those that enjoy doing and understanding REAL Poker; Don’t hesititate – get this book. Heck, if you are like me, you’ll more than make up the cost of the book in the first hour of your first real poker night!

   Rating: 5 / 5

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4. NavyWings says:

   September 2, 2010 at 2:52 pm

   An excellent book that takes the home game where it should go. There is no other book designed to develop the home player’s abilities in holdem to be able to walk into a casino and play on a respectable and knowledgeable level. The book is easy to understand and develops advanced topics easily for those new to the game. If you’re either playing in a home game or thinking of starting one, this is the ideal book for you.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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5. M. Kim says:

   September 2, 2010 at 3:13 pm

   In response to Mark’s review of this book, Mark doesn’t understand REAL poker. Chicago, Baseball, Follow the Queen, and other silly card games may be fun but they are not REAL poker. If you want to play those silly games, you might as well play roulette or craps. REAL poker is about skill. This is the whole point of this book.
   Rating: 4 / 5

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