The Quotable Poker Player book review: "There are some really, really funny poker quotes in here"

BOOK REVIEW

THE QUOTABLE POKER PLAYER

"There are some really, really
funny quotes in here"

Review by ANDREW KICAK on SmokePoker.com

You learn the game.  You play the game.  You play the game online.  You watch it on television.  You may even read instructional books or pro player biographies.  But have you ever imagined being able to quote poker?  Or rather dish out famous poker quotations and quips?

I admit I never really considered anyone would compile an encyclopaedia of poker quotations.  That is, until I received Colin M. Jarman’s The Quotable Poker Player in the mail.  Essentially, The Quotable Poker Player (TQPP) is a thorough compilation of over 1500 poker quotes or attributed remarks taken from pro players, celebrities, films, historical figures, etc.

Now I’m not a huge reader.  Despite being an English and Theatre major in university, I have rarely found the time to pick up a book for a good read.  And when I do, it’s usually related to my businesses or technical in nature.  So I was understandably relieved to see that TQPP is more a reference book than a suspense-laden page-turner.  But the funny thing is, once I started flipping through it… I couldn’t put it down! There are some good, funny, and smart quotations in the TQPP.   And improbably, it IS a good read.

The Background
Author Colin Jarman has published over 30 books in the United States and in the UK through publisher Blue Eyed Books.  He’s written just about every kind of book from biographies to humour to science.  TQPP is one of his newest books in his quotable book series.  Colin spent nearly two years compiling the quotations for this book.   And it shows.  With over 1500 references, there’s a lot of exhaustively researched material packed between the pages.   Colin used a systematic process of evaluating the content for his book through the lens of “hilarity”, “cleverness”, and “originality” to select the quotations that made it into the book.

The Product
The book is a 156 page paperback with a 2010 publication date.  The contents are divided into 12 chapters or general categories which are further subdivided within each chapter.  Some notable chapters include Poker Faces (real & fictional), Poker Warfare, Poker Song (yes, this book couldn’t possibility have credibility without a mention of The Gambler by Kenny Rogers), and a concise chapter on Poker Movie quotations.  There is no foreword or afterword

The Review
Okay, so it’s a quotations book.  There’s not really much to review.  There’s obviously no narrative or compelling writing structure.  However, the quotations themselves had to be assembled, organized and edited into the book.  There are quotations from almost every major poker personality and player.  What I was particularly impressed with was the eclectic nature of the quotations.  Besides, the usual poker pros you see and hear about at WSOP and WPT, there are quotes attributed to “Fulltilt.com” for example, as well as celebrity players like Jason Alexander, Brad Garrett, etc.  It’s a great mix.  Overall, this is a great flip-through-read book that makes for an interesting browse.  The special treat was the movie quotes and lines that related to poker, as well as music lyrics, etc.  And given the recent publication date, it’s pretty up-to-date with 2009 and 2010 references.

The cover illustration is a little cheesy looking and I’m not a personal fan of the font used. But I suppose you could argue that the book has an intentional campy, quirky sort of feel to it.  I also found that the author was reaching a bit when it came to certain quotations.  Like the Gus Hansen quote, “I like to see a lot of flops” seems to me more of a general statement that a humorous, interesting observation.  I’m not sure I would’ve included it in the book.  But then again, I’m not the author!

On the flip side, there are also tons of gems in here – too many to list.  But I loved some of the online poker promoting quotes (ie. “Show me a professional player who refuses to play on the Internet these days and I’ll show you a dinosaur.” – Jesse May (2005)) .   There are some really, really funny quotes in here as well.  I highly recommend checking out the author’s site.  If you want to preview some quotations prior to purchasing, the publisher’s site is peppered with interesting quotations.

SmokePoker.com Book Review: 4 out of 5





FOR MORE DETAILS ON OR WHERE TO BUY THE QUOTABLE POKER PLAYER.

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Funny Poker Quotes Book Raises a Good Deal of Laughs - The Quotable Poker Player Book Review

THE QUOTABLE POKER PLAYER

BOOK REVIEW

Review by Poker.org.uk

"Many of the 'diamond-studded' quotes had me laughing aloud"

The Quotable Poker Player

London-born author Colin M. Jarman has had 30+ books published in the United States and the United Kingdom, having written books covering such diverse subject areas as biographies, James Bond, Doctor Who, Judge Dredd, dance, science, sports, humour and quotations. The Quotable Poker Player, published in 2010, is one of his newest books in Jarman's "quotations" series of books. The two years taken to compile the quotations for the book are evident in the painstakingly investigated material crammed between its 200 pages, which combine originality and humour in their content.

The Quotable Poker Player is a comic collection of 1500+ humorous poker quotations, covering all forms of the game, from 5-Card Stud to Texas Hold`Em. Furthermore, the volume reflects all aspects and views of the game of poker, celebrating the "fun" side of poker on both the US and UK sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The contents of the book are divided into 12 chapters, with notable divisions of the The Quotable Poker Player including chapters devoted to "Poker Books," "Poker As Warfare," "Poker Is.," "Poker Movies," "Poker on TV" and "Poker Song", since any poker quotation book must lack authority if ignoring Kenny Rogers` "The Gambler." These chapters, which include funny, poker-based sayings and quotations from professional players, poker celebrities, authors, humorists and journalists, along with a selection from film and TV characters are accompanied by an extensive A-Z poker glossary.

Despite being an avid poker player, I am not a massive reader on the subject. Primarily, I write for Internet websites and engage in some part-time Mathematics tuition, so the time available for recreational reading is limited. As a result, I was somewhat relieved to find the

The Quotable Poker Player to be more of a reference book than a "page turner," laden with anticipation. Nonetheless, once I started flicking through Jarman's latest offering, I found it difficult to put down.

As a book of quotations, The Quotable Poker Player essentially has no narrative or writing structure to review. However, it includes quotations from the vast majority of poker players and personalities, organised in a coherent fashion. The book has a seemingly deliberate idiosyncratic ambience and the eclectic assortment of quotations impressed me greatly.

There are offerings from professional players from the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker, along with a selection from celebrity players. This makes for a great mix and a very entertaining read. Many of the "diamond-studded" quotes had me laughing aloud, although generally these are too numerous to mention in an article of this nature. However, one worthy of note is Jesse May's, apparently Internet-promoting quote of 2005, namely,"Show me a professional player who refuses to play on the Internet these days and I'll show you a dinosaur."

Overall, The Quotable Poker Player is a superb, enjoyable reference book, which is ideal for the "pick up, put down reader" such as me, making for entertaining and amusing browsing.

With a recent publication date, the content of The Quotable Poker Player is remarkably current and will provide a great read for casual players or more serious exponents of the game, seeking to pick up poker bonuses.



 
For more information about The Quotable Poker Player, please visit the publisher's web page at: http://www.blue-eyed-books.co.uk/poker-quotes-book

Poker Quotes - Lou Krieger's Top Ten

TOP TEN POKER QUOTES by Lou Krieger

Some time last year, while researching a book of humorous poker quotations, I came across this interesting article in Card Player magazine …

“This column marks a milestone for me: my 200th article for Card Player. My personal celebration involved perusing each of my 200 columns and pulling my favorite poker quotes to share with you. I don't know if any of these will make it to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, but if someone ever complies a book of quotable poker quotes, I hope to see a few of mine there.”
Lou Krieger, On Poker: You Can Quote Me on That  in Card Player magazine (2000)

With such a heartfelt plea it is only fitting to add Lou Krieger to my ongoing list of ‘Top Ten Poker Quoters.’

In some small way this Top Ten tribute may make his dream come true as some of Lou’s quotations do indeed appear in my book The Quotable Poker Player. Although TQPP is not going to match Bartlett's Familiar Quotations in terms of size or age, TQPP is certainly much funnier and is 100% poker-based.

“In poker - as in so many other disciplines - there are great ‘players’ and then there are great ‘teachers.’ Lou Krieger is both. Trust me. His appreciation for the intricacies of poker are obvious. He's one of the few writers who incorporates both good card sense and comprehensive situational analysis in his writing. Reading Lou’s advice is like getting painting lessons from Rembrandt or being taught the violin by Stradivarius.”
Nolan Dalla

With a glowing introduction like that from the World Series of Poker Media Director and renowned poker writer / historian, who is this Lou Krieger and what has he got to say about poker?

Lou is currently the editor of Poker Player Newspaper and has written 11 books and more than 400 columns about poker strategy for a variety of magazines. His first book, Hold ’em Excellence: From Beginner to Winner, was published in 1995. Since then Lou has also published other poker books such as: MORE Hold ’em Excellence: A Winner For Life, Poker For Dummies, Gambling For Dummies, Internet Poker: How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games, Winning Omaha/8 Poker, The Poker Player’s Bible, Secrets the Pros Won’t Tell You About Winning Hold ’em Poker, The Portable Poker Pro: Winning Tips for Texas Hold ’em and 52 Great Poker Tips.

With a resume like that there is no doubt that Lou deserves to have his own list of poker quotables - and this is my personal choice of  the Top Ten Quotes by Lou Krieger (with sources where known) …

“Hold ‘em - like life itself - has its defining moment. It’s the flop. When you see the flop, you’re looking at 71 percent of your hand, and the cost is only a single round of betting.” 

“Learn their secrets and determine how they keep from going on tilt. If the shoe fits, steal it!”

“As batting practice is not baseball, reading about poker, or playing against computerized opponents - while undeniably helpful - is not the same as playing for real money, against live opponents, in public games.”
from Hold ‘em Excellence (2000)

“Only losers and amateurs blame the cards. After all, cards don’t care; they don’t take sides, and they have no memory. They are blind justice holding her scales, and in the long run they’ll tip evenly for the novice and the skilled alike.”
from More Hold ‘em Excellence (1999)

On the pre-poker boom TV shows - “Before that, even for poker fans like myself, poker was boring. It was just a bunch of guys grimacing at one another. Boring television.”

“Most of the money you’ll win at poker comes not from the brilliance of your own play, but from the ineptitude of your opponents.” 

“Figure out what your opponent wants you to do and try to do the opposite.”

“You have it in your power to turn a bad beat around simply by realizing this simple truth: The more bad beats you encounter, the luckier you are. It’s a sign that you are playing against opponents who continually take the worst of it, and if you can’t beat someone who always takes the worst of it, you can’t beat anyone.”

“Not only is poker good for you, it’s the American way, where winners play fair, have the right stuff, and nothing else matters, except, perhaps, a bit of luck every now and then.”

“There are two kinds of poker face. Everyone thinks of Mount Rushmore, immobile, but the other is to broadcast so much information that no one can tell what you’re thinking.”


Compiled by
Colin M Jarman
The Quotable Poker Player


For more great poker quotations by Lou, go to his excellent blog Keep Flopping Aces and his excellent quotes page  - Quotable Krieger. Also check out Poker Player Newspaper edited by Lou.

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