The gambling writer and journalist David Spanier looks back at his life-long love of poker in this compelling memoir. Spanier takes us from teenage days spent playing the horses to the elegant casinos of Mayfair and Monte Carlo, from the legendary Tuesday night game in north London to Las Vegas.

Primarily a collection and development of articles that Spanier produced for various publications, (although many pieces appear in this book for the first time), Spanier begins with an account of his early life that led to his fascination with gambling then moves on to consider the appeal of gambling to human beings as a species. He goes on to cover his time on a Caribbean poker cruise, give his thoughts on internet poker, Las Vegas in literature, discusses Texas 'Holdem for beginners and recounts his experiences in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em tournament at the World Series of Poker.

About the Author
David was a man who loved life with an infectious enthusiasm. He was a journalist on The Times where he had a long and distinguished career, from 1957 to 1982, where he was Diplomatic Correspondent, later changing careers to become a broadcaster with LBC. But it was his love for Chess and Poker which were the major influences on his professional life during the past two decades. One of his earliest books, published in 1977, was Total Poker, which was described by one reviewer as 'The complete addict's guide to poker', but it is much more than that. It pays homage to the game and to the whole poker experience which meant so much to David and many of his friends. His other books include The Gambler's Pocket Book (1980), Easy Money: Inside the Gambler's Mind (1987), All Right, Okay, You Win: Inside Las Vegas (1992), and at the time of his death he had recently completed a new poker book, his memoirs, The Hand I Played.

Reviews
"This Spanier fellow is one smart cookle. He's done just about everything but check-raise with a royal flush and have an affair with the queen." Bill 'Bulldog' Sykes "A scholar of poker who knew everything there was to know about its lore and history and the outrageous personalities who helped create the great game." Al Alvarez, The Independent "Unlike writers like Tom Wolfe or Hunter Thompson, who see Las Vegas as an opportunity for satire, David Spanier chooses to give us the straight dope on the place in his loving, informal account. (Welcome to the Pleasuredome)" Financial Times



Book Information
ISBN 9781842430392
Author David Spanier
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Oldcastle Books Ltd
Publisher Oldcastle Books Ltd