Title: Real Poker Night: Taking Your Home Game to a New Level
Author: Henry Stephenson Publisher: Lyle Stuart, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp Retailer(s): www.kensingtonbooks.com, Amazon.com Cover price: US $14.95, CAN $20.95 Overview
Henry Stephenson thinks it's high time we get rid of "folding card tables . . . dime store plastic chips and Hooters playing cards" and dedicate ourselves to "genuine hard-nosed poker." His premise in
Real Poker Night is bold and simple: There's "kiddie poker" played for pennies and with more wild cards and betting rounds than you can possibly keep track of; and then there's "real poker," wagered at betting levels that make you stand up and take notice, and played according to rules and guidelines not unlike those you'd find in a casino. As if the pejorative "kiddie" wasn't clue enough, it's clear that Stephenson sees himself as an evangelist for the real game. If you're like me you might think he goes a little overboard by appealing to my sense of patriotism when he declares that anything less than real poker is un-American (what about the rest of the world?). Where the value of this book really comes in is when he argues that real poker played for more than nominal stakes will not only make better players out of everyone concerned, but make a fun occasion (ie, Poker Night) even more fun than it already is.
Real Poker Night is organized into three sections, each with chapters and subsections:
Part I: The Struggle Against Kiddie Poker- Chapter 1: Kiddie Poker Exposed
- Chapter 2: Bringing Your Friends Along
- Chapter 3: The Formal Rules of Poker
- Chapter 4: Beyond The Rules
- Chapter 5: Establishing A Game: The Players and the Poker Environment
Part II: A Primer on Basic Poker Strategy- Chapter 6: Basic Concepts
- Chapter 7: Basic Strategic Relationships
- Chapter 8: Basic Strategic Applications
- Chapter 9: Tactics
- Chapter 10: Situational Awareness
Part III: A Guide to Specific Games- Chapter 11: Texas Hold'em
- Chapter 12: Seven-Card Stud
- Chapter 13: Omaha High/Low 8-or-Better
Part IV: Home Poker Tournaments- Chapter 14: Running a Tournament
- Chapter 15: No-Limit Tournament Strategy
Appendices- Appendix A: Game Set-ups and Chip Buys
- Appendix B: Handling Money
- Appendix C: Rules for Fixed-Limit Live Games
- Appendix D: Rules for No-Limit Texas Hold'em Tournaments
- Appendix E: Other Real Poker Games
* Five-Card Draw
* Seven-Card Stud High/Low 8-or-Better
* Omaha High
* Razz - Glossary
- Index
Reviewer's Comments
Strategic advice presented in
Real Poker Night is sound, though it is highly doubtful that any future WSOP Main Event winner will ever be heard saying, "I owe it all to a little book by Henry Stephenson." The contribution that
Real Poker Night can make to your poker bookshelf, though, is found in the sections on establishing a game. If you're like me, you've had to cancel scheduled games because sometimes it is impossible to get enough players to the table. This despite the fact that televised poker is so popular. Between his impassioned pleas for real games (see those listed above) played for real money (he thinks $.50/$1.00 is the rock bottom lower limit, and you get the feeling he'd rather see us all playing $2/$4), Stephenson offers concrete tips for getting players to your game. He's a firm believer in email for making invitations, and even goes so far as to mention Evites. And here's a quote that Chiptalk members won't argue with in the least:
"There is more to buying poker chips than meets the eye. I firmly believe that poker chips are the most important
factor in creating an atmosphere for a good came.
In this regard his message is straightforward: pay attention to the finer details, including your chips, table, and especially the kind of poker you play, and you'll be rewarded with a satisfying game.
In addition to the main body of the book, the appendices provide valuable information, though much of this (chip breakdowns, tourney structures) can be found on Chiptalk, HomePokerTourney.com, or any of a number of other websites with minimal effort.
Recommendation
If your game (the event, not your skill) is suffering,
Real Poker Night is well worth your time and money (especially if you purchase it used, like I did). At a time when strategy books seem to be a dime a dozen, it is amazing how few treatises there are on the finer points of establishing a home poker game. And he really does cover the finer points. You might argue that most of what he says is obvious, yet it remains worth hearing. Stephenson's game sounds like one most of us would love to play in: good chips, a nice table, and above all a passionate respect for poker in its most refined flavors. Beyond describing it, he goes to lengths to help us make it happen on our own.
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