Collection Development "Bridge and Poker": Build a Winning Hand

What do poker and bridge have in common? Both are card games that originated in Europe (although poker's modern form developed in the frontier towns of the American West, while bridge still reflects its British heritage). Both use a regular 52-card playing deck, both involve bidding, and both have experienced renewed popularity in recent years. Once the province of shady 19th-century riverboat gamblers and gun-toting 1950s players in smoky backrooms, poker first attracted a wider audience in 1998 with the arrival of Internet poker. Public attention increased in 2003 when the Travel Channel began broadcasting the World Poker Tour™, an annual championship series, with cable TV ratings that now regularly top network coverage of the National Basketball Association and Professional Golf Association tournaments. Today, an estimated 50 million people in the United States play poker regularly; of them, 30 percent are women. Tapping into this phenomenon, the New York Times this past June introduced a weekly poker column by James McManus, the Chicago novelist who won $250,000 at the 2000 World Series of Poker (an event recalled in his memoir Positively Fifth Street).

Derived from the English game of whist, bridge was first introduced to the United States in the 1890s and evolved into its current form, contract bridge, in the 1920s. By the 1950s, it had become the most popular card game in the country with even President Eisenhower a regular player. But the advent of TV, video games, and other diversions brought decades of decline until 1997, when the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) launched a youth division to attract younger players. The development of online bridge has further helped to attract new participants, and a 2003 New England Journal of Medicine article that touted contract bridge as one of the mentally challenging activities that could slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease has peaked the interest of baby boomers like Microsoft chair Bill Gates, an avid player. Currently, about ten million Americans play contract bridge.

Of the many variations of poker, Texas Hold'em, played on the World Poker Tour™ and at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and five- and seven-card stud are the most popular. But whatever version played, the object is to have the strongest hand and win at the showdown. In building your poker collection, start with beginner books that define these variations, identify hand rankings, and offer tips on how to host a home poker evening. More advanced players will want in-depth strategy/theory books like legendary Doyle Brunson's classic Super System: A Course in Power Poker. Unlike bridge, poker lacks authorized rules books, but the web site for Card Player magazine (see below) posts commonly used rules. Round out your book collection with memoirs of poker greats and histories of classic games.

Besides specialty publishers like Cardoza and Two Plus Two, many mainstream publishers are joining the poker craze. Look for titles by such poker greats as Lou Krieger, Mike Caro, David Sklansky, Phil Helmuth, and Tom McEvoy, but don't ignore rising stars like the 2004 Player of the Year, Daniel Negreanu. In addition to writing a column in Card Player magazine, Negreanu has a web site and blog (fullcontactpoker.com) and an instructional DVD and will publish a how-to book next year.

Nonprint resources are also important; past seasons of the World Poker Tour™ and World Series of Poker are now available on DVD, and top players offer their own instructional videos. An online newsgroup, rec.games. poker, also provides useful information.

In terms of weeding, most poker titles are inexpensive paperbacks that can quickly become tattered candidates for withdrawal. However, hold or replace with a new edition, if available, books by old-time masters like Amarillo Slim or Doyle Brunson.

Two forms of contract bridge are played today: rubber (usually in informal social settings) and duplicate (normally in clubs, tournaments, and matches). In building your bridge collection, start with general guides that explain the basics of both. Serving more advanced players means acquiring books on bidding, declarer play, and defense. Bridge is one of the few card games with established official rules, so get copies of the Laws of Contract (Rubber) Bridge, 1993 edition, and Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge, 1999 edition, both published by the ACBL (see web site below).

Besides the ACBL, British publisher Batsford, Canadian house Master Point Press (www.masterpointpress.com), and bridge equipment supplier Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies (www.baronbarclay.com) offer a good selection of bridge titles and software. In addition, the syndicated newspaper columns of bridge masters like Bobby Wolff, Alan Truscott, and Omar Sharif frequently suggest book additions. Leading authors in the field include two-time world bridge champion Eddie Kantar and bridge teachers Augie Boehm and Audrey Grant. The guidelines for weeding and replacement of contract bridge materials follow those of poker.

The following bibliography is by no means comprehensive but should get your patrons shuffling and dealing those cards! Starred [*] titles are sure bets for most collections.

ADAMS, ASHLEY. WINNING 7-CARD STUD: TRANSFORMING HOME GAME CHUMPS INTO CASINO KILLERS. Lyle Stuart: Kensington. 2003. 256p. index. ISBN 0-8184-0635-6. pap. $14.95. Probably the most complete seven-card stud book on the market, this title focuses on taking the casual player to the casino level and the casino regular to success.

*CARO, MIKE. Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker. 3d ed. Cardoza Pub., dist. by S. & S. 2002. 160p. illus. ISBN 1-58042-080-X. pap. $12.95. Drawing on his famous "University of Poker" seminars, the enigmatic "Mad Genius of Poker" gives excellent advice on strategy and psychology for the midlevel player of Hold 'em, Draw Poker, Seven-Stud High, and Seven Stud High-low.

CARSON, GARY. THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CASINO POKER: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO PLAYING AND WINNING. Lyle Stuart: Kensington. 2004. 298p. ISBN 0-8184-0638-0. pap. $14.95. The author of The Complete Book of Hold 'Em Poker outlines the variety of poker games played and the etiquette commonly encountered in public gaming rooms.

*HARROCH, RICHARD D. LOU KRIEGER. POKER FOR DUMMIES. Wiley. 2000. 198p. illus. index. ISBN 0-7645-5232-5. pap. $16.99. Probably no self-respecting poker professional would admit to consulting it, but for the rest of us, this book covers it all.

*NESTOR, BASIL (TEXT) LEROY NEIMAN (ILLUS.). PLAYBOY GUIDE TO PLAYING POKER AT HOME. Sterling. 2004. 160p. illus. index. ISBN 1-4027-2040-8. $12.95. Besides discussing all the most popular versions of the game, this guide for the home poker host includes information about debt and legalities. With illustrations by noted sports artist Neiman, the colorful layout presents myth-busting fact bars, boxes of tips, and summaries of chapter essentials. Nestor, a feature writer and columnist for Casino Player magazine, is also the author of The Smarter Bet™ Guide to Poker.

Read 'Em and Weep: A Bedside Poker Companion. HarperCollins. 2004. 256p. ed. by John Stravinsky. ISBN 0-06-055958-6. $19.95; pap. Perennial. 2005. ISBN 0-06-055959-4. $13.95. Compiled by poker writer Stravinsky, this anthology features short fiction by Nelson Algren, W. Somerset Maugham, and Mark Twain, among others; excerpts from poker manuals like John Blackbridge's The Complete Poker Player; portraits of famous poker players; and descriptions of high-stakes games by writer-gamblers like Herbert O. Yardley. (LJ 1/04)

SEXTON, MIKE. SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL: THE ULTIMATE NO LIMIT TEXAS HOLD EM GUIDE. HarperResource: HarperCollins. (World Poker Tour™). 2005. 224p. illus. index. ISBN 0-06-076251-9. pap. $19.95 with DVD. Aimed at the complete novice, this debut title in the publisher's new World Poker Tour™ series only skims the surface, detailing commonly known strategies, but it is written by a World Poker Tour™ commentator. The most informative chapter shows "World Poker Tour Key Hands" and the strategies used by the players. A DVD includes tour highlights. [Next in the series is Making the Final Table (Oct.) by Eric Lindgren, one of the most successful young players on the tour.—Ed.]

*SKLANSKY, DAVID. THE THEORY OF POKER. 3d ed. Two Plus Two Pub. 1999. 276p. index. ISBN 1-880685-00-0. pap. $29.95. First published in 1983, this classic by a three-time world champion and a leading poker authority offers the best general approach to thinking about the game. Chapters cover the fundamental theorem of poker, the value of deception, bluffing, reading hands, and more.

THARLER, SCOTT. POKER NIGHTS: RULES, STRATEGIES, AND TIPS FOR THE HOME PLAYER. Barron's. 2004. 128p. illus. index. ISBN 0-7641-2888-4. pap. $8.95. Devoting a large portion of this guide to the many variations home players might enjoy, freelance writer and recreational poker player Tharler tells how to host a successful home poker party. Colorful sidebars offer tips on setting house rules, dealing with the math, bluffing, and more.

ALVAREZ, A. POKER: BETS, BLUFFS, AND BAD BEATS. Chronicle. 2001. 128p. illus. index. ISBN 0-8118-2751-8. $29.95; pap. 2004. ISBN 0-8118-4627-X. $18.95. This social history by the New Yorker writer who claims to be the "only published poet ever to participate in the World Series of Poker" includes fascinating anecdotes about game play and some of the unique characters who have sat around the table (Wild Bill Hickock); a glossary highlights the game's colorful contributions to our lexicon. (LJ 4/15/01)

DUKE, ANNIE WITH DAVID DIAMOND. ANNIE DUKE: HOW I RAISED, FOLDED, BLUFFED, FLIRTED, CURSED, AND WON MILLIONS AT THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER. Hudson Street. Sept. 2005. 288p. ISBN 1-59463-012-7. $24.95. How an Ivy League–educated Ph.D. dropout became a World Series of Poker player who won $2 million at the ESPN Tournament of Champions. Duke's story is unique because it chronicles the rise of a woman through the ranks of poker champions. [Duke's brother Howard Lederer is a top poker player.—Ed.]

*MONEYMAKER, CHRIS WITH DANIEL PAISNER. MONEYMAKER: HOW AN AMATEUR POKER PLAYER TURNED $40 INTO $2.5 MILLION AT THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER. HarperEntertainment: HarperCollins. 2005. 240p. ISBN 0-06-076001-X. $23.95. The 2003 surprise victory by an unknown player at the World Series of Poker was the flashpoint for the game's current popularity. Novices will be engaged by Moneymaker's sharply written account of his ascent through the tournament, while his insightful analysis and insider tactics will hold experienced players' attention to the end.

*THE OFFICIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRIDGE. 6th rev. ed. American Contract Bridge League. 2002. 1000p. ed. by Henry G. Francis & others. bibliog. ISBN 0-943855-44-6. $54.95. Incorporating the changes in the game since the 1994 fifth edition (including the advent of online bridge), this excellent comprehensive resource covers players, history, rules, and bidding conventions.

BOEHM, AUGIE. DEMON DEFENSE AND DEMON DOUBLING: DEFEND WITH SKILL AND DOUBLE FOR KEEPS. HNB Pub. 2004. 172p. illus. ISBN 0-9728061-4-8. pap. $13.95. One of America's premier bridge teachers, Boehm is a regular contributor to Bridge World magazine. Her book instructs in the principles of good defense and will strongly appeal to tournament players of intermediate ability.

GRANT, AUDREY. BRIDGE BASICS 1: AN INTRODUCTION. Devyn Pr., dist. by Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies. (Official Better Bridge). 2003. 202p. illus. ISBN 0-939460-11-4. pap. $11.95. The editor of Better Bridge magazine offers a well-balanced overview of bidding, play, and defense, with demonstration hands followed by Q&A sets. For more advanced students, there is Bridge Basics 2: Competitive Bidding.

HUGGETT, DAVE STEPHEN CASHMORE. MONSTER BOOK OF BASIC DECLARER PLAY. Batsford, dist. by Sterling. 2004. 256p. illus. ISBN 0-7134-8882-4. pap. $18.95. This book is aimed at teaching the beginner to focus on identifying the problems of various kinds of contracts and how to order play to get extra tricks out of the hands.

*KANTAR, EDDIE. BRIDGE FOR DUMMIES. Wiley. 1997. 408p. illus. index. ISBN 0-7645-5015-2. pap. $16.99. Kantar, a well-known bridge author/professional, has written an excellent general introduction to the kinds and levels of bridge games, basics of bidding and playing hands, clubs, tournaments, and personalities. Only the chapter on Internet bridge needs updating.

ROOT, WILLIAM S. COMMONSENSE BIDDING: THE MOST COMPLETE GUIDE TO MODERN METHODS OF STANDARD BIDDING. Three Rivers: Crown. 1995. 232p. ISBN 0-517-88430-5. pap. $16. Requiring some knowledge of bridge, this covers bidding techniques up to the sophisticated artificial bidding conventions used at the champion tournament level. Veteran bridge player and teacher Root was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 1997.

Unfortunately, some poker web sites may be blocked by filters and therefore inaccessible from all libraries or computers.

Bridge World. m. $72. Bridge World Magazine Inc., 717 White Plains Rd., Suite 106, Scarsdale, NY 10583-5009; www.bridgeworld.com. Founded in 1929 by Ely Culbertson, the man who popularized contract bridge in the United States, this periodical for serious intermediate and advanced players includes articles written by top analysts and players, book reviews, and a new section, Bridgeworks, which helps players improve their technique. The online homepage, though, does have some introductory material for beginners.

*CARD PLAYER. bi-w. $39.95. Shulman Media LLC, 3140 S. Polaris Ave., #8, Las Vegas, NV 98102; www.cardplayer.com. ISSN 1089-2044. Poker's leading magazine features well-written and informative articles about strategies and analysis as well as interviews, industry and tournament news, calendars and results, and humor pieces. On the web site, readers can find tournament schedules (live and online); poker TV listings; an odds calculator; a poker school; and more.

AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE www.acbl.org The homepage of the world's largest bridge organization offers free lesson software; tips on how to play, find a club, and play online; and charts rules and regulations. Four online bridge clubs are recommended under the "play" tab.

WPT: WORLD POKER TOUR www.worldpokertour.com The site for information on the World Poker Tour™, the weekly televised series of the most prestigious poker tournaments.