Eileen Sutton - Card Player: The Total Poker

THE TOTAL
POKER
MANUAL

EILEEN SUTTON
and the Editors of Card Player

If thats what you thought when you first picked up The Total Poker Manual , thats understandable. There are lots of those books out thereIm responsible for a few of them myselfand they tend to have the same dry, serious tone that reminds you of the dyspeptic statistics professor whose class you skipped back in college.

Have no fear! The Total Poker Manual is different. It does cover all the bases in terms of teaching absolute beginners and beyond how to play, but its more than just another how-to book. Its also about why to play and how to have fun in the process.

Pokers relatively simple rules mask a game of nearly infinite strategic complexity. Combine this with the natural ups and downs that come from wagering on the turn of a single card, and its easy to feel like a champion one day and a novice the next.

Youll spend the rest of your poker life learning, which is why its important to have a passion for the game and enjoy the experience along the way.

This book invites you to explore pokers elaborate ecosystemits culture, traditions, language, and personalities. From Texas holdem to Omaha, draw, stud, and more, author Eileen Sutton offers a friendly and patient helping hand.

Youll learn when to post blinds and ante up, and whether a straight beats a flush. But youll also read about home-game snacks, how to act like a serious player, and what to expect from a first casino visit.

Advanced Master Class articles from many of Card Player magazines leading contributors offer insight into topics such as playing big pairs, exploring pokers mental game, beating low-stakes cash, and more.

Theres always a seat open, so pull up a chair, post your blind, and prepare yourself for an exciting journey.

Andrew Brokos

Professional poker player, author, coach,
and cohost of the Thinking Poker podcast

In this book, well help you get started learning and playing this great game the right way.

You could say we have poker in our blood. The first issue of Card Player hit the stands in 1988, and 700 magazine issues later, it still focuses on the tips and tools necessary for developing a winning poker strategy. For the past 28 years, Card Player has helped fans build a deeper understanding of the game, obtain better results, and keep up on the trends in what is now a billion-dollar industry.

Unlike 1988, when the poker business consisted primarily of smoke-engulfed tables tucked into dark corners of casinos, poker has exploded into a global game that continues to capture the attention of new players every day. Dynamic personalities play poker for millions on television, online poker has opened up the game worldwide, and every summer at the annual $10,000 World Series of Poker main event, poker offers the richest prize of any global sporting event.

If you step into just about any casino today, odds are that youll find a thriving poker room. There are now more than 500 poker rooms in the United States, housing more than 7,000 tables. And the number of tables around the world continues to grow rapidly.

Poker is a wonderful game with no barriers to entry. Anyone, of any age, skill, or background, can ante up at the table. Poker is a game of skill that keeps your brain sharp and is immensely fun. The game also mirrors life and work and can teach valuable entrepreneurial, behavioral, and financial lessons that are applicable away from the poker tables. No wonder many top business professionals preach and practice poker skills outside the boardroom.

This fun book provides players who have played little or no poker a familiarity with the fundamentals and terminology so you can be dealt in. It covers the basic strategiesexpertly culled by poker player and aficionado Eileen Suttonthat you should employ to start playing winning poker. Your goal might be, like tens of millions of others, to play poker with buddies at the kitchen table for fun. Or if you find the game more intriguing, maybe youll shoot for facing off at the World Series of Poker championship for millions.

Good luck at the tables!

Barry Shulman and Jeff Shulman

Publishers, Card Player magazine

Like a kaleidoscope, poker is a game of endless shapes that cant be mapped or captured; it seems to reinvent itself with each deal. To master it, you must learn how its moving parts interactlogic, psychology, timing, card sense, power dynamic, luck, math, physical endurance, and more.

If you're new to the game, you wont know what you dont know. Over time, youll be able to see and exploit more and more of these moving parts every time you play.

This book can't prepare you for everything you'll encounter on this journey; instead, it invites you into an experience of revelation. Page by page, youll discover the beauty of one of the most intricate games ever invented and glimpse its ruthless complexity. You may well feel a sense of awe. And hopefully, that awe will inspire you to learn and play more, and help you battle frustrating learning curves.

The game is likewise a mirror, revealing unexpected truths. Youll uncover your competitive nature and your desire to crush. Youll develop new talents and work your brain in ways you never thought possible. Youll learn to be gracious in defeat, and to embrace your quads and bad beats in equal measure.

Above all, you'll learn that poker is a game of mistakes. You win not by being perfect, but by making fewer mistakes than your opponents. However harsh, the game will also teach you to be present and still, to observe and listen, to reason out a hand in superior ways.

I wrote this book because, at the heart of it all, poker is, for me, a game of immense creativity. There are no hard and fast rules, no formulas. When you unleash your imagination and celebrate your instinct, your game will soar.

Make some magic.

Eileen Sutton

Author