Aces and Kings: Reviews?

[MrBlueNose]

I'm in the book shopping mood again, and browsing Amazon I came across a book called Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies from Poker's Greatest Players. Now I'm not interested in the "Million Dollar strategies" part, however I am interested in the inside stories. Anyone got any reviews of this?

[steamboatin]

I am about halfway through. I wouldn't pay full price, it's interesting but not all that good. The book consists of short bio's of the TV players. If you are heavily into the TV star players, you will like it.

[mkap]

I'm Michael Kaplan, coauthor of Aces And Kings, and I hope to clear up a couple things about the book. Contrary to what Steamboatin says, the bios are not short (for the most part, they're chapter length--as long as 20 pages each). To say that the book's subjects are TV players is not quite accurate either. The book starts with Puggy Pearson; includes chapters on Chip Reese, Stu Ungar, and Erik Seidel (among others); and it ends with a roundup chapter on Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Erick Lindgren (TV players to a degree). My coauthor and I received extensive access to our subjects. The resulting profiles are deep, detailed, gritty, and loaded with insider information about how these guys live, the challenges they face, and what goes on in the world of high-stakes poker. Anyone who wants to decide for themselves on the merits of Aces And Kings should check out excerpts that have just run in Card Player and Rolling Stone:

http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_maga...amp;m_id=65560

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...as-player=true

Thanks.

[MrBlueNose]

This is why these forums are so great [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Steam thanks for your feedback, Michael thanks for the reply. I'll be sure to check the excerpts out tonight before I go on my book buying spree [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[steamboatin]

[ QUOTE ]
Contrary to what Steamboatin says, the bios are not short (for the most part, they're chapter length--as long as 20 pages each).

[/ QUOTE ]

A guy's entire career in 20 pages but that's not short. the ladies all have to share a chapter, kinda like there's never enough stalls in the ladies restroom at a bar.

It's not like I said your book sucked. It was interesting but I don't think you will be winning any awards.

[Messy Harry]

[ QUOTE ]
It's not like I said your book sucked. It was interesting but I don't think you will be winning any awards

[/ QUOTE ]

Steamboatin, you make me laugh [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[gergery]

I read thru chunks of it here and there in the bookstore, and thought it was a decent book -- better than i expected. If you go to Barry Greenstein's website and read his bio's of other players -- the amusing anecdote section -- and like that, then you'll probably like this book. It gives 15-20 page write ups of well-known poker players, sort of like mini-biography/magazine style articles on them.

--Greg

[KingMarc]

The articles on Ungar in cardplayer convinced me to buy this book. It seemed extremely well written, and interesting. I'm not one for poker story books, nor am I a big tv on poker follower, but the book seemed well thought out, well researched, and well written.

My books in the mail now from Amazon, I'll try post my thoughts on it when I get it and have a chance to read it.

[steamboatin]

Dude, don't say the bio's are little, the Co-editor might snap.

[imported_Chuck Weinstock]

Amazon? What about us (ConJelCo!)

Seriously though, I don't care where you buy it...but it is a really good read. Some of the profiles are better than others, but they are all superior to excellent. (Or is that excellent to superior?)

Chuck