Blatant Pimpage: "The Rules of Poker"

Alright, the latest Lou Krieger/Sheree Bykofsky collaboration is now out. It's called The Rules of Poker: Essentials for Every Game, $13.95, Kensington Press, and it's an attempt to standardize and codify cash-game and tournament procedures and practices in a manner that all poker aficianados can use. Casino staff can use the pocket-sized book as a handy guide and training resource, but it's also the type of book that all serious players should really have around, particularly those that like to host home games or informal tournaments of their own.

The Rules of Poker starts out with the poker rules as created and administered by the Tournament Director's Association [TDA], and expands and coordinates them into a neat structure designed to provide quick and easy reference to the rule or situation at hand. After the introduction the book offers five major sections:

Part One: Responsibilities and Etiquette
Part Two: Structures of Play
Part Three: Rules of the Games
Part Four: Tournaments
Part Five: Rules We'd Like to Change

Lou and Sheree have done a great job here, in a book that also includes anecdotes and "Interpretation Notes" that try to explain the why along with the what. The book is also designed to speak to all levels of poker knowledge, from things as basic as how seven-card stud is dealt to topics as complex as betting circles and collusion, to that latest hot-button issue, the F-word penalty.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I had a tiny part in contributing to this book, something that I was both tickled pink and highly honored to do. Lou and Sheree's book is certainly a worthwhile and distinctive addition to the serious player's poker library. I admit I'm biased, of course, but it's already a part of mine.