Readers who enjoy poker will love Poker Nation, an energetic and obsessive account of America's favorite card game, told with intelligence and panache. Andy Bellin writes in the first person and from the gut, recounting stories about poker fanatics (himself among them) and dispensing advice on how to play the game: "You have to maximize profits through guile and savvy, eke out every last dollar that your competition is willing to lose to you--and, when you don't have the winning cards, flee as fast as possible." Aphorisms leap off the pages: "The worst hand in poker is the second-best one at the table" and "People say the mark of a con is in the details." Whether readers prefer the anecdotes about double-bluffing and illegal poker clubs or the tips on when to hold and when to fold (there's even a table showing the "Chances of Drawing Helpful Cards from a Deck of Forty-Seven Unknown Cards"), anybody interested in its subject matter will find Poker Nation engrossing. --John Miller


From Library Journal
In a partially autobiographical account of his unusual life, journalist Bellin, a lapsed astrophysics student who left science for his true calling of professional poker, introduces us to the world of legal and illegal poker games and the cast of strange characters who can be found therein. Along the way, he offers some very good advice on how to play "Texas-Hold 'Em," today's game of choice for big-money players. His breezy, easy-to-read style allows one to enjoy the thrill of the game vicariously (in clubs from New York to Las Vegas) as well as the company of some vivid if not entirely trustworthy companions. However, he does not glamorize this high-stakes game, and his accounts of the psychological toll it takes on addicts would hardly encourage one to want to try the life of a professional poker player. Recommended for public libraries. Harold D. Shane, CUNY, Baruch Coll.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Journalist and poker fanatic Andy Bellin takes readers on a raucous journey into the shut-up-and-deal world of professional poker. From basement games to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, you'll look over his shoulder as he learns to count cards, read a legendary player's body language, hang in there when the chips are down, and take his beatings like a man. Even if you don't know the difference between a flop and a river card, Bellin keeps you in the game with his portraits of the colorful players, dreamers, hustlers, and eccentrics who populate this strange subculture. Along with learning what goes on behind the scenes in illegal poker clubs, you'll get great advice on how to play Texas Hold'em, today's game of choice for big-money players.


About the Author
On his way to a master's degree in astrophysics, Andy Bellin made the fatal mistake of falling in love with poker. Leaving graduate school at age twenty-two, he has played semipro poker for ten years. His writing has appeared in such publications as Esquire, Details and Maxim, and he is an editor at the Paris Review.Bellin lives in New York City, where there are no fewer than four underground poker clubs within a mile of his apartment. You can find him at one on almost any given night.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
If Frank Sinatra had a prep school education he probably would have sounded a lot like writer and poker player Andy Bellin. When Sinatra crooned, it was a sure bet: He always got the girl -- all the girls. Bellin has but one object of desire, and he pursues her relentlessly. No, not Lady Luck. He knows she is a fickle, unreliable lover. Bellin sings of the virtues of mathematical probabilities and analytical reasoning, and his mistress is the game of poker.

Smart, smarmy, and seductive, with just enough self-deprecating humor to keep it from being too cocky, Poker Nation allows us a long, slow glimpse into the dusky world of high-stakes poker and professional gambling. It provides an insider's view most of us won't see outside of an old movie. Bellin leads us into the smoke-filled rooms and underground clubs, offering us a seat at the green felt tables where he spends much of his time. A five-nights-a-week poker player, Bellin gets plenty of practice perfecting his craft.

After ten years as a serious player he's learned quite a bit, and he shares the pot with the reader. Part exposé, part poker primer, and full of the history and folklore surrounding the game, Poker Nation imparts the tricks of the trade from a uniquely intimate perspective. This book is a great read for anyone looking to improve their game, as it offers chapters on everything from the theory of probability (Bellin pursued a graduate degree in astrophysics) to betting strategy ("the worst hand in poker is the second-best one at the table") to reading your opponents "tells" -- unconscious twitches and quirks that can give away a bluff. "Don't watch the cards while they are being dealt," Bellin advises, "watch the faces of the players watching the cards being dealt."

Hobby? Compulsion? Obsession? Addiction? If you liked Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis but crave a little more danger, Poker Nation is the sexy new game in town. Luck be a Royal Flush tonight. (Ann Kashickey)

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times