Selected Poker Rooms
In the never-ending quest for success on the green felt tables of the world, players pay hard-earned money for poker “boot camps,” instructional videos, computer software, books and magazines. In some cases these materials can be used in combination with poker-playing experience to move the odds in a player’s favor. (Serious players know that in poker and life there is no substitute for experience.)
As proof that educational materials are not new to the world of poker, we offer a book written by Frank R. Wallace. It may be rather difficult to come up with new copies since the book was published in 1968 by I & O Publishing Company of Wilmington, Delaware. However, used copies are still out there.
The title alone may attract a few readers: Poker: A Guaranteed Income for Life by Using the Advanced Concepts of Poker. Before you rush to your computer and order a copy from a used-book supplier here’s an early warning: Readers should be prepared for a lot of numbers, charts etc. The language is a bit dated but the ideas are very solid.
As for the word “guaranteed” in the title, there is nothing guaranteed in poker. As Forrest Gump often stated, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Wallace’s introduction includes the note that “A LIFE magazine article (August 16, 1968) about poker reported that 47,000,000 poker players in the United States alone wager 45 billion dollars annually.” This number has increased dramatically in the last decade and millions of new players have joined the activity around the globe. Yet, the vast majority of players in 1968 and in 2010 do not use the advanced concepts Wallace writes about. In fact, most players don’t use concepts at all.
If they did they would be much more successful. Wallace writes that the rare player who actually employs advanced techniques will dominate any game. Here’s how he puts it: “But he controls his winnings and preserves the game in order to extract maximum money from his opponents. He camouflages his poker skill, and his opponents seldom realize that he is taking all their money.”
Wallace uses more than 250 pages to describe his advanced concepts. But the key that opens the door to success are in the early pages. The object of poker is to make money. The first concept to understand: odds – card odds, investment odds and edge odds. It all grows from there.