Internet Book By Krieger, Watterson and Pointspread Playbook Hot Items at GBC

4 June 2003

By Howard Schwartz

Lou Krieger and Kathleen Keller Watterson have given an innovative form of gambling a major boost, with their vital, incisive, Internet Poker (How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games), (200 pages, paperbound, $14.95), and Al O'Donnell has made it ahead of the tidal wave of new football betting books, with his timely Point Spread Playbook (100 pages, paperbound, $19.95). Both are new arrivals at Gambler's Book Shop this week.

Internet Poker should answer hundreds of questions for the potential, unsure player, who worries about cost, legality, the honesty of the games, how to get started and how to get better. Priced at $14.95, no player in his right mind should be without this marvelous reference sourcebook.

Krieger, author of Hold'em Excellent, More Hold'em Excellence and Poker for Dummies, here teams with a veteran journalist and poker player, Watterson, to explain what adjustments must be made by an individual who wishes to play online and what internet poker is like, including what a "virtual dealer" is.

There's no assuming the reader knows the basics so the authors introduce you to everything from antes and hand rankings along with concepts common to all poker games. The book's focus is on Texas hold'em; Omaha; Omaha high-low split; seven stud; seven high-low split and how to "scoop" both ends of high-low split games.

A portion of this book/tutorial is coordinated with the respected Wilson Turbo Software. In fact each book comes with a CD which contains demonstration versions of the Wilson software, and when used in conjunction with one chapter, contains 125 practice hands, providing a great assist to an online player. (The software requires Windows 95 or higher.)

Chapters eight through 12 should help the intelligent player choose where in the World Wide Web to play; how to sign up and fund an account; selecting and joining games and buying in. There are key abbreviations to understanding for chatting (like nh for nice hand); what to do if you lose your Internet connection during play; what about "all-in abuse"? The book even offers tips for online etiquette including how to avoid being rude and when to comment on a hand if at all.

One particular section may be worth the price of the book itself. Titled Legality, Security, Money Management and Records, it delves into the possibility some unscrupulous individuals may have separate accounts on multiple computers of "networking colluders" who share information. The fact that there's no chance of a misdeal, that the shuffle is truly random and that detected cheaters will have their funds frozen (to be distributed to victims) should help build confidence among those seeking assurances about cyberspace poker's benefits.

Is the entire concept legal? What are the dangers of establishing an operation based in the U.S. yourself? Also, how important is money management and what records should you keep and for reasons?

There are many questions the novice may have about this hottest, newest form of online gambling. Krieger and Watterson have done a marvelous job of providing answers. It's a book that should be read‹before you play. A great gift item too.

Al O'Donnell, out of the Chicago area, is one of the classiest guys in the business of providing material to the pro football bettor who loves to do his or her research before the season starts. His Point Spread Playbook has been a bestseller at Gambler's Book Shop for more than two decades.

O'Donnell's strength is that he doesn't tell you to bet for or against a team, he just gives it the "Jack Webb approach" (remember the old Dragnet series?) and says, "just the facts."

This 2003 edition offers dozens of spread tendencies (how often a team covered at home or away; certain streaks in covering or failing to cover) and in overs and unders (totals). He doesn't say "bet the Jets when such and such happens" -- he just says here's what's happened in the past, use your good judgment and see if the trend continues and understand why.

You can look back for the last three seasons for each pro team and see if they covered or failed to cover in each game played; whether the game was on grass or artificial turf; what the line was, if the game went over or under.

The book acts as a handy record-keeper also, showing you the complete 2003 schedule, what type of surface each game will be played on; if the game is a division battle or conference or interconference. There are sections on how teams did in Monday night games; in post-season play; in the Super Bowl.

Overall, one of the best buys of all time, from an accurate, respected, knowledgeable individual whose books and reputation have stood the test of time.