What can you learn from Doyle Brunson?

One of the things I want to cover is the books I read. I will eventually make a big post with the complete list for the past year.

Today I finished Poker Wisdom of a Champion by Doyle Brunson.

First, I will detail how I came into possession of the book. When I went to Las Vegas in June, I went to a free poker seminar. It was at the Rio where the World Series of Poker was being held. The seminar was a presentation by Mike Caro with a question and answer session by Doyle Brunson. I filled out my name and address on a card for a raffle, so I am guessing they took my address and sent me the free book.

The book was originally published nearly 30 years ago. It is filled with stories from Brunson's life and poker experiences. In all of them he pulls out advice on poker. Come to think of it, the book is similar to one line of writing I described in my previous post that I want to follow for this blog.

I enjoyed the book. It is very easy to read and the stories are short, maybe five pages on average. Some of the comments are applicable to all gambling or even life in general. Things like don't play when you are upset or in emotional disarray. I will summarize one of the stories:

There was a player who came into a game and had two books he put down on the table next to him. The top one was something by Steinbeck and the title of the other book below it was blocked. After some playing, the player was in a big hand. When he was betting, he nudged the book with his elbow, almost accidentally. The title of the second book was revealed to be How to Bluff Constantly and Win!. Seeing this, the other player in the hand dumped his money into the pot. The book guy called and it ended up he was not bluffing, but had a great hand and raked in the pot. For the rest of the night, some of the players felt compelled to call all of his bets, thinking he was bluffing. The player had a killer night. When he left, he said he did not need the book, so he tossed it into the center of the table as he walked out the door. The players eagerly grabbed the How to Bluff Constantly and Win! book and inside it was all blank pages, except the first page on which was written "Don't."

I also saw the movie Rounders when my Associate was in town. It is about poker and I recommend it.

Wisdom of a Poker Champion
Doyle Brunson
208 pages
7/20 - 8/1