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A Poker Memoir
Product
The Hand I Played by David Spanier
Hits
- Entertaining, easy read
- Unique look at the poker world
- Interesting poker personalities
Misses
- No poker strategy advice
- Accounts of fictional games throw off the "memoir" feel of the book
Review
There are plenty of poker books out on the market about poker players and the game itself, but David Spanier's The Hand I Played offers a different look at the game than one would expect.
Appropriately subtitled A Poker Memoir, Spanier's book is his account of how gambling and poker have played a part in his life. Not only is it slightly autobiographical, but it is also a look at his personal journey into poker and his take on the game over the years.
Spanier never became a big name in the actual game of poker. He made his name in the industry as a journalist covering the events. He also wrote a few books about poker, but most of his personal experience was in home games.
Many of the poker stories he focuses on in The Hand I Played, as a consequence, are to do with home games or fictionalized accounts of specialty home games rather than the typical games such as Texas Hold'em. However, he does talk about a poker cruise and his experience playing in the World Series of Poker Main Event one year, but even then, his tales are more about his experiences in the game and the other poker personalities in the game rather than about specific hands.
This leads to some invaluable comments on the game and the people in the game from Spanier, such as his thoughts on what drives people to gamble:
It may seem a paradox to insist that money is not what gambling is about. Of course, money is the essence of gambling and the way you keep score. Games of chance without money involved simply do not work. And you can't gamble in a casino without money.
Money is the fuel of gambling; it drives it, as petrol powers a car, but the pleasure of driving a car is not about the petroleum ...
Instead, Spanier believes that play is as essential to human life as activities such as eating and drinking, and gambling is a heightened form of play. To that end, he believes the appeal of gambling is in the action rather than the money.
The book is entertaining and gives a look at the poker world from the British point of view as well as from the view of a true lover of the game, if not the most successful player. However, if you're looking for some poker advice and examples of traditional Texas Hold'em hands, this isn't going to be the best book for you.
Details:
- $18.95
Paperback
University of Nevada Press
265 pages
