The Anonymous Pigeon tells a lot of stories about poker's dark side
Written: Oct 11 '08 (Updated Oct 11 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: - Insider account of shady side of 70's high-stakes poker - Challenges common poker beliefs
Cons: - Talks down to readers - Not a lot of poker advice
The Bottom Line: Great insider memoir that illustrates how shady poker life was in the 70's. Totally worth a read, even if you don't agree with the author.
stevengomez's Full Review: The Education of a Poker Pigeon: Secrets Learned f...
The anonymous author of Play Poker Like a Pigeon returns with the autobiographical Education of a Poker Pigeon, chronicling his years as a player in illegal poker games and, later, his years as a player in Las Vegas, where he rubbed elbows with the best players in the world during the 70's... as well as some of the shadiest.
While this writer's first book read more like a counterculture manifesto that was light on advice... Education of a Poker Pigeon dives into his playing experience and run-ins with some dangerous, shady characters... culminating in an ill-fated illegal poker operation in Dallas that pushes him out of the limelight for good.
Like his first book, Anon focuses on debunking the notion that many of the poker greats, such as Doyle Brunson, are as great as they're made out to be. Anonymous postulates that dominating No Limit Hold'Em players win by bringing more money to the table than anyone else and betting aggressively. He also states a belief that most "top" No-Limit Hold'Em players aren't very good at Limit Hold'Em as the structure prevents them from using raw aggression (his only stated exception to this rule is Johnny Chan).
While the narrative is conversational, these challenges to conventional beliefs combined with an air of the author talking down to his readers can grate on some readers. That said, the insider bent of his stories coupled with his anonymity can maintain the interest of an open mind. I'd recommend reading this book just to get a glimpse of the dark side of the game, from someone who played (and won) at its highest levels.
To date, no one has ever determined the identity of the anonymous author.
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