Thursday, February 27, 2014

"Reading his book is more fun than playing poker"

Ira Glass, of "This American Life," on poker and poker books:

BOOKS: When’s the last time you had time for your own reading? 
GLASS: Christmas. My wife had to work so I went to Vegas for five days. And Vegas for me means I play poker for an hour or two. Then I go to movies, restaurants, and the gym, and I read books. While I was there I finished Katherine Boo’s “Behind the Beautiful Forevers.” That book takes you inside this world of very poor people in India but has none of that National Geographic quality, like someone doing anthropology. You have the same experience you have with great fiction. I also read “Phil Gordon’s Little Blue Book.” That’s my favorite poker book, and I’ve read a lot of poker books. Reading his book is more fun than playing poker. 
BOOKS: How long have you been reading poker books? 
GLASS: I don’t read them very often now, but when I was first learning poker I read all the standards: “Doyle Brunson’s Super System,” “Harrington on Hold ’em” by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie, and “The Theory of Poker” by David Sklansky. He’s like the Euclid of poker.

Whole thing here.

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