Product DescriptionFrom James McManus, author of the bestseller “Positively Fifth Street, is the definitive history of the game, more than any other reflects who we are and how we work. Cowboys Full of Poker is the story of his… More> ;>
Full-Cowboys: The Story of Poker
Tags: poker online
December 16th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I truly feel that Gardena is where it began and there was not much in the book about it. I had more stories and information than this writer had about Gardena, Bell, the Commerce Club, and other cities in California that allow poker. I felt like he had retrieved his information from some “general information” pamphlet or maybe spoke to a few of the “guys” who use to play in Gardena, but I can tell by his writing that he wasn’t there and, if he was there, it wasn’t very much. I read the book but would not recommend it to anyone who has played pokers for years, but to someone new to the game, it might provide some insights. His writing style was nice, it was the content that was lacking.
Rating: 3 / 5
December 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I really enjoyed the book and (as of this writing) all reviews are five stars. There is no doubt that McManus can write, (Positively Fifth Street was 5 stars for me) however if you look at the bibliography and are a true fan of poker literature and non-fiction, you will notice that you have read 90% of the books that he references. The book was like seeing a old friend, tell the same old stories, and you find yourself laughing at the same jokes and looking back the next morning hoping to do it again before five years go by.
In the hands of a less capable author then the McManus I doubt I would have finished it yet alone paid for it, but I did thoroughly enjoy it and at least I could smoke a cigar while I read it which would get me shot in any casino if I tried.
Rating: 4 / 5
December 16th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
A wonderful book by a very good author and a Perfect gift for ANY level of poker player.
Rating: 5 / 5
December 16th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
A fascinating work on the history of Poker. McManus starts us off almost in pre-history and works his way to the current day. He is an engaging storyteller and relates the story of playing cards and Poker as well as he captures the story of the people involved. If you’re a Poker player and love the game – buy this book – among the things you’ll learn is that us “donkeys” have a tradition that dates back to an Indian religious festival. If you know a Poker player, buy them this book for Christmas; they’ll never look at a hand the same way and be better for it!
Rating: 5 / 5
December 16th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I have regularly reviewed poker books — both strategy texts and nonfictional narratives like this one — for PokerNews, Betfair, and other outlets, and can say without reservation that McManus’ book most definitely represents an important contribution to poker literature. McManus’ history of poker certainly fills a need, pulling together many different anecdotes from poker’s storied past while also supplying several new ones as well. Cowboys Full is destined to serve as a valuable resource for those interested in learning more about the history of poker moving forward. It is also a hell of an entertaining read.
McManus begins his telling of the story of poker way before the beginning, looking back to the first dice games of the ancient world then moving up through the invention of playing cards in the medieval period and forward to early modern European games such as “mus,” “poch,” “primiera,” and “poque.” By the time McManus reaches the early 1800s and the first poker games, the story then focuses primarily on the spread of poker in America, with numerous anecdotes of the 19th century “cheating game.” Indeed, McManus provides a lot of insight into how poker’s progress uncannily matches the growth of the United States, with the game being part of the “American DNA.”
Moving into the 20th century, McManus tells how stud poker came to replace draw games as the most popular variant, then eventually how books like Herbert O’ Yardley’s The Education of a Poker Player helped encourage “square” poker — that is, a skill-based game in which one’s acumen and perceptive abilities tended to outweigh one’s facility for cheating. Building on the stories from the Civil War and the old West, McManus next includes essays on the many poker-playing presidents, C. M. Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker” paintings, the famous Nick “the Greek” Dandalos-Johnny Moss mid-century match at Binion’s, the birth and growth of the WSOP and the emergence of Texas hold’em, the Andy Beal-vs.-”The Corporation” matches, the rise of artificial intelligence and “poker bots,” the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, online cheating scandals, and poker’s status in the early 21st century as the “world’s game.”
In another review of Cowboys Full, I compared the experience of reading the book to participating in one, long, enjoyable poker game — with moments of great drama and intensity alternating with the calmer historical episodes. And like a good session of poker from which you don’t want to leave, the book is hard to abandon once begun. Required reading for anyone with an interest in the story of poker.
Rating: 5 / 5