Worst poker book: 1970's division

[shmergle]

I recall there once was a thread about worst poker books but I don't think it included "How Not to Lose at Poker" by Jeffery Lloyd Castle, published by Little, Brown in 1970.

The whole book is remarkable, especially Chapter XII, entitled "Hold Me," which starts by analyzing deals with two pairs on the board and twenty-three players, all seeing the river. The author points out if the board is 7766x a hand with a 7 is sure to win, except when it doesn't. After similarly analyzing boards with four to a flush, four to a straight, or one pair, he concludes, "This eliminates 57½ per cent of the deals, which must be regarded as pure gambles." Anticipating the reader, he then asks, "What then of the remaining 42½ per cent?" For unstated reasons, the question with these deals is whether a hand of AK suited is better than QQ. He concludes the queens are a 60% favorite, which seems wrong, but nobody's perfect.

Last comes the summary.

1. Hold Me is a pure gamble, and one must take the gifts or buffets of fortune as they come.
2. Whether one stays or folds depends not upon one's hole cards but upon whether one can afford to play.
3. Nothing less than a pair of Aces or Kings in the hole has any significance at all.
4. At the second or third betting interval fold as soon as a pair appears on the table unless one holds a matching hand.

Which pretty much summarizes my own knowledge of Hold Me.

Used copies available at Amazon. Joe Bob says check it out.