Card Player Magazine

[Tim Peters]

Well, I'm biased because I write for the magazine (book reviews in virtually every issue; occasional features), but I think it's better for poker players (as opposed to poker fans). Every issue has real, useful strategy pieces, from guys like Matt Lessinger, Barry Tanenbaum, Al Schoonmaker, and, most recently, John Vorhaus.

There is a fair amount of tournament coverage, but let's face it: reporting on cash games just isn't that interesting.

Bluff has some good columnists, but they seem more concerned with the poker lifestyle (do you really care how Antonio Esfandiari parties?) than with the game itself.

--Tim Peters

[daveT]

Great that there is poker advice, but so much of it is bad that it seems like CP is adding articles to be prolific. While Bluff has fewer strat articles, they tend to be far better.

You can get both for free.

One of the last articles that I read in CP had to do with how some no-name placed deep in a tourney by playing well. The article continued to state that he two outed with QQ, once with third pair, and once with vs a set. Great "playing."

[Doc T River]

I consider Tim's column, due to the fact I seem to have become a collector of poker books, one of the best reasons to continue reading Card Player.

[betsmart]

If you're looking for game advice and tips to make your game better, then CP is right for you.
If you're more into the stories behind the game, the people, the gossip- the Bluff would suit you better.
I read them both, each one has its merits and demerits- but both make for an excellent toilet read!

[The 13th 4postle]

Bluff is much more enjoyable, I read one cover to cover where as cardplayer I didn't really want to read it.

[Eponymous]

I read Card Player cover to cover (although I just skim the tournament summaries). I pick up a Bluff now and then, but there's no way I can read most of it. I don't want to read poker articles by Jennifer Tilly or articles about how fun the poker scene is. I sum it up like this: CP is like the Economist (with a little fluff thrown in), and Bluff is like People magazine (with a little serious stuff thrown in).