Ankeny: Poker Strategy: Win with Game Theory

[Siegmund]

A local used book dealer has two copies, decent condition, of this small book with a tacky cover. He thinks they are worth $85 each.

A quick search of the archives revealed that a few people had seen it and thought it was a good 5 card draw book, but it doesn't seem to be a name on people's tongues when you ask them, "name one classic poker book."

Can anyone give me some insight as to why this book is apparently so darn valuable?

[portisfreak]

Some guesses:

- It's an old book, of some collectable quality. The book seller probably couldn't find anything on this book and pressumes it's a "rare" book.
- He might be aware of how poker books tend to cost a bit of a premium (for better or worse) and therefore charge more.
- According to Amazon, it's going for about $40 used. I'm not sure where this price is coming from, perhaps due to the first factor.

[Siegmund]

There are not very many books as new as 1981 that are already commanding high prices. (And he sells online, too - so you would think he would know what his competition is charging.) It is, allegedly, a collectable book. I don't know why, and am hoping someone who has read it can clue us in.

[npc]

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A local used book dealer has two copies, decent condition, of this small book with a tacky cover. He thinks they are worth $85 each.

[/ QUOTE ]

The price is a matter of supply and demand. Demand is high because the poker boom ocurred about 20 years after this book passed out of print. $85 seems high, but not ridiculous if the copies are in good condition. If you want to see a truly high priced book (from about the same time frame), price "Poker Faces" by Hayano.

[ QUOTE ]
A quick search of the archives revealed that a few people had seen it and thought it was a good 5 card draw book, but it doesn't seem to be a name on people's tongues when you ask them, "name one classic poker book."

[/ QUOTE ]

And it isn't a "must read", but the reason for it's appeal to a certain audience is the last two words of the title.

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Can anyone give me some insight as to why this book is apparently so darn valuable?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it's expensive because more people want copies than are available. The reason most people who seek it out want it is because they want more information on how to apply the mathematical discipline of game theory to poker. There are a bunch of people who have read Skansky's exposition on game theory in poker from "Theory of Poker" and want more. There aren't many other places to go for more info.

[Scanbran]

Apart from the above, I don't know, but there are quite a few copies available online around the $40 mark.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchRe...+theory&x=0

[Al Mirpuri]

Mason Malmuth gave this a 10/10 in his reviews published in his book Gambling Theory & Other Topics. If you intend to play pot limit draw then this book is a must. It also is a good guide to game theory. Worth the $85 but if you can get it cheaper then do so.

[uDevil]

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Worth the $85 but if you can get it cheaper then do so.

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Also, your friendly neighborhood library may have a copy you can borrow for free.

[BluffTHIS!]

The book, which I have, covers the play of 5 card draw from a game theory standpoint as to develop optimal lines with various holdings. Since 5cd only has 2 streets of betting though, it provides an easier analysis than holdem and stud with more streets and thus more decision points. It is very good reading for applying game theory to poker, but you can probably find similar information elsewhere on the net these days, whereas at the time it was probably the only very good treatment of that. Also, I quickly found a used copy available for $29 on amazon so check there if you really want it.

[Shandrax]

It's simply one of the best books ever written on poker. The challenge is to try to adapt these concepts to games other than 5C-Draw. Awesome stuff for poker scientists.

[Self Made]

Andy Bloch considers it to be the best poker book ever written: http://www.andybloch.com/gl/pub/arti...40806021326309

It used to go for a lot more than $40... maybe $80, $100, or more. I've got one of the collectible-quality copies.