Overview of the Book

A Gambler's Game is not your typical poker strategy book. The 1950's "Bat Masterson series, starring Gene Barry in the title role, is the source for quotes that preface one to two page chapters on how to effectively play No-limit, Texas Hold’em. Since the book relies on the quotes from the series, not all aspects of poker are covered in detail. The book covers strategies for both tournament and ring games. It focuses on the Basics of Hold’em, Critical Starting Hands, the Importance of Position, Knowing Your Opponent and Yourself, Using Odds and Statistics to Your Advantage, Understanding Player Psychology, Advanced Betting Strategies and Money Management Techniques. The title is taken from a line in the show's theme song.

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Sample Chapter:

INTRODUCTION
Meeting “Bat” Masterson

"William Barclay Masterson, at your service, Ma'am. Gene Barry as Bat Masterson in Bat Masterson

During the initial episode’s epilogue, Gene Barry, the actor who portrayed William Barclay “Bat” Masterson for three years during the “Golden Age” of Hollywood’s Western Era, provided an excellent introduction into the man who many acknowledge as “A legend in his own time.”

“You know, this Bat Masterson fellow was certainly an unpredictable and surprising kind of man. During his eventful life he earned the reputation as one of the West’s most colorful marshals and gunfighters. Wherever there was excitement, wherever there was trouble, you would find him. Indian fighter, Army scout, buffalo hunter, at a later age, sports reporter, and as you just saw, professional gambler. His tools, his trademark, were his cane, his derby and his custom built six-shooter. Bat Masterson was known to be an amiable fellow by nature and never killed when killing was unnecessary. But, he was considered a great threat at all times. He was liked by most men and certainly his enemies respected him. Stories about him are legion.”

Though the episodes from the 1958-1961 series, Bat Masterson, were loosely based on actual incidents in Masterson’s life, they would best be described as fictionalized histories, similar to the way episodes of Jack Webb’s Dragnet presented “The facts, ma’am, nothing but the facts,” a decade later. 

Poker was a popular pastime among servicemen during World War II. It has been widely reported that former President Richard Nixon financed his first congressional campaign with his shipboard poker winnings as member of the US Navy. Since Hollywood screenwriters realized the impact poker had on the returning veterans, they added it to the scripts of numerous detective, crime and western series. When it came to poker, most children of post-war America learned the game from a technological wonder sweeping the nation, “Television.” Fifty years later, a new generation of players are learning poker from another pair of technological wonders. The first being the “hole cam,” which brings the audience into the minds of the players on televised poker events, such as the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. The second wonder is the ability for players to amass experience far faster than ever before through playing Internet poker. 

Some of the most popular shows of television Western era were Bat Masterson, Maverick, Gunsmoke and Have Gun – Will Travel, as well as a dozen others. These shows greatly influenced how TV audiences’ view gamblers in general and poker players in particular. For the most part, these shows portrayed the characters as honest players with the ability to overcome cheaters and thieves, often with the charlatans own methods.

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