Ralph W. Crosby

I have never played poker, nor am I a card player, but I requested this Early Reviewers book because I like reading about U.S. presidents, including anecdotal accounts. This book took me a long time to get through, but not because of my lack of poker knowledge (you do not need to be a poker expert to read this). It's because it's literally a long book. My e-book copy was over 400 pages. With that said, it's still an interesting account -- not just about who played poker, but included are other pastimes that Presidents would take part in. Such as golf, chess, other card games. Adding to the length of this book was that the author would include brief biographies of the presidents discussed -- such as scandals that took place (if applicable); or regarding Theodore Roosevelt, his daughter and her husband Alice and Nick Longworth are also discussed. They were enthusiastic card players, apparently.

I did enjoy reading this, but it was something I dipped in and out of over the period of a few months.… (altro)

If you are a good poker player it is conceivable you could be a pretty effective president. That is according to the profiles of this book. An informative and entertaining compilations of many of the big names of our presidential history who either were avid poker players, played regularly, in their past, or in a few cases not much at all.

The key traits laid out here in the book are calculated risk taking and the skill of bluffing. In a number of the high stakes historical world events these skills came front and center and often had enormous consequences, thankfully played often to our advantage.

The central theme in those drawn to the card table is the quote by President Andrew Jackson a notable risk taker who opined, "You must riske." And certainly in any administration this theme plays out quite often.

What made the book particularly interesting to me was the many character issues and stories that surface about so many of the famous men. It is fascinating to get a feel for how they conducted themselves behind the scenes and the diversions they sought out to help cope with the ever present high levels of stress.

Most should find this book a fun read. Those who are players of the game should see many instances of the successful transfer in skills required to the high stakes political game at the domestic and international table.… (altro)

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me in ebook format by the publisher.

This book was an interesting read - a bit long and could have used a bit of editing is my only complaint. The book discusses the presidents, the games they played and the impact that they had on the president and their presidency. Presidents played games for stress relief, to connect with allies and prospective allies, and more.

Certain kinds of games that utilize the brain cells help the player think strategically, which is an essential skill for a politician. So, do poker players make good presidents, or is someone who would make a good president drawn to the game because of those qualities?

Many interesting stories throughout the book, will definitely re-read again as I know I didn't catch it all the first time thru.… (altro)