Review of A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales

Title:

A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales

Author:

Tommy Angelo

Publisher:

Tommy Angelo Operations

Date:

2011

ISBN:

978-1456364373

Pages:

207

Price:

$14.99

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@jetcafe.org

June 9, 2011

Tommy Angelo is a professional poker player and coach. A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales is his second poker book, following Elements of Poker, which has received considerable acclaim in some circles. While Angelo's first work was primarily what I termed a "poker self-help" book, this current volume is a series of poker stories, some fiction, some fact, some doubtless in between. Many of these short writings come from Angelo's magazine articles and online writing.

First, while I believe the primary goal of Elements of Poker was to improve its readers mental approach to the game, Angelo intends for A Rubber Band Story to be primarily entertaining. That doesn't mean that he has no interest in informing along the way, especially in the last section, called "Tilt", a topic on which Angelo acknowledges that he's an expert. However, it's clear that this time out the poker world is a surface on which Angelo wishes to sketch out some whimsical notions.

I find it difficult to review Angelo's books. On the one hand, his head is filled with intriguing ideas and he's a skilled storyteller. On the other hand, his style and approach to poker is so completely different than mine that I find it difficult to really appreciate what he's saying. I get these sense that Angelo attempts to approach poker much the way "The Dude" from the film, The Big Lebowski would. Me, my idea for the basis of the ideal poker player is more Mr. Spock from Star Trek. Angelo's most frequent writing topic is tilt. While I believe all avenues of my poker play could be improved, I believe most who know me would agree that working on tilt control need not rank very high on my priority list. Angelo explores tilt in amazing depth and breadth. I don't know how else to describe it except to say that I have chosen to minimize how bad fortune affects how I play.

The crux of this is that even though I find much of his thought process intriguing, very little of what Angelo writes improves how I play. However, testimonials from others indicate how strongly they have been motivated by his writings, and I have to respect that even if I don't understand it. At the same time, I am still entertained by his writing.

Some of my favorite pieces in A Rubber Band Story are the fictional account from which the book gets its title and "A First Time For Everything", a piece about the author's first foray into casino poker. I was also quite intrigued by a brief segment from one of his World Series of Poker accounts where he explains why he considers himself stuck two million dollars. I found it to be a useful and very professional perspective on the game.

I didn't really care for his "Poker Zoo" stories, and the story he tells as fiction in "The Worst Beat Ever" T.J. Cloutier recounts as actually happening to him in, among other places, Steve Rosenbloom's book, The Best Hand I Ever Played. All of Angelo's stories in this collection are short, though, so even if one doesn't resonate the next one will be along soon enough.

A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales is well written, entertaining, and light. I suspect that not even the most reverent Tommy Angelo disciple would claim that this book is as substantial as Elements of Poker, and I don't expect it to receive quite the same level of devotion. However, even if it doesn't have the same inspirational impact, I'd guess that a broader poker audience might his second book more than his first, and in any case, we can be sure that Tommy Angelo abides.

Capsule:

In my opinion, Tommy Angelo's writing reflects a kind of a "new age" approach to poker. This will appeal more to some people than to others. However, while A Rubber Band Story and Other Poker Tales is less substantial and more entertaining than the author's previous book, it might be more enjoyable for those who don't quite vibrate at the same wavelength as Angelo. I don't think I know anyone who I would expect would call the book essential, I think it's fun reading.

Note: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. I have no other interest, financial or otherwise, in the success of this book.