The Thanksgiving turkey’s carcass has been cast into the trash, people have gotten over their tryptophan comas and life is moving on, so you know what that means…it’s time to start thinking about Christmas! Yes, that delightful time of the year when we look at our loved ones and say to ourselves, “What the heck do I get you this year?” If that person is a poker player, there are some suggestions that we here at Poker News Daily can make.
D&B PUBLISHING
Everyone thinks that poker books have gone out of favor. The exact opposite is true. If you look hard enough, you can come up with some great poker books that have been released over the past year. And, if you look inside the covers, you’ll probably find that D&B Publishing has been a part of bringing that book to you. There are at least three of their offerings you should take a look at.
First, there’s the autobiography of Phil Hellmuth. Poker Brat: Phil Hellmuth’s Autobiography is as billed…the story of arguably the greatest poker player of all time in his own words. In the book, we get to find out some of the things that helped to drive the 14-time World Series of Poker champion from his quaint home in Wisconsin to reach his goals of poker superstardom. I challenge anyone to read this book and not hear Hellmuth’s voice reading it.
For a change of pace (and a bit of humility), there is the autobiography of 2016 WSOP Championship Event winner Qui Nguyen. From Vietnam to Vegas! How I Won the World Series of Poker Main Event is a hand-by-hand analysis of Nguyen’s victory at last year’s WSOP while simultaneously telling his life story. Beginning as a child in Saigon until that bright night in November 2016 when he captured poker’s World Championship, Nguyen tells a story (and offers insights into the hands that carried him to the title) that is engrossing and dramatic. (Writer’s note: a full review of the book will be forthcoming.)
Finally, there’s the story of the United Kingdom’s Chris Moorman. Moorman: The Inside Story of the Most Successful Online Poker Player of All Time is the book that arguably should have been released before his Moorman’s Book of Poker because it offers a bit of history behind Moorman himself rather than just throwing the reader into reviewing poker hands. There is some of that review in Moorman, but there’s some background given to the reader as Moorman delves into his life and what drove him to his success today.
These are but a few of the releases from D&B Publishing. It would behoove you to check them out if you’ve got a poker fan on your gift list.
MANCRATES
There are those people on your list that are quite difficult to buy a gift for. In those instances, you have to go more for the uniqueness of the gift rather than maybe its functionality. ManCrates is an outlet where you can find that unique gift.
ManCrates is offering an “Ammo Can Poker Set” which will at least give the base for someone’s next poker game (they may need more chips!). A 300-chip poker set is joined with two decks of cards inside an ammunition cannister, perhaps knocking off someone who has a fondness for weapons at the same time. If the poker set doesn’t exactly meet your needs, there are a wealth of other items that you might find for a gift.
BDO POKER TABLES
If you’ve got a bit of money to spend on that Christmas gift – and you’ve got some room in the house – then BDO Poker Tables may have something up your alley. Whether it is a simple poker table or a custom build, BDO Poker Tables should be able to come up with something that will please the poker player on your list. There’s a reason that the company is the official poker table of the World Poker Tour – they do quality work and for a fair price.
BLUE SHARK OPTICS
At least until they are banned, poker players can still wear sunglasses on the tables. The eyewear made by Blue Shark Optics are in high demand from poker players because of the variety of their product as well as the quality. The company states that their glasses stop “100% of UV and over 90% of Blue Light distortion with minimal color distortion.” This is critical in that UV light can damage your vision and, in extreme circumstances, can cause cataracts and macular degeneration. The company also offers eyewear for other life situations such as computer usage and driving, but it is their poker product that they are most known for.
There are usually some things out there that poker players would be excited to receive. What are some of the suggestions that you would make? Let us know and perhaps we’ll create another list of reader suggestions!