The Biggest Game in Town

"Well, Al Alvarez and Tony Holden were absolutely in the vanguard. They are writers, authors, poker players. They were playing regular house games and going to Vegas in the 80s before anyone, before the internet. They wrote the kind of books that don’t get written any more, about the characters, the late-night venues. Alvarez is an inspirational figure. I always tell the young men who want to play about Al. Nowadays you can just play and not do anything else, but Al climbed mountains, wrote poetry and played poker. It was part of being a renaissance man. It isn’t any more. The live game is still pretty male, but it’s not about finding the Marlboro Man in you. You can be an accountant about it. There are all these mathematical strategic guys, game theorists who are trying to solve the game. It’s not about a mid-Western saloon with guns on the table. It’s less romantic and less poetic, but it’s safer and there’s more money to be made, more people to meet. You can play all day long for $5 if you like. Al and the older generation were drawn to poker by the seedy romance – men with nicknames and big hats. So, I say to the younger generation that you should go out and see the world, seduce beautiful women, read books, have a job and play poker as well."