The New Yorker: James McManus on Barack Obama the poker player
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Poker author James McManus has an article in the upcoming edition of The New Yorker that focuses on the poker-playing side of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. McManus, best known to many players as the author of the excellent Positively Fifth Street, does a quick writeup on Obama’s card-playing history and then wraps it up with a few presidential poker nuggets.
Excerpt:
Obama never played for high stakes. Only on a very bad night could a player drop two hundred dollars in these games, typical wins and losses being closer to twenty-five bucks. Link describes Obama as a “calculating” cardplayer, avoiding long-shot draws and patiently waiting for strong starting hands. “When Barack stayed in, you pretty much figured he’s got a good hand,” former Senator Larry Walsh once told a reporter, neglecting to note that maintaining that sort of rock-solid image made it easier for Obama to bluff.
