Daniel L. Cox

The intent of Winning Blue-Collar Hold'em is to improve the play of the average low-limit/low buy-in Texas Hold'em player. This book takes you beyond the "What" of poker and provides you with the "How" and "Why" you need to winning at low-stakes Hold’em. The use of nearly 200 poker aphorisms (pokerisms) separates it from all of the other books on the market.

Televised tournament final tables or high-stakes games distort the way average players approach the game. On TV you see only 10% of the action. The successful bluff or an improbable two out all-in is exciting, and thus will make the program, while you rarely see the player making the solid play, except when they lose to the two-outer. The other aspect players viewing televised poker fail to understand is that the style of play seen at the final table is not the same style of play that it takes to make the final table.

As Anthony Holden said in The Big Deal, “Whether he likes it or not, a man's character is stripped bare at the poker table; if the other poker players read him better than he does, he has only himself to blame. Unless he is both able and prepared to see himself as others do, flaws and all, he will be a loser in poker, as in life.”

Long-term success at Hold'em demands patience and discipline, play premium hands while paying close attention to position, and continually gather knowledge on your opponents. With these qualities, you can put yourself into the position to get lucky. This way you do not have to rely on the Poker Gods to win. Hopefully, this book will provide you with the edge you need to turn an enjoyable hobby into a profitable one.

The Author
Daniel L. Cox began playing poker at eight. His father Carl taught him around the dining room table for pennies. At 13 he entered his first "adult" game and learned the heartbreak of losing his entire bankroll on a bad beat, losing his $20.00 with Trip Aces in the hole. By age 17, he was playing in poker rooms in Gardena. At 18 he made his first trip to Las Vegas, finding the competition a lot fiercer than the home games he grew up with. After joining the Army in 1974, he made the payments on his first sports car with the winnings from the payday poker games in the barracks. Over the next thirty-five years, he has been playing poker in home games, back rooms, Officer's Clubs and casinos around the world.

In 1980, Dan obtained a B.A. in Economics and Literature from Claremont McKenna College and became a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He had assignments as a Chemical Officer, and General Staff Officer, as well as a tour as an Intelligence Officer in Korea. Injuries suffered in a parachute jump in 1980 forced an early medical retirement from the Army in 1988. In 1999, he obtained an M.S. in Management of Technology from the University of Alabama - Huntsville working his way through grad school as a PI. Upon graduation, he became CIO of a start-up endeavor in Huntsville. In 2002 he retired, bought an RV and began a two year odyssey, visiting casinos across America. Near the end of his travels, he met his eventual wife, Aleda. The following year, they celebrated a Las Vegas wedding and now live in the Southern California desert.

For his Senior Thesis he penned "Diary in Grey: Memoirs of a West Point Plebe," a 175-page fictionalized autobiographical novella about the first year experiences of a West Point Cadet. For the last five years, Dan has been the Writer/Editor of first, Gaming Review Online (www.gamingreview.org) and now, Poker Insider Magazine (www.pokerinsider.org). He travels the world reviewing poker rooms, writing articles on poker events and strategy. With decades of knowledge as a serious amateur player and a writer, he began this book on poker strategy. He is currently co-authoring a book on tournament strategy with a top professional player, as well additional poker strategy books based on Pokerisms and quotes.

Whether one chooses to be a screenwriter, journalist or an author, the time-tested axiom to ¯write what you know about. usually dictates that penman‘s success. With a resume that reads like an action adventure hero, there seems to be little that Daniel Cox could not write about. The Literature major from Claremont McKenna College embodies a professional background that ranges from top-secret clearance in Military Intelligence as a Lieutenant to serving as a General Staff Officer, to an extensive career as a journalist. He eventually parlayed his vast Army computer knowledge into the civilian arena, while earning an M.S. from The University of Alabama. It is our fortune that Dan always seems to find his way back to the creative written expressions of his experiences. Considering Dan‘s lifelong passion and acumen for poker that dates back to age eight, it seemed to be almost a foregone conclusion that he would eventually join the ranks of respected and published poker writers. His duality of polished literary and gaming skills, have combined to produce this most welcomed gift to the eager poker reading public. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dan during my inaugural ¯Commerce Casino University of Poker. (C.C.U.P.) class. One could hardly escape Dan‘s infectious enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge in poker, which is surpassed only by his humble courtesy as a participant. Seeking my input, Dan kindly forwarded me his nearly completed draft of this book that you are about to read. Not to my surprise, I was unable to find a flaw in its content or presentation. In the truest spirit of humility, I am grateful and proud to have been asked to write this Foreword to what I am certain will soon be a ¯must read. for all serious players.

Roger Rodd, Poker Professional and Teacher to the Stars
http://www.ITeachHoldem.com