“You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” While Mike Sexton’s new book, “Shuffle Up and Deal,” doesn’t quite teach the formal strategies sung by Kenny Rodgers, it does provide insight for novice poker players looking to break in on what is quickly becoming the nation’s biggest fad.

Sexton provides instant credibility, being a spokesman and commentator for the World Poker Tour. Sexton is a former European poker champ and in his spare time has created “Tournaments of Champion Poker” and “Party Poker Million,” both of which are online programs that allow their participants to play in online tournaments. Sexton also writes a regular column for CardPlayer Magazine.

Sexton is by no means a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. His writing is stilted and often corny, but he is informative and knowledgeable, which is really all you need to be in a book of this nature. “Shuffle Up and Deal” is broken up into small, easily readable chapters that provide for a quick read.

Although a complete poker novice might find “Shuffle Up and Deal” helpful, anyone who has played any significant amount will quickly become bored. Although Sexton provides strategies (when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em), they only constitute for a small portion of the book and are somewhat superficial. Sexton does not delve into any statistical analysis of playing hands but instead details commonly known formal strategies such as slow playing or playing a draw hand.

Too often, Sexton seems to just state the obvious. His sub-chapters labeled “Take Time to Think Things Through” and “Maintain Your Discipline” should come as second nature to any poker player; novice, amateur or anywhere in between. Sexton’s book only skims the surface as to what it is to be a champion poker player, partly the reason this book will appeal to only inexperienced poker players.

The most interesting portion Sexton includes is a chapter entitled “World Poker Tour Key Hands.” In this chapter, Sexton shows different (more exciting) hands and the strategies used by the players who played them. This is not only the most interesting part of the book but it is the most informative. By showing and not telling, one is able to see why a player would bet in a certain situation, or when they would fold. By doing this, you are able to get into the mind of respected poker players who make a living playing in the circuit.

At times it seems like Sexton was writing to a page limit and not to write a good book. The book has 197 pages, but more than half of the book is completely useless, superfluous information. The middle of the book includes eight glossy photo pages each showing different people playing poker. This is a complete waste of space. It does nothing for anyone to see pictures of people holding cards or huge stacks of chips. It is almost as if Sexton wants to glamorize poker, when in actuality being a professional gambler has its inherent ups and downs (the devastation of the downs most likely being more extreme than the highs of the ups). Sexton also includes a section detailing players who are on the tour and players to watch. The average person who would buy this book is most likely interested in learning how to play poker, not learning the names of professional poker players.

An interesting addition to “Shuffle Up and Deal” is the included DVD companion to the book. Part ad for the World Poker Tour, part informational companion (hosted by Lou Diamond Phillips), the DVD is just as superficial as its book. While it is indeed helpful to actually be able to watch the strategies being taught, nothing advanced is ever divulged.

To be fair, reading a book will not make you the next poker champion (especially this book). While poker definitely has a strategy portion to it, it is more of a game of experience and practice. To be able to read your opponent is not something you can learn in a book, and Sexton acknowledges this fact. Witty title aside, “Shuffle Up and Deal” provides the basic knowledge for any novice but will prove dull and repetitive for the more experienced poker player.

Grade: BC