Starting this Saturday, the New York Times will begin running a weekly poker column, written by author and writing instructor James McManus. The column, plainly titled "Poker," will appear in the Times' sports section each Saturday. "Poker" will cover a range of the game's aspects, including the strategy and psychology involved in home poker games, online poker, as well as major land-based tournaments. Aside from being available in the Times' print version, poker fans will also be able to access the column online at www.nytimes.com/sports.

McManus made his mark on the world of poker when he entered the 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) as part of a piece he was writing for Harper's magazine. Although his participation had initially literary motivations, McManus ultimately came in fifth at the tournament, taking home $250,000.

Besides playing poker, McManus' main occupation is indeed in literary endeavors. He is the author of "Positively Fifth Street," published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and teaches writing at The Art Institute of Chicago.

In response to the newspaper's new poker column, The New York Times' executive editor, Bill Keller, noted that "while poker has attracted an immense following on TV and the Internet, nobody is writing the kind of regular column Jim will give us, a literate combination of the drama, strategy, psychology and color of card play that should interest both serious players and the simply curious."

Source: Poker777 Staff

Friday, 24 June 2005