"You Can't Beat 5 Aces!" :)

Howdy!

The 1959 paperback Poker According to Maverick is one of the most popular Maverick Kellectibles. I see it all the time at paper shows and it can easily be purchased online as well.

When it was originally published, Poker According to Maverick could be "yours for the asking...FREE!", simply by visiting one's local Jeep dealership:

I personally have four copies of this book (a couple were thrown in as freebies when I purchased other Kellectibles). It was even the subject of a guest post here in TDS.

What's interesting about Poker According to Maverick (aside from the front cover photo and the subject matter) is that there are different back covers for this book. Two copies I own have a regular back cover with a "blurb" about the book; one has a plain white back cover.

And, the fourth copy has this for its back cover:

 

An advertisement for Kaiser Foil (seemingly aimed at grocers) starring the "guys who know" that "You can't beat 5 aces"! The five "aces" are sales points for Kaiser Foil (it's quilted; there are five different types of Kaiser foil; Kaiser sponsors Maverick--yay!; Kaiser's promotions meet grocers' needs; customers quickly notice the ruby red boxes). But, I spot four more aces in this ad: Bart and Bret and the cards they're holding! ;)

Poker According to Maverick was so popular that it had sold over half a million copies by 1960, as noted in this review from the Amherst News Times:

And, the author of a forthcoming book about poker and pop culture also credits the Maverick TV series and Poker According to Maverick with sparking the mini "poker boom" of the late Fifties.

I've read Poker According to Maverick, but, alas, I still can't play poker (I'm afraid my card playing prowess is limited to 52 Pickup). However, this little tome still taught me something, which is: I love looking at the front cover...and sometimes the back cover, too. ;)

FUN FACT: Although Bret Maverick gives first-person poker tips in Poker According to Maverick, the actual author's name isn't printed anywhere on or in the book. Since Roy Huggins contributed the forward, most readers have probably assumed he secretly wrote the rest of the book as well. Nope: The book's uncredited author was actually veteran newspaperman and author James H. Cummings. According to a Columbus Dispatch story following his death in 1966, "Cummings 'ghosted' a novel Poker According to Maverick which sold more than one million copies. He also wrote and sold more than 200 magazine stories beginning in 1939." 

Odds are you'll enjoy what's coming up next in TDS, so please stay tuned! :)

Jack Kelly - A "Plum" of a Post! :)

Hello All!

After a very hot summer, the weather finally seems to be cooling down a bit. And, it was so nice to have a holiday weekend. Last Sunday was a beautiful day, and I drove out into the country to visit The Olde Mill ice cream attraction. What a treat! :)

And, speaking of treats: I have a special one for you. It's the guest post from "Prof. Plum", the winner of my recent photo contest. And, it looks like she's got quite a cool "Kellection" of her own. Without further ado, here's the "Prof" to tell you about two of her treasures:

"Hi Everyone!

Thanks for your patience and a BIG thanks to La Bartista for not only holding such a challenging but fun contest but for offering such a great prize. [B27 - You're very welcome! :)]

A while back I came into possession of a deck of playing cards featuring the Maverick boys on the back of the cards.

I wasn’t able to find out any information about the release of these cards but I did come across a blog post that said that Warner Bros, as a promotional gimmick for the Maverick movie, sent out boxes of Maverick playing cards. Surprisingly, it was James Garner who was chosen as the King, not Mel Gibson.

If you don’t know how to play poker, Poker According to Maverick should do the trick.

Although it doesn’t officially appear anywhere in the book, the author is none other than Bret himself. The secret to poker according to Pappy is to 'wait, wait, and wait some more until a fightin’ hand shows up. Then if it’s a big one, underplay it; it it’s second-rate, overplay it. That’s all there is to it, exceptin’ one thing: Every once in a while mix it up, to keep wise guys like me from catchin’on.' Bret went on to say 'Bart and me took Pappy’s advice to heart.' Bret explains how to play draw and five-card stud and poker etiquette, and every once in awhile a familiar name like Samantha pops up in one of the many stories sprinkled throughout the book.

One last bit of Maverick poker trivia … the playing card combo, 'QJ' has the nickname Maverick. It comes from the theme song … 'Livin’ on jacks and queens. Maverick is a legend of the west.'

Long Live the Legend!

(P.S. Professor Plum is the non de plume of Sue Ketcham.)"

Thanks so much for your informative guest post, Prof./Sue! Those cards sure are interesting. I like the "bullet" hole in them and the caption, "The last fellow who used this deck dealt off the bottom!"

I have two copies of the Maverick poker book. I think the only time Bart is mentioned is in the line Sue quoted above. I guess Bret forgot that Bart played poker, too! I think it would have been a better book if Bret and Bart could have written alternating chapters. But, it's still an entertaining read. (And, it does have that sweet color pic of the Mavericks on the front, including Bart and his, uh, wedding ring! ;->)

Wow, I had no clue about the QJ! :) I guess we learn something new every day.

Well, thanks again, Sue. I'll try to come up with more contests in the future.

COMING SOON: A "Date" with the Maverick Brothers! :->