New Poker Publication - Deal Magazine

Published: Friday, July 08, 2005 Online-Casinos.com

NEW POKER MAGAZINE

Deal Magazine a mixed bag at $9.99

Entering the already highly competitive field of poker publications this week is Deal Magazine from the publishers of Xbox Magazine, the publication dedicated to the Microsoft home video game system.

Despite its slick presentation and glossy "quality" appearance the magazine has come in for both brickbats and bouquets. The Poker News reviewer opined that poker players looking for some strategy sessions will be highly disappointed; although there is a primer for newcomers to the game, nothing that would approach a intermediate to advanced player status is apparent.

The major criticism seems to be the lack of tournament coverage and this may be an area that the editor of Deal needs to consider.

On the positive side, there are several player profiles including Evelyn Ng, Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh, Erick Lindgren and last year's WSOP runner up David Williams. There are also articles on poker player/actress Mimi Rogers and "Ultimate Poker Challenge" hostess Brandi Williams

Reviewers also seem to like the direct and practical manner in which the magazine covers the different poker video games on the market and in prospect. There's a Top 25 poker websites section, and reviews of the latest DVDs on the game.

The debut issue may seem a little pricey at $9.99 but it does carry a freebie of note in the form of a CD with a selection of demos of video games and shareware featuring some of the prime software tools that many poker players use (including PokerTracker). The disc also has an interview with Daniel Negreanu and a preview of his new video game "Stacked".