Darryl "Dazzler&qugolden777 slotsot; Lanyon Wrote Poker Book Seconds of Terror

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Table Of Contents

• Who is Darryl “Dazzler” Lanyon?
• The Book
• PokerNews Review
• Q&A with Darryl "Dazzler" Lanyon

When it comes to poker in Australia, Joe Hachem and Jeff Lisandro are two of the biggest names. However, when it comes to longevity, few Aussies have been in the game as long as Darryl “Dazzler” Lanyon, who started playing the game in 1985. Interestingly, all three have written books about poker.

Hachem wrote Pass the Sugar, named after his catchphrase en route to winning the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, while Lisandro penned Playing Poker Against The Mob: The Joe Cammarano Story: Volume 1back in 2021. As for Dazzler, he recently released his first-ever book – Seconds of Terror - Thousands of Tips to Keep You Winning.

Who is Darryl “Dazzler” Lanyon?

Well-known through the Asia-Pacific region, Dazzler has been in the poker world for 40 years. Since beginning poker in 1985, Dazzler has served as a semi-professional poker player, publisher, author, promoter, and much more.

To give you an idea of just how long Dazzler has been around the poker world, in his award-nominated biography, Poker Pioneer, Poker Hall of Famer and 1983 WSOP Main Event champ Tom McEvoy devoted a small section to the man from down under after meeting him for the first time at the Crown Australian Poker Championships.

“The tournament’s major promoter was Darrel ‘Dazzler’ Lanyon, the editor/publisher/owner of CARDS magazine. He was Australia’s most colorful player and the driving force behind the growth of poker Down Under,” wrote McEvoy, referring to a time long before Hachem won the WSOP Main Event. “Dazzler was one of those ‘poker wannabes’ who dressed like a cowboy, complete with a fake pistol.”

The Book

The book, which offers a forward by Australian Poker Hall of Famer Gary Benson, is a comprehensive collection of easy-to-read tips with, as its description states, “no long-winded hand examples, complicated charts or technical graphs. These pages will give you thousands of things to ponder.”

Set out in a 'bullet point' format, with numerous easy-to-understand chapters. Strategy, psychology, poker tells, tilt, odds, tips from hand selection to the river card, bullets, fear, cash games, bluffing, heads-up, tournaments, and much more. Omaha players, a special PLO chapter was added.

Dazzler has made thousands of notes and referred to them pre-game to help him focus and improve his game. Now in book form, you can study pages relating to your next poker session. This condensed format makes it easy to pick up and get you motivated to play winning NLH.

PokerNews Review

Seconds of Terror - Thousands of Tips to Keep You Winningdoesn’t do much, if anything, to revolutionize poker strategy, so experienced players won’t get a lot from it. But that’s ok as the book doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It is a book geared towards new and recreational poker players, and in that regard, it hits the mark.

The bullet point format is a bit all over the place, and there’s not much of a narrative underpinning it aside from general chapter titles. While this is a weakness in many regards (i.e,. it doesn’t make you want to sit down and read for an extended period), it is also a strength in terms of making it easily digestible.

If you’re new to the game or perhaps looking to introduce someone to poker, Seconds of Terror has a lot to offer, as there are literally thousands of one-line poker tips and advice throughout. These generalities, such as “when calling, you should have a plan for the hand,” may seem trivial to an experienced player, but for someone new, it can serve as a good foundation from which to build.

Perhaps the best part of the book is Chapter 23, which is titled ‘Short Stories and Published Articles.’ For someone who has been around the poker scene for four decades and is a colorful character, you just know Dazzler has some good stories to tell. He shares a handful in this chapter, including the time Tony G put him into a game, and they’re both engaging and entertaining.

In conclusion, if you’re an experienced poker player, Seconds of Terror - Thousands of Tips to Keep You Winningprobably doesn’t offer much for you (aside from having a unique and niche poker book from Australia on your shelf of course), but if you’re new to the game or want to get someone into it without having to deal with too much math, Game Theory, etc., this book can be a good first step in your poker journey.

Check out 'Seconds of Terror' in PokerNews Books here!

Q&A with Darryl "Dazzler" Lanyon

PokerNews: When and how did you first learn to play poker?

Dazzler:Early 1985 my father-in-law taught me a Dutch 7s up game, Klaverjassen plus draw poker, hold’em, Manila and Omaha. I seemed to have a natural talent for card games with one grandfather a weekly poker player (after WWI to the 1960s) and my other a successful horse punter.

How did you get the nickname Dazzler?

At the Australian Poker Championships (Adelaide early 1990’s), Mike Comer gave me the nickname Darryl ‘Dazzler’ for my sparkling jackets, cowboy hat, and dapper attire. Most poker sessions, I’ve dressed as a ‘cowboy poker player’ as a tribute to the early Wild West poker players.

When and why did you decide to write a book?

I have been writing notes on poker for over 35 years (hundreds of pages) and as a ‘thank you’ to thousands of poker players, over the decades and around the world, I’ve put all my winning knowledge in one place. It was a ‘bucket list’ project for me. A book is pretty old school, very tactile, but a great personal learning tool.

Where or how is the best way for someone to get a copy of your book?

Amazon Bookstore (Australia) or if overseas US$40 shipped worldwide, just email your name and address to [email protected]

Graeme Putt recently passed away. Do you have any memories or fun stories of him?

Graeme Putt ‘Putty’ (RIP) was a mentor, friend and supporter of my home games and tournaments from 1987-2001. We also battled over the felt around Australia and New Zealand. I always admired his conviction to a poker game being straight. In two private games we played at, he pointed out ‘cheating’ to me. They were ‘self-dealt’ and some player dealers would thumb through the deck to see the cards coming. I also played in some large manila games with him, all played with cash notes (no chips). Some pots would end up with dozens of notes in them. Putty told me to watch out for the guys calling a $20 bet with a $50 note and taking change for a $100 bill. I had a mentor when I first started my engineering drafting apprenticeship, my second mentor was ‘Putty’ for poker!

Australian Poker Hall of Famer & Seasoned Road Gambler Graeme “Kiwi” Putt Passes Away

In your opinion, what is the state of poker in Australia nowadays?

I would estimate over 300,000 Aussies play poker. The massive growth of tournament poker reflects the lure of the ‘big score’, something built into a gambling Aussies DNA, over generations. There are few players who are great at both cash and tournament poker.

The biggest problem with tournaments, I see, is when you never make the big places and it becomes a poker bankroll drain. I predict the ‘timed tournament’ (T.T.) may become an alternative. It can reduce the variance (bad beats), make the game more enjoyable, has only one blind increase (no non-stop blind increases)and softens the losses. The T.T. has set buy-ins (+re-entries), with the chips having a cash value. The biggest rule is you can’t cash out until it ends (set finishing time). You are then paid on the chips you have collected.

For those looking to get their hands on a copy of the book, unfortunately, it won’t be easy. The best way is to either check the book listing on Australia’s amazon.com/au or email Lanyon directly at [email protected].

_{*Images courtesy of Darryl “Dazzler” Lanyon.}