In late 1957 there appeared a book that for an entire generation of poker players would serve as an invaluable introduction to poker strategy — Herbert O. Yardley's thin, hugely influential volume titled The Education of a Poker Player. A bestseller in its time, for many poker players over the next couple of decades it would remain the only poker strategy book they'd ever heard of, let alone read.
The Birth of "Intelligence"
The Education of a Poker Player was not Yardley's first book, nor did it represent his introduction to American popular culture.