SPRING, Texas, June 25, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Kenny Rogers once sang, "You've got to know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em/ Know when to walk away, know when to run." It was good advice for the rambling gambler, advice that poets Scott Cool and Dick Schmelzkopf know well. Their new book, Gambler's Book of Poetry (now available through 1stBooks), is a collection of poems about high stakes and busted luck.
Cool and Schmelzkopf are gamblers. They're also poets. Drawing upon the cards they were dealt in life and the memories of fortunes won and lost, the two have created a tome of poems to bet on. They swerve in and out of themes, making the book more than just a bunch of poems on gambling. The eclectic styles and themes combine in this work for a humorous, entertaining and heartfelt compilation of poetry.
Many of the poems are based on actual events from their Wednesday night poker games, nights in pool halls and days at the track, while others are purely works of fiction. They muse on love, life and the greatness of the seven-card stud. "It's basic poker, Mano-a-Mano/ The way it's supposed to be played./ Nothing is wild except the dealer/ And only one person gets paid."
Gambler's Book of Poetry is good, clean fun that will make readers laugh, cry and feel a little lucky as Cool and Schmelzkopf view life in their own unusual way.
This is the first compilation for the two poets. Cool was born and raised in Cheboygan, Mich. As a boy he hunted, ice fished, snowmobiled and enjoyed offroading before serving in the U.S. Navy in the early 1980s.He ended up in Houston, where he has lived for 20 years. He enjoys golf and poker. This is his first published work.
Schmelzkopf has published another book, entitled Brain Damage (Emerald Ink Publishing). He says, "Two days after graduating from high school, I was on my way to Hope, British Columbia panning for gold." Schmelzkopf states that since that day he has been pursuing his degree in "D.I.S.U.A.C. (doctorate in survival under any conditions)." He met Cool at a poker game and the two have become great friends. They hope to publish a book of their poetic email correspondences, entitled Applebee's Inexactitude. Schmelzkopf is also preparing for the publication of three more books, his novel The Wizard and the Amethyst Eyes of Purpose, Brain Damage II: I Finally Stopped Drooling in Public and More Thoughts from a Ramblin Gamblin Mind.
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