According to Wikipedia, a coffee-table book is, ‘a style of hardcover book designed to rest on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom.’ The beauty of this definition is that you don’t even need to own a coffee table to have an excuse to buy this book.

It’s the 25th anniversary sequel to the original Poker Face, which was published in 1981 (and now sells on eBay for around $500), and it’s a huge, heavy (10lb) book that contains over 400 photos of Ulvis Alberts’ poker shots. Beautifully crafted, it’s probably the most comprehensive archive of early (1977-1982) poker shots you’re going to find.

One thing is for certain, it’s defi nitely the best: when we decided to run a Stu Ungar feature in Issue 12 we contacted Alberts direct and used some of his Ungar collection in the magazine and on the cover. Add shots from what he terms ‘The Explosive Years’ (2002-2005), a protective box, and you’ve got the perfect present for anyone serious about their poker.

To give you an idea of how good it is (because still shots don’t do it justice), we bought a new suitcase so we could lug ours back from the States. And there’s no finer recommendation than that.