David Spanier

David was a man who loved life with an infectious enthusiasm. He was a journalist on The Times where he had a long and distinguished career, from 1957 to 1982, where he was Diplomatic Correspondent, later changing careers to become a broadcaster wth LBC. But it was his love for Chess and Poker which were the major influences on his professional life during the past two decades.

One of his earliest books, published in 1977, was Total Poker, which was described by one reviewer as 'The complete addict's guide to poker', but it is much more than that. It pays homage to the game and to the whole poker experience which meant so much to David and many of his friends.

His other books include The Gambler's Pocket Book (1980), Easy Money: Inside the Gambler's Mind (1987), All Right, Okay, You Win: Inside Las Vegas (1992), and at the time of his death he had recently completed a new poker book, his memoirs, The Hand I Played.