Michael Wiesenberg
Encyclopedia
Michael Wiesenberg made his living playing poker
for 10 years before turning to a career as technical writer
in the computer field. His books reflect those two careers: Free Money: How to Win in the Cardrooms of California (published by Gambling Times Press and distributed by Lyle Stuart, 1984), and Puzzled Programmers (Microsoft Press, 1987), a collection of short stories
, each of which introduces a mathematical puzzle
best solved by computer, with solutions presented in three programming languages. He also coauthored a pioneering book on desktop publishing
, and has been a Card Player Magazine columnist since the inception of the magazine (1988). He also was also the editor for four years of two newsletters sent twice-monthly through Card Player's website and the content editor of the site.
Wiesenberg was one of the writers of The InfoWorld Essential Guide to the Commodore 64. He is the author of Poker Talk: The Language of Poker (Card Player, 1996) and The Official Dictionary of Poker (Mike Caro University, 2000). His latest book is The Ultimate Casino Guide (SourceBooks, 2005).
Wiesenberg contributed for many years to the original Gambling Times magazine, writing about keno
and poker. He had a biweekly column in the original Poker Player for five years and in Pan Player + for two (a defunct magazine for panguingue
players). He had a monthly column for three years in Dr. Dobb's Journal
, a legendary computer magazine, and a monthly column for two years in A+, a magazine for Apple Computer
users. He has contributed hundreds of articles (and photographs) to PC Publishing, MicroTimes, Gambling Times, InfoWorld, Gaming & Wagering Business, Casino & Sports, and was an occasional contributor of articles to inCider, The San Jose Mercury, The San Francisco Chronicle, Science '84, and Desktop Publishing. He has also constructed crosswords for national crossword puzzle magazines and newspapers. His puzzles appeared monthly for five years in LA Direct, and seven years online at Poker Pages and Puzzle Planet.
He wrote the rules and games descriptions sections for online poker
cardrooms Full Tilt Poker
and Planet Poker
.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
for 10 years before turning to a career as technical writer
Technical writer
A technical writer is a professional writer who designs, creates, and maintains technical documentation...
in the computer field. His books reflect those two careers: Free Money: How to Win in the Cardrooms of California (published by Gambling Times Press and distributed by Lyle Stuart, 1984), and Puzzled Programmers (Microsoft Press, 1987), a collection of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, each of which introduces a mathematical puzzle
Mathematical puzzle
Mathematical puzzles make up an integral part of recreational mathematics. They have specific rules as do multiplayer games, but they do not usually involve competition between two or more players. Instead, to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions....
best solved by computer, with solutions presented in three programming languages. He also coauthored a pioneering book on desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
, and has been a Card Player Magazine columnist since the inception of the magazine (1988). He also was also the editor for four years of two newsletters sent twice-monthly through Card Player's website and the content editor of the site.
Wiesenberg was one of the writers of The InfoWorld Essential Guide to the Commodore 64. He is the author of Poker Talk: The Language of Poker (Card Player, 1996) and The Official Dictionary of Poker (Mike Caro University, 2000). His latest book is The Ultimate Casino Guide (SourceBooks, 2005).
Wiesenberg contributed for many years to the original Gambling Times magazine, writing about keno
Keno
Keno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
and poker. He had a biweekly column in the original Poker Player for five years and in Pan Player + for two (a defunct magazine for panguingue
Panguingue
Panguingue , Tagalog Pangginggí, also known as Pan, is a 19th century gambling card game probably of Philippine origin similar to rummy, first described in America in 1905. It used to be particularly popular in Las Vegas and other casinos in the American southwest...
players). He had a monthly column for three years in Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal
Dr. Dobb's Journal was a monthly journal published in the United States by CMP Technology. It covered topics aimed at computer programmers. DDJ was the first regular periodical focused on microcomputer software, rather than hardware. It later became a monthly section within the periodical...
, a legendary computer magazine, and a monthly column for two years in A+, a magazine for Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
users. He has contributed hundreds of articles (and photographs) to PC Publishing, MicroTimes, Gambling Times, InfoWorld, Gaming & Wagering Business, Casino & Sports, and was an occasional contributor of articles to inCider, The San Jose Mercury, The San Francisco Chronicle, Science '84, and Desktop Publishing. He has also constructed crosswords for national crossword puzzle magazines and newspapers. His puzzles appeared monthly for five years in LA Direct, and seven years online at Poker Pages and Puzzle Planet.
He wrote the rules and games descriptions sections for online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
cardrooms Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
and Planet Poker
Planet Poker
Planet Poker was the first real-money cardroom for playing online poker, opening in 1998.-The pioneer:Without an existing model to follow, Planet Poker founder Randy Blumer was entering uncharted territory. During the initial launch and testing phases in late 1997, Planet Poker started to build a...
.