Local man tips Texas Hold’Em players on winning

Just five years ago, Cut Off native Clyde Duet didn’t know a lick about Texas Hold’em poker.

Now he has written a book about it.

The life-long Lafourche Parish native just released his first-ever book, titled, “Get to the Point & Win: A Guide for Winning at No Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament Play.”

And Duet’s goal? To help guide Tri-parish and Louisiana poker players to make the right decisions and ultimately win at their respective poker tables.

“That’s all I’m trying to do is to get people to win more often,” Duet said. “This book does not teach people how to play Texas Hold’em. There are plenty of books that do that. The book doesn’t focus on what you should do if you have certain hands. This book teaches people the keys of how to win at Texas Hold’em tournaments without necessarily explaining why the points work. By applying the points to their own play, knowing why will become evident when they win more often.”

Duet started his hobby in Feb. 2005 when he entered a Relay for Life charity tournament. And even Duet admits, he wasn’t exactly an expert in the beginning.

“Believe me, I had no idea,” Duet said. “I didn’t know what hands beat what. In fact, I talked to a total stranger who told me what hands beat what, and I wrote it down on a piece of paper so I could know as I played the tournament.”

A few months later, Duet played at another charity event where he received a gift – a gift that served as his inspiration and ultimately his passion for Texas Hold’Em tournaments.

“The first player to get knocked out received as a consolation prize a book about how to play poker,” he said. “The person who won it threw it down on the table and said, ‘I don’t need this,’ so I said, ‘May I have it?’ He gave it to me … and, reading that book spurred me into realizing that the challenge of winning at Texas Hold’Em Tournament Play was like a chess match, and I fell in love with the game then and there.”

From there, Duet said he began to study his opponents and his own tendencies, as well as keeping tabs on things he’d have success with from studying other books. He questioned everyone he knew who played the game in an attempt to increase his knowledge. He acquired a lot of information playing against professionals at numerous Word Series of Poker and World Poker Tour tournaments.

What resulted from Duet’s studies are several spiral notebooks full of chunks of information about what the author believed were the keys to winning in Texas Hold’em tournaments.

“Anytime I’d get a little note in my head, I’d write it down,” Duet said. “Only the good things – only the things that led me to winning a hand or making the right decision. Anything else, I wouldn’t put in the notes.”

Turning the gobs and gobs of notebook information into book form, that was a product of a woman’s intuition, as Duet said his wife Gayle was the inspiration for getting the project underway.

“I told him, ‘Clyde, you could write a book with those notes,'” Gayle Duet said. “He just had notes on top of notes on top of notes. When Clyde gets interested in something, he studies it thoroughly. That’s just the type of person he is.”

The format of the book is similar to Cliff Notes, which is what Clyde Duet said was the inspiration for the title: “Get to the Point.”

The book is mostly in bullet form, listing more than 800 winning points that Duet has accumulated throughout his time as a poker player.

“These points are based upon all of the books I have read and all of my own experience in playing,” Duet said. “It’s in a simple, easy-to-read format. It even has Cajun humor at the beginning of each section.

“I sincerely thank the local businesses who stepped up and are helping to sell the book,” Duet said.

The book is currently being sold at Debra’s Movie World, Gary’s Taxidermy, Glenn’s Barber Shop, the Cajun Pecan House, Mommie Jo’s Restaurant, Gerald’s Hair Care, Pitre’s Feed and Seed, Quality Printing, ABC Signs, Willis Toups Accounting Service and Leger’s Small Engine Repair.

It is also available at Louisiana Poker Tour Tournaments, with a portion of the proceeds going to the fundraising organizations. One can also contact Duet directly at uncleclyde@viscom.net, or at 985-632-2204. The cost of the book is $23.

Do Duet’s points work? The reader may be the judge, but those who have used the book as a guide claim it’s a hit.

After all, both Duet and his wife, as well as another player Duet is coaching, are among the Top 10-ranked poker players in Poker Productions LLC Louisiana Poker Tour.

Paul Myers, the owner of PPLLC out of New Orleans, also gave the book a heads-up, stating that it is a very good book ranging over the many areas of tournament play.

“I believe the people who have studied the points in this guide are improving their level of play,” Duet said. “Not only have I received positive feedback from them, I can see it when I’m playing against them. I’m excited to see the points practiced in action by others and look forward to meeting more players who want to Get to the Point & Win.”

Cut Off native Clyde Duet (left) stands with his wife Gayle. Clyde just completed his first book, “Get to the Point and Win!” CASEY GISCLAIR