Edmond Hoyle!

Edmond Hoyle was a writer best known for his works providing detailed description of games. The phrase “according to Hoyle” came into the English language, as a reflection of his generally-perceived authority on the subject.

In 1741, Hoyle began working as a whist tutor to members of high society. Along with personal instruction, he sold a short booklet on the game to his clients, describing his basic approaches to the game.

Because of his success, Hoyle followed with similar treatises on backgammon, chess, quadrille, piquet, and brag. In 1750, a single compendium of these was published.

In 1979 he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in due to his contributions to gaming.