A businessman, wanting to kill an evening during his business trip, pops downstairs to the poker room and finds a seat in a $15/30 game. He's only ever played casino poker once before but he has some luck, and an unusually aggressive style for a beginner, and wins a few hundred dollars. Buoyed by this, he heads for an $80/160 game in the high limit area of the room.
The newcomer's winning streak continues in the bigger game and a light-hearted incident at the table shows that he's also a bit of a gambler. The local pros who congregate in this game are practically salivating at the sight of a novice player with a loose streak playing at these stakes. To them the Bellagio poker room has found another 'live one'.
However, this particular live one is by no means a 'typical' Vegas punter. His name is Andy Beal and, although he describes himself as "a banker from Dallas" to the table, the description does not begin to tell the whole story. For the previous 25 years Andy Beal has been using his entrepreneurial skills to amass a considerable fortune in business, achieving successes in several fields. Sure, he was a 'banker', but not many people who would describe themselves as such actually own the bank and can also legitimately use the term 'billionaire'.
By the second day of his trip, Andy Beal has found his way into a $400/800 game and ends the evening playing heads up against Todd Brunson. By day four he is sitting in the biggest game in the room, initially $1,000/2,000 limit, but ultimately rising to $4,000/$8,000 at his request. News of the newcomer has, by this time, spread like wildfire around the Vegas and LA poker scene to the extent that a host of pros are queuing to get into the game. Andy Beal, on the other hand, has spotted something he believes to be a weakness among the sharks that are encircling him....
And so begins a rather remarkable, true story where a wealthy newcomer to the world of poker seeks out the toughest competition imaginable and literally challenges them to take him on. The pros, including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey and Jennifer Harman, are pleased to accept the challenge, sensing an opportunity to win a huge amount of money. However, as the story unfolds, they are forced to re-assess their position as the stakes rise higher and higher and Andy Beal starts to wield his one main advantage, a seemingly limitless bankroll. Ultimately, he can afford to absorb the phenomenal swings and losses which games at these stakes can bring. The pros, on the other hand, run a very real risk of going broke by playing in them.
The author of this book, Michael Craig, has compiled sufficient information via interviews, and other research, to provide a 'reliable' version of events which became part of Vegas folklore. He has sought, where possible, to replace 'myth' with fact and has managed to gain access to an impressive number of key people to do so. In many ways, the underlying story bears some resemblance to the story of Johnny Moss and Nick The Greek's legendary 5-month game at the front of the Binion's Horseshoe in the 1940's but, in the modern setting, the availability of the majority of key principles involved makes for a much more accurate re-telling.
The beauty of this book, however, is in the quality of the writing. Craig's retelling of the story is so engrossing that it reads at times like a work of fiction, revealing the information in such a way that the book quickly becomes hard to put down. Not only do we get the details of the headline events surrounding the game itself, but we get a rare insight into the minds and lives of some of the very best players in the world.
The book works, in many ways, like an episode of the TV series "Lost", with the underlying story being enriched by the background information provided at regular intervals about the characters involved. Some of these, for example the stories surrounding Ted Forrest, would be worthy of a book of their own!
The book has the ability to appeal to readers beyond those with a pre-existing interest in poker. There is enough information provided for a non-player to understand what is going on, but the basic 'nuts and bolts' information on the game does not interfere too much with the pace of the storyline, and so will not deter the more experienced reader. Some readers will enjoy the insight into some of the big name players they've seen on TV, others will simply be fascinated by the extent to which some people are prepared to gamble. Whether you are an experienced player or not, the chances are you'll take something you'll remember from this book.
In summary, this book will not help you become a better player. It will, however, provide you with several hours of great entertainment, made all the more astonishing by the fact that it relates to true events! A note of warning though - don't pick it up if you've got something pressing to do in the near future. Chances are that by the time you've reached the end of Chapter 1 it will already be starting to drag you in!
Score: 7.5 out of 10
One of the most entertaining non-instructional poker books currently on the market. It won't make you play any better, but it'll make you look at a number of big-name poker professionals in a new light!
The newcomer's winning streak continues in the bigger game and a light-hearted incident at the table shows that he's also a bit of a gambler. The local pros who congregate in this game are practically salivating at the sight of a novice player with a loose streak playing at these stakes. To them the Bellagio poker room has found another 'live one'.
However, this particular live one is by no means a 'typical' Vegas punter. His name is Andy Beal and, although he describes himself as "a banker from Dallas" to the table, the description does not begin to tell the whole story. For the previous 25 years Andy Beal has been using his entrepreneurial skills to amass a considerable fortune in business, achieving successes in several fields. Sure, he was a 'banker', but not many people who would describe themselves as such actually own the bank and can also legitimately use the term 'billionaire'.
By the second day of his trip, Andy Beal has found his way into a $400/800 game and ends the evening playing heads up against Todd Brunson. By day four he is sitting in the biggest game in the room, initially $1,000/2,000 limit, but ultimately rising to $4,000/$8,000 at his request. News of the newcomer has, by this time, spread like wildfire around the Vegas and LA poker scene to the extent that a host of pros are queuing to get into the game. Andy Beal, on the other hand, has spotted something he believes to be a weakness among the sharks that are encircling him....
And so begins a rather remarkable, true story where a wealthy newcomer to the world of poker seeks out the toughest competition imaginable and literally challenges them to take him on. The pros, including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey and Jennifer Harman, are pleased to accept the challenge, sensing an opportunity to win a huge amount of money. However, as the story unfolds, they are forced to re-assess their position as the stakes rise higher and higher and Andy Beal starts to wield his one main advantage, a seemingly limitless bankroll. Ultimately, he can afford to absorb the phenomenal swings and losses which games at these stakes can bring. The pros, on the other hand, run a very real risk of going broke by playing in them.
The author of this book, Michael Craig, has compiled sufficient information via interviews, and other research, to provide a 'reliable' version of events which became part of Vegas folklore. He has sought, where possible, to replace 'myth' with fact and has managed to gain access to an impressive number of key people to do so. In many ways, the underlying story bears some resemblance to the story of Johnny Moss and Nick The Greek's legendary 5-month game at the front of the Binion's Horseshoe in the 1940's but, in the modern setting, the availability of the majority of key principles involved makes for a much more accurate re-telling.
The beauty of this book, however, is in the quality of the writing. Craig's retelling of the story is so engrossing that it reads at times like a work of fiction, revealing the information in such a way that the book quickly becomes hard to put down. Not only do we get the details of the headline events surrounding the game itself, but we get a rare insight into the minds and lives of some of the very best players in the world.
The book works, in many ways, like an episode of the TV series "Lost", with the underlying story being enriched by the background information provided at regular intervals about the characters involved. Some of these, for example the stories surrounding Ted Forrest, would be worthy of a book of their own!
The book has the ability to appeal to readers beyond those with a pre-existing interest in poker. There is enough information provided for a non-player to understand what is going on, but the basic 'nuts and bolts' information on the game does not interfere too much with the pace of the storyline, and so will not deter the more experienced reader. Some readers will enjoy the insight into some of the big name players they've seen on TV, others will simply be fascinated by the extent to which some people are prepared to gamble. Whether you are an experienced player or not, the chances are you'll take something you'll remember from this book.
In summary, this book will not help you become a better player. It will, however, provide you with several hours of great entertainment, made all the more astonishing by the fact that it relates to true events! A note of warning though - don't pick it up if you've got something pressing to do in the near future. Chances are that by the time you've reached the end of Chapter 1 it will already be starting to drag you in!
Score: 7.5 out of 10
One of the most entertaining non-instructional poker books currently on the market. It won't make you play any better, but it'll make you look at a number of big-name poker professionals in a new light!
