9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All In the way in it's told, 11 Dec 2005
By C. Mehringer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All in (Hardcover)
A story is all in the way it's told, and Grotenstein and Reback do it remarkably well here. They bring the Series to life in a way that makes the book an engaging narrative rather than a standard chronology. Similar to McManus's POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET in that it provides rich background on the game's most colorful players. However, ALL IN is more tightly written and edited. I especially liked the coverage of Stu Ungar. All told, ALL IN was a great read-- challenging enough for poker veterans yet accessible to those unfamilar with the WSOP and its storied past.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun, historical ride of the World Series of Poker., 14 April 2006
By Daniel A. Olson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All in (Hardcover)
Nope. There are no discussions of how to play poker here. But whether or not you play poker you will enjoy this book. As the title says, it's (almost) the entirely true story of how the WSOP got started, the bumps along the way, and of course, the characters involved. It takes you from the humble beginnings to the behemuth that it is today.
And such stories...like the 1972 WSOP had 13 entrants, but only 8 of them played because they would rather play in the lucrative sides games than the WSOP. 1972 is also the year that Benny Binion made it a $10,000 buy-in...but paid half of it for the players who entered.
You'll watch the rise of the Binion family only to see it implode along the lines of a "Dallas" script. You'll read where a tournament director was fired because he refused to move old grumpy Johnny Moss who didn't want to sit by the railbirds during the tournament. Stories of great poker players like Jack Strauss, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim and others fill this book. Read how Jessie Alto, who made the final table 6 times, went on a full tilt after he was bluffed out of a pot.
It's a fast read and I definitely recommned it to anyone who has a passing interest in poker.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You CAN handle the truth., 4 Oct 2005
By Dmitry Portnoy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: All in (Hardcover)
A fast-paced, suspenseful and hysterically funny inside account not just of the WSOP, but of the secret fraternity of poker in Post-WWII America. Every paragraph contains a surprising fact, a shocking detail, a colorful anecdote, and frequently all three. The authors' concise and lucid blow-by-blow of the most famous hands in poker history is more than matched by their color commentary on the personalities involved. Although the book contains no photographs, the players, their styles, their histories are described so vividly that you'll recognize them in a second if one of them sits down at your table. For that alone, this book is indispensable.