In 2001, a stranger from Texas descended upon the high-stakes poker room at the world famous Bellagio in Las Vegas and challenged some of the best poker players in the world. At the start, the stranger and one opponent each brought $1 million to the table, betting $10,000 and $20,000 per hand. But after warming up at those stakes, the Stranger, a self made millionaire by the name of Andy Beal, wanted to play even higher....And so began what would become the richest poker game in history. In order to play at such high stakes, the top ten poker professionals in the world had to form "The Corporation" to pool their money and keep playing against Andy Beal and his seemingly limitless bank account. The result was a series of seven games, culminating in October 2003 with a jackpot of over $20 million dollars.But THE PROFESSOR, THE BANKER, AND THE SUICIDE KING is more than just about a few hands of poker. It is a story of outsize egos, appetites, and ambitions; it is a story about the highest echelons of poker playing that very few are able to see; it is a story about one man, twenty million dollars, and one of the most exciting poker games in history.
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'Craig includes enough details about the professionals to allow the reader insight into their gambler personalities. Having interviewed many of the participants in this legendary poker battle, he describes it with an appropriate sense of awe and readers
Book Description
* In the bestselling tradition of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street comes an insider's look at the high rolling world of poker and the richest game ever played
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By J. Mellor
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best gambling books I have ever read and is a true story. The story behind it is that in 2001, a stranger from Texas entered the high-stakes poker room in the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas and challenged the world's top poker pros to a series of heads up, high stakes cash games which in the end resulted in millions of dollars on the table. All the names are familiar from all the various poker shows on TV (except the stranger!)
The writer has obtained access to all the characters involved and gotten everyone's side of the story and re-constructed what happened over a period of challenges covering three years.
It is fascinating how the challenger, a very wealthy banker, won and lost millions of dollars and played, beat and also lost to many of the worlds top players. How he constantly tried to improve his game and pit his bankroll against the wits of the top pros. How he proved that even pros can be made to feel twitchy when they are re-raised into a multi million dollar pot
He certainly didn't do it for the money and appears he wanted to prove to himself that the pros could be broken.
The question is - what was the outcome?
For anyone interested in gambling stories, again, this is highly recommended.
The writer has obtained access to all the characters involved and gotten everyone's side of the story and re-constructed what happened over a period of challenges covering three years.
It is fascinating how the challenger, a very wealthy banker, won and lost millions of dollars and played, beat and also lost to many of the worlds top players. How he constantly tried to improve his game and pit his bankroll against the wits of the top pros. How he proved that even pros can be made to feel twitchy when they are re-raised into a multi million dollar pot
He certainly didn't do it for the money and appears he wanted to prove to himself that the pros could be broken.
The question is - what was the outcome?
For anyone interested in gambling stories, again, this is highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Great Story, very well written and with suspens til the very end!
It is a great insight in the world of poker, not the one we see in the TV shows that have gained great attendance lately, but the real world of "Hard Core" cash games.
It is wonderful to see how this world works, but above all it is the story of a man with determination to become competitive against the greatest players in the world, and how he did it!
there is no reason to run to the last pages of the book and see who finally won...
the journey is what matters, and what a journey this story describes!
It is a great insight in the world of poker, not the one we see in the TV shows that have gained great attendance lately, but the real world of "Hard Core" cash games.
It is wonderful to see how this world works, but above all it is the story of a man with determination to become competitive against the greatest players in the world, and how he did it!
there is no reason to run to the last pages of the book and see who finally won...
the journey is what matters, and what a journey this story describes!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By DangerMouse
Format:Paperback
A fantastic read, I could easily have read it cover to cover in a single session. Well written and entertaining if you like poker and haven`t read this yet you should!
By niklas32
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am not a newcomer to the world of poker, and I am very satisfied with the way things are described! The writer has a great sense of the facts and pinpoints the important aspects of what should be noted! Still in page 80 though (slow reader)...
By J
Format:Paperback
Michael Craig's book is a good one. The topic is very interesting and to book is easy to read. The fact that also top poker players are real gamblers at heart really shines through in this exciting story.
By Cian
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great read, highly recommend it. As a poker player that works in finance I couldn't put this down. Reckon a non-poker player would also love this as it uncovers a lot about the otherwise private world of high stakes. If you have been watching High Stakes, WSOP etc on TV you get a lot of extra insight into the relationship between the high stakes pros and their individual charachter. Best gambling book I've read since One of a Kind, bio of The Kid Stu Ungar (not sure of exact title)...
By William K
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
great insight in the the minds and lives of the biggest cash game players in the world. Very worthwhile read (I'm a serious amateur poker player myself...)
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By LORDLUCAN
Format:Paperback
A great tale of high stakes poker . Definetely one of the better books you will read on poker and the psychology behind high stakes gambling.
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