The Professor, The Banker And The Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of all Time [Paperback]

'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

* 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

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.

Michael Craig, a long time gambler and poker player, has published two business books for small presses and has written for Penthouse, The American Spectator and Cigar Aficionado. He has visited Las Vegas over 100 times and has been collecting gambling stories for over two decades.