Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

Book Description

#1 National Bestseller!

The amazing inside story about a gambling ring of M.I.T.

students who beat the system in Vegas -- and lived to tell how.

Robin Hood meets the Rat Pack when the best and the brightest of M.I.T.'s math students and engineers take up blackjack under the guidance of an eccentric mastermind. Their small blackjack club develops from an experiment in counting cards on M.I.T.'s campus into a ring of card savants with a system for playing large and winning big. In less than two years they take some of the world's most sophisticated casinos for more than three million dollars. But their success also brings with it the formidable ire of casino owners and launches them into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas with its private investigators and other violent heavies.

Filled with tense action, high stakes, and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a nail-biting read that chronicles a real-life Ocean's Eleven. It's one story that Vegas does not want you to read.

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"It's Friday night and you're on a red-eye to the city of sin. Strapped to your chest is half a million dollars; in your overnight bag is another twenty-five thousand in blackjack chips; and your wallet holds ten fake IDs. As soon as you land in Las Vegas, you are positive you are being investigated and followed. To top it all off, the IRS is auditing you, someone has been going through your mail -- and you have a multivariable calculus exam on Monday morning. Welcome to the world of an exclusive group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the casinos for over three million dollars -- while still finding time for college keg parties, football games, and final exams. In the midst of the go-go eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic MIT students joined a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world. While their classmates were working long hours in labs and libraries, the blackjack team traveled weekly to Las Vegas and other glamorous gambling locales, with hundreds of thousands of dollars duct-taped to their bodies. Underwritten by shady investors they would never meet, these kids bet fifty thousand dollars a hand, enjoyed VIP suites and other upscale treats, and partied with showgirls and celebrities. Handpicked by an eccentric mastermind -- a former MIT professor and an obsessive player who had developed a unique system of verbal cues, body signals, and role-playing -- this one ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars from corporate Vegas, making them the object of the casinos' wrath and eventually targets of revenge. Here is their inside story, revealing their secrets for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

A look at the ever growing sophistication of the duel between casinos and the professional card counters who realise that they do, indeed, have an edge at blackjack.

Technology and increased surveillance is slowly and surely bringing this to an end. Where it doesn't, there is still the good old beat up the winners technique if you fancy try it in Uzbekistan or somewhere.

Great Book.......2007-08-04

If you like Vegas, Money, and an awesome time, read this book. I read it in 2 days, and I hardly read.

Dad's fathers day gift.......2007-07-22

Amazon website wouldn't let me type in a zip code; website defaulted the zip based on city name and the zip was incorrect. As a result, package couldn't be delivered. I was issued a full refund (I think).

Fiction.......2007-07-19

A reviewer below who gave this book 5 stars noted that it is a dramatization based on real events. There is a label for those types of books--fiction. It bothers me tremendously that this book is billed as non-fiction and was listed on non-fiction bestseller lists. As soon as it became obvious to me that the book was fiction (which should happen very quickly if you approach the book with any sort of a critical perspective), it became difficult for me to enjoy the book. If you can suspend disbelief and are interested in a story based on events the general framework of which I'm sure are true, then you will probably find this to be a quick, entertaining read.

I get it.......2007-07-08

This is an interesting story, but it would have been better as a feature article in a magazine, not a 257 page book. It was a ballsy thing for these geeks to do, but we didn't need to hear about every trip, and every close call. And where were the serious consequences besides getting banned from casinos, and audited by the IRS? I kept waiting for some real trouble for Kevin.

Average customer rating:

Bodice Ripper!
20 Nights of Sin
Not one of her best but still pretty entertaining
Minor Discrepency
can't stop blushing!

One Night of Sin: A Novel
Gaelen Foley
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Avon ANEW CLINICAL 2-Step Facial Peel

ASIN: 0345480090
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

Renowned storyteller Gaelen Foley unfurls the seductive tale of the rakish Lord Alec Knight, who never looked for love–until it was right in front of him. . . .

Lord Alec Knight, the most daring and handsome rogue in all of London, is a smooth-talking aristocrat with an abundance of high-society lady admirers. With his irresistible wit, lucky hand at the gaming tables, and enticing charisma, he can have any woman he wants. But when the only girl he would have considered marrying ties the knot with someone else, Alec realizes he doesn’t want to be with just any lady–he wants to find the love of his life.

The boldly spirited, beautiful Miss Becky Ward takes his life by storm after he rescues her from peril. Alec soon learns that she is on the run from her cousin, the murderous Prince Mikhail Kurkov. Becky has uncovered a menacing secret about the prince–now nothing will stop him from hunting her down. In the midst of danger, Alec and Becky find themselves deeply drawn to each other. After the two spend an all-consuming night of sin, Becky’s knight in shining armor vows on his honor to protect her until the end. But before long, Alec is protecting her with more than honor–and it seems the once untamed rake of London just may have found what he has been searching for all along . . . true love.

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London, 1817

Fiery swords of lightning clashed across the sable sky. Great rolling clouds flung down a warning spatter of rain. Thunder growled in the distance, but the only sound in the dark, empty street was the frantic percussion of the girl’s running footfalls.

Every step jarred her in her thin kid half boots. Her dingy skirts swirled about her legs, threatening to trip her. Fleeing the glow of lanterns on the broad avenue, she raced up a murky side street, her long hair tangled and wild. Her pale young face was stark with terror as she glanced over her shoulder and pounded on, her fists clenched, her breath raking harshly through her gritted teeth.

With a small gasp, half a sob, she pitched around the corner ahead into a coal-black alley and immediately pressed backward out of sight into the shadowed alcove of a doorway. There, she held perfectly still, but for the panicked heaving of her chest. Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.

They were only seconds behind her.

The riders came with the storm at their heels— relentless, inescapable as the approaching tempest. Another throaty snarl of thunder vibrated the windowpanes of the darkened building where she hid. She huddled down against the bricks, trying to make herself smaller, for when the low rumble faded, another sound still remained—softer, but more terrible by far.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

The relentless cadence of hoofbeats grew louder. Becky Ward shut her eyes with a grimace of fear, a bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. The narrow alley funneled the sound of their approach: the squeak of well-oiled leather, the jangle and hiss of deadly blades, guns, pikes, and pistols—weapons that did not even have a name in English.

Not that the riders had been sent to kill her. Oh, no, she thought bitterly. The prince wanted her brought back to him alive. If she had one advantage, that was it.

She yanked in the muddied hem of her skirt a split second before they came trolling past the mouth of the narrow alley. She stood trembling in the muggy heat of the summer night, holding her breath, agonized with waiting as they stopped mere yards from her hiding place.

They nearly had her, and, expert trackers, the Cossacks knew it. Prince Mikhail Kurkov had sent four of his best warriors after her, though many more were at his beck if these should fail. From where she stood, she could see the looming silhouettes of the second pair.

Huge, menacing men with thick beards and elabor- ate moustaches, the battle-hardened Cossack soldiers wore dark gray coats over baggy trousers, which they tucked into their black riding boots. Beneath the brims of their foreign-shaped helmets, their inscrutable faces were browned and leathery from life in the saddle, their slightly slanted eyes cool and efficient. It was said they were descended from the Huns.

One sniffed the air, trying to scent her out, while the others glanced around, murmuring questions and replies to each other in a low, rapid tongue that she could not decipher. She swallowed hard as they split up to continue searching for her in pairs. The first two continued onward while the second turned their swift, rugged horses around and headed back toward the wide, lamplit thoroughfare, whatever it was called. Oxford Street . . . Piccadilly? Becky wasn’t sure. When they had gone, she nigh collapsed with exhausted relief, leaning all her weight against the locked door behind her.

For a fleeting moment she allowed herself to shut her eyes.

Another hairbreadth escape.

After four days of this, on the run, hunted from town to town as she had made her way southward to London, she did not know how much longer she could last. She had not eaten all day and had reached a foggy-headed state of fatigue. Fear seemed to be the only thing keeping her awake; but closing her eyes brought no respite, for it immedia

Customer Reviews:

Bodice Ripper!.......2007-08-04

I can call it a bodice ripper because right there on page 343 it says "He tore her lovely bodice in his haste to get his hand on her..." Hehe...

The plot has been detailed elsewhere so I'll just say what I liked about this book. First the sex was really steamy and explicit. More, I think, than the other books in the series. These two were so hot for each other, right from the beginning. They couldn't keep their hands off each other!

But the part I really liked was Alec's sweet seduction of Becky. He was such a pro. Standing under an awning on a rainy street, he said all those sweet words to her, just the right things to make her melt. And then he fed her and bathed her and kissed away her sorrows. Alec is so charming! What a sweet hero he is.

These two had great chemistry. Maybe I was just in the right mood for it today, but I really loved this book.

20 Nights of Sin.......2007-03-16

If you're looking for a scorching hot historical with a good plot, this is it. I absolutely loved Alec. I liked this one almost as much as "Lord of Fire"-- which is saying a lot. This entire series by Foley is great and this is one of the best ones.

Lord Alec Knight (the youngest of the Knight brothers) is known as Captain of the London Rakehells and certainly lives up to his reputation. He's rather disgusted with himself after getting deep into debt from gambling and having to resort to working off his debt in a rich baroness's bed for a year. Lady Campion pays off his debts in exchange for his "services". As a result, he terribly hurts and loses the only woman who has ever truly loved him (Lizzie Carlisle--see Devil Takes a Bride). His self-esteem is at an all-time low when he discovers a bedraggled young woman asleep on his friend's doorstep. His overeager friends believe she's a been sent over for their party by the local brothel and they manage to scare her off.

Alec decides to follow her and, while still believing her to be a prostitute, senses that she's in trouble and takes her to his home, where he offers her a hot bath and then orders her dinner from one of the best restaurants in town and tells her she can stay with him for a while if she wants. She allows him to go on thinking her a prostitute.

Alec resolves not to touch her until he's sure she's o.k. and then seduces her in the tenderest way possible. Becky is surprised by his kindness, but runs off without a word in the morning, not wanting to endanger him because of the men that are hunting her down. The next morning, Alec is stunned to find Becky gone without a word and his bed bloodied. Apparently the "prostitute" was a virgin! He runs off after her and manages to track her down, saving her from the Cossacks who are pursuing her to bring her back to her evil, murdering cousin Prince Mikhail who has threatened to rape her to keep her in line. Feeling responsible for ruining her, Alec asks Becky to marry him, but she refuses, not wanting someone to marry her solely out of duty.

After Becky confides her plight, Alec makes it his mission to help her and goes on a quest to raise enough money to buy back her home from Mikhail through gambling winnings as well as convince Becky to marry him. He's stunned at the girl's courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. He needs a woman who needs him and finds that taking care of Becky reforms him. He confides his worst secret (Lady Campion) and rather than being apalled and rejecting him, Becky understands and accepts him, saying he handled it the best way he could at the time to avoid taking advantage of others and tells him he should forgive himself.

Alec the Rake regains his self-esteem and is redeemed though taking care of Becky and rescues her from death in a dramatic climactic scene where Mikhail tries to kill them both. As a result, the rake is reformed and becomes a true heroic figure. This transformation is believably accomplished by Foley.

This is a scorching hot romance and the sex scenes are not for the faint of heart. Rather than one night of sin, 20 night of sin would have been a better title. Alec resolves not to have "sex" with Becky again until she agrees to marry him, but, true to his rake nature, he's quite inventive in finding ways for them to pleasure each other mutually and simultaneously until she agrees.

Overall, a very satisfying and sensual romance, with good character development and an interesting, suspenseful plot.

Not one of her best but still pretty entertaining.......2006-08-06

Becky Ward is on the run for her life. Her cousin, Prince Mikhail Kurkov, murdered an agent of the Czar of Russia and Becky witnessed it. Becky makes her way to London to try and find the Duke of Westland to turn her cousin in, but Prince Kurkov beats her there and makes an unsuccessful attempt to capture her. To make matters worse, her grandfather's death has made Prince Kurkov her guardian, which means he controls her life and also owns the only home she's ever known.

Lord Alec Knight and his three friends have just arrived at one of his friends' homes where they find Becky asleep on the portico. Assuming she is a prostitute, they wake her up and try to coax her into the house, but she fights them off and runs away. Alec chases after her and talks her into going with him to his apartments. They have a glorious night together but when Alec wakes up, Becky has already escaped. While he is rushing to get dressed, he notices bloodstains on the bathrobe Becky wore and realizes that she was a virgin.

Alec talks her into trusting him with her story and offers to help her. They devise a plan to win, through gambling, enough money to buy back Becky's home from Prince Kurkov. They also need to find evidence of Mikhail's treachery before they can go to Westland with her story.

Admittedly, I was prepared to not like this book. I had just finished reading Devil Takes A Bride where I found Alec to be a self-indulgent brat who was trying to come between Devlin and Elizabeth. However, he redeems himself in this book. I don't like that the tale takes pot shots at Elizabeth, portraying her as someone not quite strong enough to handle Alec, but I suppose this is an attempt to convince us, the audience, of Becky's courage in loving Alec despite his past.

In my opinion, though, it was not necessary to disparage Elizabeth for that reason. I, for one, was already convinced, in Devil Takes A Bride, that Alec and Elizabeth were not suited for each other. It was already clear that Elizabeth, until she met Devlin, had fallen in love with an image of who she thought Alec was. Likewise, Alec wanted Elizabeth around because he thought he needed her, but certainly not because he loved her. There was really no need to compare Becky to Elizabeth. Both are equally strong heroines with unique characteristics of their own.

One Night of Sin is sumptuous and erotic. The storyline, however, is a bit predictable and I found it lacking. The magic and sizzle that other Gaelen Foley works have, such as in The Duke, is missing in this one.

Minor Discrepency.......2006-06-26

For those who have already read the book, Alex tells Becky that Jacinda was two when their mother left, but Jacinda's year of birth was in 1798 and Georgiana died in 1799. SO there was no way Jacinda was two, if anything she wasn't even one yet, because Georgiana supposedly left and was transporting her aristocrat's friends children from france for a while before she got caught and was executed.
I found another one of these slight "errors" in "His wicked Kiss".
Anyway (please read synopsis of the book on product review page)
about the novel, I was looking forward to reading about Alex since I really didn't like him at all in Devil takes a bride. I wanted to see how he was going to redeem himself and boy am I proud of our little brother, fighting all those Cossacks all by himself and all.
I was just as proud of him as his brothers when they came barging in to assist him and found that he had taken care of everything and he was ENGAGED!!!!
Like I mentioned in one of my other reviews, when I read any of Gaelen Foley's books I always feel like I'm watching a movie as opposed to reading the book since everything is so detailed.
Well done Gaelen!!!

can't stop blushing!.......2006-05-18

wow. this book is hot. and i don't mean just a bit. i loved it, but i would definatley want everyone who is looking to read this that you may get turned on. really turned on. so anyway, i would recommend this to anyone who is just getting into romance or who has read hundreds just like me.

How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread

Average customer rating:

Non Fiction
Not Good
Basic Drivel Straight From the 70's
Don't bet on an NFL game until you've read this book
A "must have" kind of book.

How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread
J. R. Miller
Manufacturer: Flyng M Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 097461680X

Book Description

A step-by-step guide to full time sports betting. How the business of sports betting 'works', pointspreads, 'vigorish' & bookmakers. How pros pencil-in a predicted score, how to recognize key pointspreads, how to account for injuries, how to spot motivations, how to beat over/unders, correct money management, how to profit from parlays, how to deal with abstractual factors, how to spot sucker plays, how to beat exhibition season, how to spot motivations, how to form power ratings, how to profit from various special situations...Everything you need to know to beat pro football.

Customer Reviews:

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

A look at one particular player's methodology in the past to bet on the NFL, and to sell selections, of course.

Not Good.......2007-05-28

I would have to rank this book in the bottom 3 of the books I've read on sports betting. JR himself isn't even a legitimate professional gambler, he's just a writer who happens to sell mediocre, long term losing plays on his website. The math method he describes in chapter two is worthless, he claims that that simple method will hit 54% against the spread but it's not true. You won't hit anything higher than 50% using that method.

Miller has very little understanding of proper bankroll growth, especially in regards to the kelly criterion. The true title of this book should read, "how amateur gamblers flip coins against the pointspread"

Basic Drivel Straight From the 70's.......2007-02-03

While the fundamentals are here about how lines work and frequent scoring distributions and new fangled inventions such as online betting, what was missing is how to put together more comprehensive models. While it was nice that you needed to be an amateur psychologist to figure out teams, Miller doesn't expand into what things you would look for and how it would exactly affect betting.

I'm sure there has to be a more comprehensive text out there. If this book really does help you, you are probably reading it in a Las Vegas bus station after losing your car and shirt.

Don't bet on an NFL game until you've read this book.......2006-06-23

When it comes to handicapping the NFL you can't go wrong with How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread. The author, J.R. Miller, is himself a professional sports gambler (although he's more likely to agree it is sports investing, not gambling).

How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread covers everything the handicapper needs to know to handicap the NFL. Miller covers both the technical and subjective sides to handicapping the NFL, from generating a mathematical prediction to spotting key motivational situations and injuries. Miller covers the distribution of margin of victory and point totals in the NFL, and he explains the importance of key pointspread and total numbers.

There is much more to being a long-term winner against the pointspread, and How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread covers these topics in detail. The most important of these topics is money management. There's no one that knows money management better than J.R. Miller, and he provides a solid chapter on the subject in this book.

How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread also covers topics such as beating the NFL exhibition season. Miller provides tips and techniques that will help you find value in betting the NFL exhibition season. Miller also provides the low down on parlays, and he shows how you can use them to your advantage.

It's hard to say anything bad about this book, and if you only have time to read one book on handicapping the NFL this season then your best bet is with How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread. The techniques covered in this book have proven to be timeless, and there's no one better to learn the ins-and-outs of beating the NFL from than J.R. Miller.

A "must have" kind of book........2006-03-20

You look for a book with information about betting? You are in a good place. However, this book is not worth +$20. It is worth ten times it.

No matter if you are a begginer or you make a living off betting - you should read this book. J.R Miller has over twenty year experience and you might be sure every single piece of information included in this book is a great help for your betting career.

Have you ever wondered how bookmakers set the lines or how they balance the book in order to earn? With this book you will learn a lot of details about work of sports book. Without these information you are like a soldier without a weapon. You must understand your opponent in order to beat him.

What factors are most important when you make your every day bet- selection process ? Is it teams' motivation, mental approach, statistics? With this book you find out a lot about every of these factors and you will be able to compute them into one succesfull winning proces.

You have always thought, a good punter is a punter with a high yield (ROI) ? Frankly, I do not care about yield and neither does J.R Miller. It is better to have 1200 selections with 5% ROI than back 4 super-bankers a week and achieve 25% yield. Why? because it is about making money. Paramethers are only on paper. What you should care of is money. And not hit rate, not yield, but earned units/profit is the single important rate. It is very simple, is not it? But try asking this question people familiar with betting and note how many care more about yield than profit(!). You should grind with 1% of bank to spread a risk - not make a little number if bets with well-looking yield. If you fell you have 1% or 2% Expected Value in a particular bet - place a bet. Do not look for bankers, for great valuebets - take everything you have an edge over bookmaker. In a long term it brings you low yield but a lot of money.

There is great chapter about money managament. It is worth this 25 bucks itself. It exlains a term of plateu and describes how strongly it influences your profitability.

My favourtie chapter, however is about Winning Percentages. It deals with short-term and long-term results. How many bets you are likely to hit in you next 10 bets if your winning rate is 6?
You would be suprised how LITTLE is probability of hitting exactly six. Yes, it is the most probable outcome but it is very low. You can go 3/10 with similiar probablity.

This chapter deals with the issues that turn a good punter (with solid selections and proper money managament scheme) into real bookie busher who rides through losing streaks without any harm , spend easy-earned money anywhere he wants and he has no doubts about the selections he makes.

With good theoretical backround you will learn that betting has more in common with investing than stock exchange.

And if you wonder if it is for US punters exclusively - my qucikly reply is: "it is not". I bet on only on European Soccer and MIller's book was one of my major sources of windsom in this field.

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable--History At Its Best!
Writer and author
Getting to know the man behind the legend, March 22, 2007
Good book for the Western Interested Reader
Getting to know the man behind the legend

Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend
Gary L. Roberts
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471262919

Book Description

Acclaim for Doc Holliday

"Splendid . . . not only the most readable yet definitive study of Holliday yet published, it is one of the best biographies of nineteenth-century Western 'good-bad men' to appear in the last twenty years. It was so vivid and gripping that I read it twice."
--Howard R. Lamar, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University, and author of The New Encyclopedia of the American West

"The history of the American West is full of figures who have lived on as romanticized legends. They deserve serious study simply because they have continued to grip the public imagination. Such was Doc Holliday, and Gary Roberts has produced a model for looking at both the life and the legend of these frontier immortals."
--Robert M. Utley, author of The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull

"Doc Holliday emerges from the shadows for the first time in this important work of Western biography. Gary L. Roberts has put flesh and soul to the man who has long been one of the most mysterious figures of frontier history. This is both an important work and a wonderful read."
--Casey Tefertiller, author of Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind the Legend

"Gary Roberts is one of a foremost class of writers who has created a real literature and authentic history of the so-called Western. His exhaustively researched and beautifully written Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend reveals a pathetically ill and tortured figure, but one of such intense loyalty to Wyatt Earp that it brought him limping to the O.K. Corral and into the glare of history."
--Jack Burrows, author of John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was

"Gary L. Roberts manifested an interest in Doc Holliday at a very early age, and he has devoted these past thirty-odd years to serious and detailed research in the development and writing of Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend. The world knows Holliday as Doc Holliday. Family members knew him as John. Somewhere in between the two lies the real John Henry Holliday. Roberts reflects this concept in his writing. This book should be of interest to Holliday devotees as well as newly found readers."
--Susan McKey Thomas, cousin of Doc Holliday and coauthor of In Search of the Hollidays

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable--History At Its Best!.......2007-10-08

Wild West aficionados will appreciate this excellent book. The hero is supposed to be Wyatt Earp, but Doc always steals the show. Gary Roberts has created a triumph of historical research and writing, drawing largely from primary sources. Roberts analyzes Wild West mythology by comparing legend to historic records. This is how western history should be presented--no baloney, just fact.

Writer and author.......2007-06-08

`Doc' Holliday, or, John Henry Holliday, a cold-blooded killer, or a man just trying to stay alive? Author, Gary L. Roberts did extensive research on Holliday, and many of those `Doc' came in contact with. From that research Roberts has put together a book that gives the reader a much better idea of whom `Doc' was, why he was like he was and the impact he had on history. The book, for me, dispelled faulty information I'd received about `Doc.' It also answered some of the questions I'd always had about `Doc.'
At the time I write this review I'm fifty-seven years young. During those fifty-seven years I've seen `Doc' portrayed as a bad guy, a good guy, a mysterious acquaintance of Wyatt Earp and all those things between. `Doc' was always an enigma in my mind. I just finished reading "Doc Holliday" by Gary L. Roberts and I must say I feel I now know the man, as much as he could be known by someone never having talked with him.
I was born just outside Kennett, Missouri; a state that harbored and made heroes out of people like Jesse James. I also spent twenty years as a `peace officer.' I think this added to my curiosity, and infatuation, with `Doc.' Gary L. Roberts has helped fill that void left by lack of information about `Doc' and therefore `quenched my thirst' concerning what he was really all about.
Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Richard Neal Huffman - the author of, Dreams In Blue: The Real Police (just another legend?) Confessions of a Serial Killer's Son

Getting to know the man behind the legend, March 22, 2007 .......2007-05-18

In "Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend" Gary Roberts immediately establishes his credentials in historical research and although he comes from a life in academia, that never inhibits his storytelling ability. Roberts tells about a young Atlanta dentist, his family conflicts, the relationship with his catholic cousin Mattie Holliday, contracting tuberculosis and then moving west. Doc continues his dental practice in Dallas where he is attracted to saloon life and becomes a skilled gambler. In Ft. Griffin, Texas Kate Elder sets her sights on Doc and when trouble comes and a noose is about to be tied around Doc's neck Kate executes a daring escape plan and the two of them ride north to Dodge City, Kansas where they begin a tumultuous relationship.
Doc sets up a dental practice in the cattle town and establishes good relations with the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Luke Short and Eddie Foy. When a wild bunch of drunken cowboy's corner assistant city Marshall Wyatt Earp Doc hurries to his rescue. Wyatt is grateful to Doc for saving his life, and that was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Later they both wind up in Tombstone, Arizona. A corrupt political ring runs Cochise County and uses a cowboy faction as muscle. Wyatt's intent to run for Cochise County Sheriff on a ticket of law and order opens up a hornet's nest. When the showdown comes Doc joins Wyatt and his brothers on the side of law and order in the shootout at the OK Corral.
Ring lawyers accuse the Earps and Holliday of murder and take them to court. A twenty-eight day hearing, before Judge Spicer, frees Doc and the others but the cowboy's won't quit. They harass the mayor and Judge Spicer, ambush and wound Virgil Earp and assassinate Morgan Earp.
Roberts continues the post Tombstone story with Jail time for Doc in Denver and a shooting episode in Leadville. Then on November 8, 1887 Doc succumbs to tuberculosis and is buried in Linwood Cemetery at Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
You'll enjoy this engaging and informative book while at the same time you're getting to know the real man behind the legend.
Tom Barnes Author of "Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone."
Also "The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle."

The Hurricane Hunters And Lost in the Bermuda Triangle
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone: The Life and Times of John Henry Holliday

Good book for the Western Interested Reader.......2007-04-12

This is a good book for an individual interested in the history of the American West. Doc Holliday is recognized by many to be the gunfighter icon of all. This book lays out the truth about Doc Holliday and how the legend got started. What you learn in the book is that Doc was an individual who never backed down from a fight, but he wasn't an individual who provoked fights. His claim to fame had to do with his support of Wyatt Earp during the OK Corral fight and more importantly afterwards when he and Wyatt pursued the bad guys in Southeastern Arizona and provided their own form of justice when the law of the land was flawed. His courage and his sense of justice and the need for law and order is commendable. But, Doc was not perfect. He was a drinker and often a troublemaker. Because of this, the Tombstone events pursued him more than they did Wyatt. And, the forces in that area, who wanted him, tried to get him in Denver, Colorado. These events, while he was in a jail there, were played out in the press - with both sides emphasizing either his good sides or his bad sides - and over exaggerating the bad in many instances. This is what resulted in his legend. The book pieces this together sharing all the different sources and then providing an analysis on why one source is a better one than the other. What we get is a thorough analysis of the man and the times. But, this is really only for the reader who is really interested in the American West. Others, as you'll note in the reviews below, will probably not be interested in this book. However, I was, I enjoyed, and I recommend it.

Getting to know the man behind the legend.......2007-03-23

Counseling Problem Gamblers and Their Families: A Self-Regulation Manual for Individual and Family Therapy (Practical Resources for the Mental Health Professional)

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Counseling Problem Gamblers and Their Families: A Self-Regulation Manual for Individual and Family Therapy (Practical Resources for the Mental Health Professional)
Joseph W. Ciarrocchi
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0121746534

Book Description

Over the past decade, legal wagering has expanded rapidly in North America. In 1998 alone, people lost 50 billion dollars in legal betting and it is estimated that illegal wagering is twice that amount. A recent government report, based on the broadest population survey, concludes that the lifetime and pathological gamblers in the U.S. range between 4 and 10 million persons and is growing. If we include the families affected by problem gambling then the potential impact is indeed prodigious. Virtually no community in the U.S. and Canada is left untouched by entertainment or problem gambling. Treating problem gambling has evolved from a small group of practitioners in the 1980's working in specialty impatient units into an international enterprise that affects the caseload of many mental health professionals. Owing to its quiet origins, problem gambling treatment strategies are not well known throughout the clinical community. Consequently the average clinician is him/herself "learning as they go." This approach does not benefit either client or therapist. As the book's first chapter makes clear, problem gambling differs significantly from substance abuse, its nearest clinical relative. Not attending to these differences leads to poor results and clinical failure. This book is the one essential tool needed by clinicians treating or likely to treat problem gambling. Written by a clinician with wide experience, it is intended for the general clinician treating or likely to treat problem gambling desiring a comprehensive, yet user-friendly guide.

Key Features
* Assessment and treatment of problem gambling and those affected by it is discussed
* Includes diagnostic instruments developed by the author
* An integrative approach is taken with a special focus on cultural concerns and clinical applications for women and minorities
* Integration of spirituality in treatment is covered

The Fountain Overflows (New York Review Books Classics)

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Intriguing characters, sparkling writing
Once Of My Favorite Books
My favorite novel of all time--and I've read thousands...
Quite Simply One of the Best Books in English Literature
Beautiful, wise, witty, and, yes, you guessed it, timeless

The Fountain Overflows (New York Review Books Classics)
Rebecca West
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590170342
Release Date: 2002-12-31

Book Description

The lives of the talented Aubrey children have long been clouded by their father?s genius for instability, but his new job in the London suburbs promises, for a time at least, reprieve from scandal and the threat of ruin. Mrs. Aubrey, a former concert pianist, struggles to keep the family afloat, but then she is something of a high-strung eccentric herself, as is all too clear to her daughter Rose, through whose loving but sometimes cruel eyes events are seen. Still, living on the edge holds the promise of the unexpected, and the Aubreys, who encounter furious poltergeists, turn up hidden masterpieces, and come to the aid of a murderess, will find that they have adventure to spare.

In The Fountain Overflows, a 1957 best seller, Rebecca West transmuted her own volatile childhood into enduring art. This is an unvarnished but affectionate picture of an extraordinary family, in which a remarkable stylist and powerful intelligence surveys the elusive boundaries of childhood and adulthood, freedom and dependency, the ordinary and the occult.

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing characters, sparkling writing.......2007-08-11

This was my first encounter with Dame Rebecca West's writing, but it won't be my last. Nearly every paragraph stood alone, as a description to savor or an emotion remarkably described. The characters linger long after the book is closed. I believe that someone has suggested that they are somewhat Dickensian, with which I would agree. The plot conveys to the reader a deep understanding of the frustrations encountered by women whose lives are held in thrall by men who are indifferent to their wellbeing.

The only thing that keeps this book from being 5-stars in my mind are occasional spots where you want it to move more quickly. Its subtlety and richness make it a book well worth revisiting.

A general comment about the Classics series of the New York Review of Books. I am particularly pleased to have discovered this series for two reasons. First, because of the beauty of the books themselves; the cover art is of a very high quality and the paper, printing and binding is as well. The books themselves are pleasurable to experience. Second, the series is introducing me to literature that I would otherwise have never read. I just finished "A High Wind in Jamaica," have begun "Indian Summer" by William Dean Howells (and my middle-school introduction to "The Rise of Silas Lapham" would have predicted that I would never have picked up a book by Howells again, which would have been my loss - I might even tackle Silas Lapham again), and have ordered a few more. I recommend that readers explore some of these treasures.

Once Of My Favorite Books.......2006-11-07

to be savored - a real treasure.
This book is hard to classify because it is both densely written, and yet, it is like cotten candy. If you like to be transported to another place and time, and enjoy writers who know how to use the English language, this is a book for you!

My favorite novel of all time--and I've read thousands..........2005-01-10

The header says it all. If pressed, I will have to admit that this is my absolute favorite novel of all time. There is something so haunting and so human and so memorable about this book, I can't stay away from it--I must have read it 20 times, and I never grow tired of it.

Quite Simply One of the Best Books in English Literature.......2003-08-16

I had heard of author Rebecca West, mainly as the young woman who had a long term affair with a much older H.G. Wells and produced a child out of wedlock, back when things like this were considered shocking. I stumbled across a copy of this book and decided it might make an interesting read.
I never imagined that I had found a true classic, a book that uses the English language to a degree unsurpassed by any other author I have ever read. The story of is simple, that of a down on their luck family, living in London during the early 1900's. Their trials and tribulations are faithfully described, as are the multitude of characters they befriend. Actually to describe the plot, one might assume that not much really happens and to be honest, the plot is not the main attribute of this novel. But the language! I have often thought that I would some day like to write a novel but after reading this book, I would not even attempt it! This is how language should be used...clear and concise but also able to convey atmosphere and emotions. Page after page of luscious words, all combining together to create an unforgettable reading experience. If, like me, you wanted to read more, please note that the sequel, This Real Night is almost as good. A third book, Cousin Rosamund is much weaker since it was not completed at the time of the author's death.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I think this ranks with Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights as books which define the best that the English language can offer.

Beautiful, wise, witty, and, yes, you guessed it, timeless.......2003-03-27

About two pages into this I realized I'd come across a sublimely intelligent and aware narrative voice -- that of a 12-yr-old girl in turn-of-the-century London -- and from that point on I read the rest of the novel in a page-turning fever of delight and pleasure. A fictionalized account of Rebecca West's real family, the story follows the lives of the narrator, Rose Aubrey and her twin sister Mary (both of whom are prodigies on the piano), their older sister Cordelia, who apparently stinks at the piano, but doesn't realize it (much to the chagrine of the rest of the family), their thoroughly unflappable and adored younger brother, Richard, a flautist, and their ragged, heroic mother who tries to keep the family above water while the father, a brilliant essayist and pamphleteer who is completely lacking in all matters of practicality, loses one job after another. It's a brilliant cast brought unforgettably to life by West's flawless prose and the intelligence, generosity, imagination and wit poured into it. When you close the book, you feel as if you had just remembered moments from a real family you'd known while growing up, but who you lost touch with because your family moved away. Truly wonderful. Please, if you love beautiful things, read this.

Mr. Lucky: A Novel of High Stakes (Tony Valentine Novels)

Average customer rating:

Swain Always Entertains
One of HIs Best!
Excellent read
Poorly written, Poorly read
The reader wins

Mr. Lucky: A Novel of High Stakes (Tony Valentine Novels)
James Swain
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345475445
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Book Description

Tony Valentine made his living and his name as a cop in Atlantic City–and is now known worldwide for his ability to spot the kinds of scams, grifts, and rip-offs that cost casinos billions every year. A man with a biting wit who drives a ’92 Honda, Tony is low-profile, old-school, and has seen it all–until he meets the luckiest man on earth.

Ricky Smith was once a small-town loser. Then he went to Las Vegas, jumped out the window of a burning hotel, lived to tell the tale, and tore up the Strip on an incredible winning streak. Ricky didn’t just win at one slot machine or table game. He won at blackjack, roulette, and craps, and then beat the pants off the world’s greatest poker player. Tony knows that goofy, loudmouthed Ricky Smith–or anyone else, for that matter–couldn’t possibly be that fortunate. But when “Mr. Lucky” returns home to the little town of Slippery Rock, North Carolina, he keeps on winning everything from a horse race to a $50,000 lottery.

Hired by a desperate casino, Tony starts to pry into Ricky’s past, his friends, and the strange little town that is benefiting from Ricky’s fame and fortune. Unfortunately for Tony, his cover is blown when he is forced to reveal a trick he has up his own sleeve: a pocket Glock he can shoot with laser-like precision. Suddenly, two men are dead, the cops are on Tony’s tail, and the investigation explodes in violence–putting the lives of Tony’s son and his young family in danger.

For years, Tony’s son Gerry has dueled with his own criminal impulses. Now, the Ricky Smith case has lured Gerry through the gates of temptation and into a murderous confrontation with the Dixie Mafia. With Tony stuck on the slippery slope of Slippery Rock and Gerry fighting for his life, the Valentines are finding out just how bad good luck can get.

Against a neon-tinted backdrop of adrenaline rushes, hard crashes, big money, and high-wire tension, the inimitable James Swain has set his best Tony Valentine novel yet: a funny, furious ride with an astounding array of crooks, marks, and one killer scam.

Customer Reviews:

Swain Always Entertains.......2007-09-18

For pure reading entertainment, it's hard to beat anything in the Tony Valentine series by James Swain. The plot lines are simple and the supporting characters are often a little over the top. But, boy, does Swain ever make it work. In addition to a writing style that is thoroughly enjoyable, Swain's descriptions of various scams add a unique quality that takes an already wonderful story to the next level.

In Mr. Lucky, Tony and Mabel stand out as always. Tony has such a real quality to him, it's easy to forget that he's fictional. While all of the works in the series are highly entertaining, what makes Mr. Lucky even more complete is the development of Tony's son, Gerry, as a character. Gerry's contributions to the story have been building over the last couple of books, and with Mr. Lucky, he finally arrives as a quality main character.

Ricky Smith provides a worthy protagonist for Tony, all the while maintaining a surprising likeability. You want to see him go down, but not necessarily because of who he is or what he's done, but because we want and expect Tony to get to the bottom of things.

Well done, as always, Mr. Swain. I look forward to the next story in the series.

One of HIs Best!.......2006-06-29

Swain's Tony Valentine's books are great summer reads, and although I have not read all of them, they are mostly enjoyable.

I like the gambling atmosphere of Casinos (though I hardly gamble myself), as well as learning about all the types of con games that exhist and these contribute to my enjoyment of Swain's works.

The author will throw in a lot of his knowlege of cheating, and why gambling is a loosing proposition, so reading one of these books acutally lets me feel like I've had some casino fun, without losing any money!

Mr. Lucky is one of the best of his books I have read for a couple of reasons. The first is the relationship between Tony Valentine and his son. In this story the son begins to come around and make better choices in his life, so the reader gets to root for him, but also get taken through the drama of his struggles.

Another reason for my claiming this is one of Swain's best is that I did not have to suspend belief to a ridiculous degree. One has to do this in any modern day mystery - granted - but I did not have to read about "little people" (aka midgets) hiding in speakers playing music for musicians who were faking it on stage, or about eukalale playing monkeys that can read your mind and play the song you are thinking of. No, this story was quite believable in comparison and that is a huge plus!

Excellent read.......2006-05-20

I'm a bit confused by Jackson Pillar's 1 star review. You refer to it as a "poor read", but that you had purchased the audio book. How could you read it, then? You go on further to state it was a "quick read." An audio book is not a quick read unless you fast forward it, and then you miss parts, I assume. The nastiness of this firsttime review of yours suggests to me something more personal is going on here, but it's irrelevant. People with any intelligence know that the "bible" of book reviews is The New York Times Book Review, and out of 6 novels, Swain has had five reviewed there, all favorably.

Here's the one for Mr. Lucky:

THE ARTS/CULTURAL DESK

By JANET MASLIN (NYT)
Published: March 10, 2005

MR. LUCKY by James Swain (Ballantine Books, $19.95): In this series about gambling, the main character is a big winner. Mr. Swain's likable detective hero is Tony Valentine, an expert on casino cheating. Tony has seen it all -- he knows why crooks use old people with hearing aids as decoys, for instance -- and he has some neat tricks up his sleeve. This time Tony tracks a guy whose luck in Las Vegas has been inexplicable -- and Tony wants an explanation. Slippery Rock, N.C., provides local color.

Poorly written, Poorly read.......2005-10-26

This is my first review mainly because it's the only one where I found my perspective to be dramatically different than the other reviewers. I bought the audio version based on the reviews I read on line and was looking forward to reading a new author. What I found is a book that is full of cliches and choppy dialogue. Although it's a very quick read I found myself frustrated with the ridiculous dialogue and characters that failed to keep my interest. I must confess that I did find myself laughing out loud at some of the very bad cliches. I will qualify my review by stating that this was an audiobook and I found the reader to be very poor, using accents for different characters that were wildly exaggerated. It could be the reader's characterization that amplified the poor writing. Needless to say I will not be reading any other Swain books.

The reader wins.......2005-09-22

Sometimes a book will sit for a while before it gets read. Others appear more appealing. I won't make that mistake again. The author manages to teach you something each book, and that makes it valuable. A good puzzle,interesting characters, and the pages turn quickly.

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What's all the fuss? Not that bad!
How Not To Write a Romance
A waste of time
Sick Psycho "Hero"
Re-release Glorifies Abusive Behavior to Women

Gambler's Woman
Jayne Krentz
Manufacturer: HQN Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0373771444

Book Description

Dark, dangerous Jordan Kyle lived life on his own terms, setting his own rules and playing for high stakes. He'd moved through this world alone, and was satisfied to have it that way--until he encountered Alyssa Chandler.

By day Alyssa was a cool, controlled mathematical whiz, sorting through facts and figures. By night it was a different story. At night she became a creature of beauty and passion who was more than a match for Jordan. But were Jordan's seductive caresses enough for Alyssa to take a chance on a future together?

Only time would tell…

Customer Reviews:

What's all the fuss? Not that bad!.......2007-09-12

After reading the reviews, I was expecting something atrocious with a abuser for a male protagonist and an unjustified change in the heroine's career to "follow her man." But reviewers making those points just aren't fair. The hero never batters the heroine -- he uses colorful language, but the threats are clearly not real. And these critics don't criticize the heroine for saying that she'll nail his hide to the wall!!! And there is plenty of foreshadowing about the heroine's career decisions.

The book is obviously dated ($1000 would barely cover the price of the airplane ticket and hotel now . . .), but it's far from the sexist pit that I expected from the reviews. If you like Jayne Ann Krentz's early work under the Stephanie James name, then this is fine! Just be prepared for a very fast read ( < 2 hours) in line with that Harlequin style, not her later, longer novels.

How Not To Write a Romance.......2007-03-15

This book should be an inspiration for romance writers, indeed writers of any genre, because after reading it you are sure you can write a better story. Now getting that story published may be a tad more difficult because you aren't already a best selling writer, but hey we've all got to start somewhere.
Jayne Ann Krentz isn't the only writer whose early works fall in the category of head scratchers as in, "Why in the world did anyone buy that manuscript?" Other best selling authors have had less than stellar beginnings and when a begining writer reads these works it gives her courage to keep trying to write and sell her own stories. If you don't fall in this category of reader then maybe you don't want to read this one.

A waste of time.......2007-03-02

To write it simply, this is the worst JAK's book I ever read. You'll get lost in so many explanations between lines that you'll see that this is a real dull book.

Sick Psycho "Hero".......2007-01-21

I agree with the reviewers who hated this book. I never post reviews, but this book was so offensive that I had to voice my opinion so that no one else would buy it.

Any woman who would continue a relationship with the "hero" in this book needs to be rescued from herself.

Re-release Glorifies Abusive Behavior to Women.......2007-01-21

I am a great fan of Jayne Ann Krentz and having met her, can say she is a most charming and interesting lady. However, this book from 1983 is truly abominable. I think when publishers decide to reissue an old title that the author should be required to re-read the book and edit/update it as necessary. Then the publisher should be required to put ON THE COVER a notification that it is a reissued title.

This story is about a man who after a one-night stand with a kindred soul of a female gambler informs her that he is thinking of beating her because she had to reschedule a second date. He shows up at her home uninvited and displays the most repulsive over-the-top jealous behavior while threatening her, her livelihood and her business relationships.

I simply don't get it -- why would any woman find this type of behavior attractive? In fact, it's scary and in real life men like this need to be locked up and forced into counseling.

Save your money.

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Dostoevsky's "Pulp"
Great companion, the ulitmate translators, Everyman, what more needs to be said

The Double and The Gambler
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375719016
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

The award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have given us the definitive version of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s strikingly original short novels, The Double and The Gambler.

The Double is a surprisingly modern hallucinatory nightmare–foreshadowing Kafka and Sartre–in which a minor official named Goliadkin becomes aware of a mysterious doppelganger, a man who has his name and his face and who gradually and relentlessly begins to displace him with his friends and colleagues. The Gambler is a stunning psychological portrait of a young man's exhilarating and destructive addiction to gambling, a compulsion that Dostoevsky–who once gambled away his young wife's wedding ring–knew intimately from his own experience. In chronicling the disastrous love affairs and gambling adventures of Alexei Ivanovich, Dostoevsky explores the irresistible temptation to look into the abyss of ultimate risk that he believed was an essential part of the Russian national character.

Customer Reviews:

Dostoevsky's "Pulp".......2007-07-19

These two short novels by Dostoevsky, are a change of pace fot the writer. "The Double" was written when the author was young and was sort of a "riff" on Gogol-style absurdity. Mr. Golyadkin goes to work one day and finds a man with the same name who looks just like hiim doing his job. What's worse is that the other man is more popular with the coworkers than he ever was. It is a darkly comic story who's main character is a vague, early take on Dostoevsky's Underground Man/Raskolnikov character.

"The Gambler" was written for money and in a hurry. He was trying to finish "Crime and Punishment" but needed to publish a book FAST so he dictated this short book to a secretary (whom he later married). It's about the foolishness of the gambling community at Baden-Baden in Germany. All of Dostoevsky's Gemran stereotypes are on display so take those for what they're worth. The great fun of this book is the pace; the dictated novel zips along faster than most 19th century novels ever do. It's as close to a Summer read as Dostoevsky ever got.

Five stars might be a little high for such trifles that are so out of character for Dostoevsky but the writing is top notch, much better than reading "The Adolescent" or "Insulted and Injured." The translation is tight and the stories are really a lot of fun. The translations by Jessie Coulson (published by Penguin, I think) are also very good.

Great companion, the ulitmate translators, Everyman, what more needs to be said.......2006-01-31

The perfect little companion piece to two of Dostevsky's several short stories, and two of his best if not THE best might I add.

I have read both these stories before but translated by different authors in the Great Short Works compilation by Perennial classics. Before I go on to mention about the Peaver/Volkhonsky translations which are superior I will talk briefly about both stories, not so much what they are about (you can find many of those around here) but of the translations themselves.

The Double is quite a fascinating short story, but for a lot of people it doesn't have closure, and the ending gives the impression of cheating the reader. I first read the George Bird translation which is actually okay compared to this one, but nowhere near as colourful. You will really get a kick of Mr. Golyadkin's play into madness, it is quite a wild ride.

The Gambler is truly one of those books that litteraly makes your skin crawl. Also Peaver/Volokhonsky's translation compared to Constance Garnett is FAR superior full of life and what I call Dostoevsky "flow" where as Garentt's comes off as 'flat'. The Gambler isn't just a well written story but also gives a glimpse into a time period that doesn't exist any more, (his comments about Frenchmen, Englishmen, Germans and Poles is quite insane) and a depth into the soul of the tortured novelist who suffered the afflictions of the main character. You will also get a serious kick out of the high wheeling grandmother (baboushka) in this book, she is one of the most memorable characters in any story EVER.

Both these stories are great page turners you wont be able to stop until you are done.

More importantly, the Everyman book looks great on my book shelf as always. And this is just the perfect thing highlighting two of his great short stories. The only one I can think that were better than these two is "A Nasty Anecdote" (sometimes translated as "A disgraceful affair").

As for a Dostoevsky work and how it is presented in this companion, it is a sure 5 star winner!

Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People: The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived

Average customer rating:

Very Entertaining!
Great stories
The Elephant in the Room
Hilarious!
The most entertaining poker book ever...

Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People: The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived
Amarillo Slim Preston , and Greg Dinkin
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Rich & Famous | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0060762306
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Book Description

Amarillo Slim Preston has won $300,000 from Willie Neslon playing dominoes and $2 million from Larry Flynt playing poker. He has shuffled, dealt, and bluffed with some of twentieth-century's most famous figures. He beat Minnesota Fats at pool with a broom, Bobby Riggs at table tennis with a skillet, and Evel Knievel at golf with a carpenter's hammer. Amarillo Slim has gambled with 'em all, and left most of them wishing they hadn't.

The memoirs of a living American icon, Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People is the story of life as a Texas road gambler and the discovery of the Wild West. It's also the story of how Slim won the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe, became a worldwide celebrity, and brought poker from smoky backrooms to mainstream America. Just let him tell it:

"If there's anything I'll argue about, I'll either bet on it or shut up. And since it's not very becoming for a cowboy to be arguing, I've made a few wagers in my day. But in my humble opinion, I'm no ordinary hustler. You see, neighbor, I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a champion and make a sucker out of him ..."

"I'm fixing to tell you a few things that I've been keeping to myself for a lot of years. If you're not careful, you just might learn how to get rich without ever having a job."

Customer Reviews:

Very Entertaining!.......2007-08-26

This was a very entertaining book. The stories in here will keep you interested from the beginning all the way to the end. It is written in colorful language and allows you to kind of get inside Slim's head. It is a short 264 pages filled with wild stories of how Slim would gamble on almost anything and win. You may not agree with everything written in these pages but you will definitely get a few laughs along the way.

Slim talks about human psychology and what role that plays in gambling. One of his sayings is "never make a bet unless the bet is already one." And through these pages he reveals his secrets to doing just that. I think there are a number of useful things that anyone could pick up and find useful in their own lives from some psychology to a number of bets that anyone could make others that could almost be guaranteed winners. One of the last things Slim says is, "making peace with yourself is the first thing a winner must do."

If you have any interest in the mind of a gambler and like outrageous stories involving risk then I think you will enjoy this book.

Great stories.......2007-07-05

Fast read on a fast pace of a fast life. Amusing and entertaining, and probably educational if you pay attention. The lessons aren't presented as such, but if you follow the pattern of his betting, you learn not to get sucked into a bad deal. Not going to win a Pulitzer, but a great light read if you like biographies, poker, Texas or characters. He makes Huck Finn look like an altar boy.

The Elephant in the Room.......2007-04-20

Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People is a autobiography of Slim focusing (unsurprisingly) on his gambling exploits.

The upside of this book is that it's very entertaining & well written. For a lot of people, that may be more than enought it make it worth their time. The gambling yarns contained within are some of the most incredible I've seen in print, and I'm a fan of the genre.

Unfortunately, there are serious issues of Slim's honesty and integrity surrounding this book.

The first, and more minor, issue is that the book is largely assembled from Slim's previous "Play Poker To Win" and Holden's "Big Deal," often taken nearly word for word from those sources. Not only is this a bit of a raw deal for readers who already have those books, but I'm a little curious why Holden is credited and quoted for some of the sections he wrote, but others masquerade as Slim's voice. I hope nothing dirty is going on here plagiarism-wise, but I'm suspicious.

The second, more serious, issue, is that this is a self-flattering autobiography by a man of very questionable morals. There's no doubt, reading this book, that Slim thinks quite highly of himself. But his actions don't exactly support his opinion. He's a self admitted gambling cheat and liar. In fact, the allegations of cheating go far beyond what he admits to in the book - the depth of his association with Johnny Moss' dirty card rooms and and various mechanics on the Texas circuit was not discussed. Worse yet, there's good reason to believe that Slim is a pedophile. He was arrested on three charges of indecency with his 12-year old granddaughter in 2003, apparently confessed to police, and then plead guilty to reduced charges. His wife divorced him over the incident. Sources in the poker community say that Slim maintains his innocence and claims it was a scheme by a faction of his family to get a hold of his money, but that doesn't explain the confession.

Final Verdict: I WANT to like this book, but a good book glorifying a bad man looses a lot of its luster. In light of that I can't bring myself to like Slim, or his book, nearly as much as he likes himself.

Hilarious!.......2006-09-22

This book is really funny but it isn't going to teach you anything really about gambling and poker. He does give a few pointers, but it is basically the story of his life and what a story it was. It is a very easy book to read and enjoyable for anyone who likes gambling.

The most entertaining poker book ever..........2005-09-27

In a way it's fitting that the most entertaining poker book ever written contains total detail about the most dramatic game of poker ever played, by the greatest card man of the twentieth century. I'm talking about the truly legendary, Thomas Austin "Amarillo Slim" Preston. His amazing book, Amarillo Slim In A World Full of Fat People, is for poker what the BBC's Top Gear is to motoring: funny, wicked, informative and entertaining. If Jeremy Clarkeson is reading this, that wipes out any future poker debts I might accrue!

In the early nineties, Slim was invited help launch the Casino de Caribe in Cartagena, Columbia by casino boss Lynn Simon. Amarillo was flattered to be asked at this late stage in his career only to discover that he would be playing some of the deepest untaxed pockets in the world:namely, the major drug lords of the Columbian cartels. Playing poker for the very highest stakes is nerve racking at the best of times: now just imagine that you're about to have a showdown with Pablo Escobar, probably the most feared cold-blooded killer on Earth. Turns out Pablo just wanted to be friends and show Slim his mansion, his zoo and that he was in charge of Columbia. Once this had been established, Escobar's helicopter dropped Amarillo back at the Caribe. The tall Texan then proceeded to financially disable some of the deadliest Cartel bosses, under protection from a Swiss style physical safety agreement, which they honoured under pain of death from Escobar. Apparently Pablo himself didn't fair well at poker against the card playing cowboy, leaving the Columbian poker challenge to come from his under bosses, who lost the equivalent of 'a week's supply' to the six foot four American.

By the third day the physical safety agreement broke down when one of the Cali Cartel bosses decided to shoot a disloyal girlfriend with a pump action shotgun about a yard from where Amarillo was standing. This should have been Slim's signal to catch the next jet home to Texas but he readily confesses to a liking for danger and besides, a quote from the man himself betrays another reason to stay: "I'd never seen men with more money and less brains than these drug lords." The cowboy stayed and rounded up a mountain of cash before high-tailing it back to cattle country.

In the lives of most card players, the above true story would stand out as the most remarkable of adventures, but trust me, to a man who had won a million dollars by the age of 19, played poker with two Presidents and driven a golf ball over a mile, it was just one of many.

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