REVIEW
Most
pundits believe that poker's incredible
boost in popularity over the last few
years comes largely from three sources:
(1) The expansion of online poker, (2)
the popularity of televised poker, and
(3) the spectacular success story of Chris
Moneymaker's win in the final event at
the 2003 World Series of Poker. Amateur
poker players all over the world have
been inspired by Moneymaker's story, parlaying
$40 into what at that time was the biggest
tournament poker payday ever. Moneymaker
recounts how this all came about in his
self-titled book.
About
the first third of the book cuts back
and forth between background on Moneymaker,
the events that lead to his arrival at
the World Series, and his recollections
of the event itself. Once the setup is
done, the rest of the book goes into considerable
detail about the events of that fateful
week and provides some information on
the aftermath.
The
background material is remarkably candid.
Basically, Moneymaker makes the claim
that his low-stakes online poker playing
was in some measure a way for him to keep
a big sports betting problem in check.
He recounts both the good and bad aspects
of his upbringing and history in a way
that sheds a great deal of light on his
character. He isn't looking for absolution
here, he's calling it like he sees it.
Even though Moneymaker doesn't paint a
terribly flattering picture of himself
here, there is something admirable in
this sort of forthrightness.
Moneymaker's
story can't help but be compelling. In
its most basic form, winning the final
event at the World Series of Poker in
dramatic fashion is a dream likely shared
by everyone with even a peripheral involvement
in poker. This story appeals to those
who play nickel-dime-quarter poker around
the kitchen table, and it also appeals
to the most seasoned tournament professionals,
including even those who have already
won this event. Consequently, I'd expect
that just about every poker player would
be interested in the story line of this
book.
A
strategy guide, Moneymaker is not.
Based on my reading, the hands and situations
described by Moneymaker are often accompanied
by a rather shallow analysis of the situation.
Of course, I don't know the extent to
which the book reflects on the author's
own understanding of the game. In any
event, this is not a strategy book, and
it suffers little in this regard.
The book succeeds by giving the reader
insight into Moneymaker's perspective
on the 2003 World Series of Poker. This
inside view is likely to be more titillating
to those who haven't played a number of
big money tournaments, but I expect it
will still interest those who have. Moneymaker
doesn't appear personally compelling or
as a person of destiny or anything like
that. More than anything else he appears
to be just another guy who happened to
stumble across a winning lottery ticket.
This is someone to whom we can all relate.
Moneymaker
may not be "high literature", and it's
not a strategy guide. It is a light and
entertaining guide to winning a major
poker tournament, and this is probably
as close to this experience as most poker
players are going to get. I enjoyed it.
Capsule:
Moneymaker
is the story of Chris Moneymaker's improbable
run to win the main event at the 2003
World Series of Poker. The book details
his background, the events that led up
to his World Series run, and his details
about the events of the tournament itself.
What little poker strategy that can be
gleaned from these pages shouldn't be
given much regard, but that's not what
this book is about. This is a light but
compelling story of an ordinary guy who
got struck by lightning. Even though those
who haven't experienced big-time poker
tournaments will probably find the book
a little more exciting, I believe it will
entertain even the most grizzled veterans.
Nick
Christenson
Gambling
Book Reviews
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