REVIEW
Most poker fans focus on the World Series of Poker, or any televised and well funded celebrity filled tournament in between the annual event. But the televised players themselves focus on the card room cash games; both in famous venues like Commerce Casino and in underground meets and home games. The Rebuy is a story of those day to day card games through the eyes of a working stiff Bobby in present day LA.
Deluchi's book may well be a first hand experience. It flips between the slow grind of the office life to the action at and around the tables. His main character Bobby is very relatable, and it is easy to fall into his world of optimistic debt and mistakes. He plays the cards well, but the con artists he meets play him equally as well.
The world outside of the poker rooms comes off as an extension of the bluffs and reads made at the table. We can clearly follow Bobby's adjustments to some bad plays in his normal life, using his skills learned at the tables to overcome his bad luck in life. A real grinder is forged after a bad beat, when his stacks are low, and he has to conservatively and slowly build up his currency. Televised tournaments glamorize the thrill of a risky player saved by a one in fifty two card on the river; but neglect to show the thousands of players each WSOP who bomb out early because they don't have the discipline to track their fellow players and choose their hands.
The Rebuy turned out a be a great analogy, a reminder that the trilling plays are fun for the retelling, but that a dedicated player has to be able to live through the ups and downs. As a frequent visitor to Southern California, I also got a kick out of the background references to Hollywood and the gritty cities.
Capsule:
The Rebuy is a witty immersion in the particular world of the characters whom inhabit Los Angeles poker rooms. I've always heard that LA hosts the original and largest card rooms, and that the Pros sharpen their skills their daily in cash games. The protagonist Bobby is not a consistent table winner, but he has a lot of nerve and personality. I go back to the old adage "You're playing the players, not the cards" and this novel goes a long way into the lifestyle of one of the more charming players. Of course the girls, booze, cards, cash, and crimes don't hurt.
Alfred Modina
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