Take Me to the River: A Wayward and Perilous Journey to the World Series of Poker
Peter Alson
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
An overeducated underachiever, Peter Alson spent his post-college decades doing his best not to grow up. But having just turned fifty, this rambling-gambling bachelor decides it's time to settle down. So he pops the question to his longtime girlfriend, then hatches a plan to pay for their wedding -- involving poker and a trip to Las Vegas. Boarding a plane bound for the neon desert and the biggest game in town -- the 2005 World Series of Poker -- this inveterate gambler and bad boy stares down his past and his future while competing for over $56 million in prize money. Take Me to the River is a hilarious, wrenching, full-tilt Vegas exploration of one man's obsession with poker and the lessons it has to offer -- about probability and luck, good fortune and bad, patience, perseverance, and -- most fitting for a man with marriage in his near future -- commitment.
Product Details
Price
$19.99
Publisher
Atria Books
Publish Date
September 01, 2007
Pages
304
Dimensions
5.59 X 8.46 X 0.74 inches | 0.62 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780743288378
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About the Author
Peter Alson is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie and coauthor of One of a Kind, a biography of the poker champion Stuey Ungar, and Atlas: From the Street to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Man. Alson's articles have appeared in many national magazines, including Esquire, Playboy, and The New York Times Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Alice, and their daughter Eden.
Reviews
"A bloody good read." - Poker Life
"[Alson's] transparent prose is ferociously honest and deceptively simple." -- Matthew Klam, author of Sam the Cat and Other Stories
"A compelling look inside the often tortured lives of professional gamblers." -- Mason Levinson, Bloomberg News
"Literary, smartly written." -- The Poker Gazette
"Alson is at his best in recounting pivotal hands from his tournament experiences. He expertly builds suspense while explaining how he observes his opponents for clues and calculates his chances of winning a hand." -- St. Petersburg Times
"Without question, one of the finest poker books ever written." -- James McManus, bestselling author of Positively Fifth Street
"[Alson's] transparent prose is ferociously honest and deceptively simple." -- Matthew Klam, author of Sam the Cat and Other Stories
"A compelling look inside the often tortured lives of professional gamblers." -- Mason Levinson, Bloomberg News
"Literary, smartly written." -- The Poker Gazette
"Alson is at his best in recounting pivotal hands from his tournament experiences. He expertly builds suspense while explaining how he observes his opponents for clues and calculates his chances of winning a hand." -- St. Petersburg Times
"Without question, one of the finest poker books ever written." -- James McManus, bestselling author of Positively Fifth Street
