Big Deal: One Year as a Professional Poker Player
£12.30
BIG DEAL is the mesmerising story of a year spent by bestselling biographer Anthony Holden in the tough world of the professional poker player. He spent days and nights in the poker paradise of Las Vegas, in Malta and Morocco, even shipboard, mingling with the legendary greats, sharpening his game, perfecting his repartee, and learning a great deal about himself in the process.
Poker, Holden would insist, is not gambling. Like chess it is a paradigm of life at its most intense, a gladiatorial contest that brings out the best as well as the worst in people. Its heroes, its eccentrics and is comedians stalk the pages of this remarkable book, along with all the hair-raising, nail-biting excitement of the games themselves.
A classic of the genre, BIG DEAL is here reissued with a new introduction by the author.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Abacus, New ed. edition (5 Sept. 2002) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 385 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0349115192 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0349115191 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.21 x 19.8 cm |
by Amazon Customer
I love poker and bought this as a holiday read based on some decent reviews so thought I would leave my thoughts.
The book is based around Anthony Holdens efforts to become a poker pro for a year. He talks through hand analysis and it’s fair to say that time has not been kind to his reads as he seems to only ever put his opponents on the nuts. To call Tony Holdens style of play tight would be like describing the Pacific Ocean as a bit damp.
In a nutshell, he travels the world playing tournaments, doesn’t cash in a single one and seems to permanently leave himself waiting for a premium hand with about a third of his original stack each time. Reading in 2016, the book doesn’t age well as his play comes across as very defensive and I found myself cringing every time he explained a hand.
On the plus side, he does write nicely, and would have no issue in prising his story telling, but if your after a good poker journey tale, with some gung ho action, this probably isn’t the one for you.
by Mark E
Although thirty years old now, this is still a riveting read from a genuine author. There’s enough recognisable names to keep the modern reader ‘au fait’ and the stories of poker played in Morocco, on pleasure ships and in the old card rooms of London are fresh with nostalgia. What’s more, there’s not one mention of GTO, fold equity or 4-bet semi-bluffs. Happier times, when it was ok to admit that ‘playing the man’ (and it usually was a man) is the heart of any poker game.
by clive harrop
Interesting
by Mr Gordon Davidson
This is an excellent book. Obviously, it is about poker. What it takes to win. The players that Holden encountered. The structure of the tournaments. The actual games themselves. It may not sound like much but it is absolutely fascinating and quite hard to put down. It’s also surprisingly exciting and I found myself seriously rooting for Holden to succeed.
by CallyPool
More than a book about one man’s Poker odyssey, this is a beautifully written, endlessly witty cultural snapshot. Those reviewers hung up on the ‘hand analysis’ are sadly missing the point. If you want a poker playing guide in 2018 go online and listen to a world class German in his 20’s. This book is not a players guide, but a joyful read for anyone who has ever let the bewitching game of poker into their bloodstream.
by Set To Stun
Good book about poker, bit dated now with regards to the numbers and pots being won but enjoyed reading this book.
by Amazon Customer
Really interesting ethnography (for that is what it really is) of the international poker community. Mr Holden writes wonderfully – interesting, insightful and downright fun at times.
by Michael
An interest concept for a book, a poker player for a year is something I’m sure many people have considered to try and this book could have been a great window into what it was like.
More of a book about the authors enjoyment of the game, there were only flashes of what would be expected as life as a professional.
One annoyance I must address is the authors belief in the book that he was the 90th best player in the world and best in Britain because of his finishing position in the WSOP main event one year. Clearly a rue for the casual reader not understanding the variance of tournament results. He claimed he was best in Britain because he was the highest British finisher in the event… he was the only one.
Constant references to his Tuesday night game showed no inkling of a professional lifestyle. Playing once a week and a tournament series every couple of months (while drunk in some cases) is not what would be considered a professional approach even factoring in the pre-internet age.
A more accurate title for the book would have been ‘My love of poker and why’