All-in [Mass Market Paperback]

Pete Hautman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

"You know how they say you can't climb out of a hole till you hit bottom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm trying to find the bottom."

At seventeen, Denn Doyle isn't old enough to gamble legally, but thanks to his talent for reading tells, he's made a fortune -- and along the way, he's upset some of the most notorious Texas holdem players in Las Vegas, including Artie Kingston, who had already lost his nightclub to Denn. But now Denn's luck has run out and he's just about broke. His only chance is a million-dollar, winner-take-all tournament at Artie's new casino, but Denn can't play unless he comes up with the $10,000 entry fee. Denn's future all comes down to one hand of poker.

National Book Award-winning author Pete Hautman introduced Denn Doyle in No Limit, of which School Library Journal said, "Fast paced and powerfully delivered...as taut and suspenseful as a high-stakes game." Here he deals another hand of love, luck, and greed in the high-stakes world of poker.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Denn Doyle is not a gambler. Gamblers come to Vegas to throw their money at people like Denn, a prodigious investor in his own ability to read "tells" and calculate odds. Armed with a fake ID, the 17-year-old is up nearly a quarter million and almost unbeatable at the table. That is, until he falls for Cattie Hart, a troublesome redhead whose nimble bottom-dealing^B soon lands Denn in dangerous financial and emotional straits. Can Denn stick it to his old enemy, Artie Kingston, in a million-dollar Texas Hold 'Em tournament, or will he have to skulk back home penniless? In this follow-up to No Limit (2005), Hautman nails the heady buzz of winning and the gut-shot numbness of losing it all on the last turn, calling the action with all the deftness of a dealer flipping cards: sharp, fast, and effortless. The love story has about as much drama and chemistry as a date with a video slot machine, making it clear that the real romance here is between Denn and the cards. A quick, slick read for wannabe sharks. Ian Chipman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Hautman nails the heady buzz of winning and the gut-shot numbness of losing it all on the last turn, calling the action with all the deftness of a dealer flipping cards: sharp, fast, and effortless....A quick, slick read for wannabe sharks."--Booklist

"Hautman again delivers a deliciously high-anxiety novel...Poker fans and mystery buffs alike will want to buy in."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Skillfully using the multiple-voice approach, Hautman brings to life the intircacies of poker, crafting a thrilling story of loss, good versus evil, and redemption"--VOYA

"The dialogue is snappy and the plot, especially the ending, unfolds expertly and without cliche."--School Library Journal

"The tournament's tension is top-notch."--Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416913262
• ISBN-13: 978-1416913269
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Card Games > Poker
  • #92 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Games > Fiction

More About the Author

Okay, here's some miscellaneous personal info. I'll try to be as brief as possible. I was born in 1952 in Berkeley, California, or so I am told (I don't really remember). At age five I moved to St. Louis Park, Minnesota where I went to Cedar Manor Elementary School (also the alma mater of Al Franken and the Coen brothers, and no, they are not close personal friends of mine) and eventually graduated honor-free from St. Louis Park High School. This is so tedious. Why do you keep reading? For the next seven years I attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the University of Minnesota. Contrary to recent news reports, I did not graduate from either institution. After college I worked various jobs for which I was ill-suited, including sign painter, graphic artist, marketing executive, pineapple slicer, etc. Eventually, having exhausted other options, I decided to write. My first novel, Drawing Dead, was published in 1993. Today, I live with mystery writer and poet Mary Logue in Golden Valley, Minnesota and Stockholm, Wisconsin. We have two small dogs (are you still reading?) named Rene and Jacques. There you have it. Fifty-plus years compressed into a few short paragraphs. Feel free to copy and paste for your book report, but don't tell anybody I suggested it. Need to know more? Check out the FAQs page on my website at http://www.petehautman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Life & Poker, January 25, 2010

By 

We read! - See all my reviews

This review is from: All-in (Mass Market Paperback)

My book All-in says that falling in love with someone and playing poker don't go together very well. It's like eating pizza and doing jumping jacks at the same time. For example, while Denn is playing a game of no limit Texas hold'em, he notices a beautiful girl and can't stop staring at her. Then when it's his turn to bet, he just hurries up and bets instead of taking his time.

Denn is now drooling over this girl instead of playing poker. I don't know about you, but I think it wouldn't be easy to concentrate on a girl and poker at the same time. The first time Denn saw Cattie Heart, and her long red hair, he completely forgot about the game, forgot about everything, but that red hair. "And those burnt-caramel eyes that sat a little tilted on her face, like maybe she had one Asian grandmother and one Irish one." Then next thing you know is a guy yelling, "DUDE! Denn, snap out of it."

I would strongly recommend this book. It's a very interesting book, and if you like poker, you will love this book. It's not all just about poker, and the most interesting thing about this book is that it is about a 16-year-old living the life of a professional poker player. Then he slowly learns more and more about life interfering with his game.

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying novel and poker lesson, August 3, 2007

By 

Christina Hare (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All-in (Hardcover)

All-in is a terrific follow-up to No Limit. I can't wait for the next installment in Denn's story.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pass on this one, February 23, 2008

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: All-in (Hardcover)

This author has shown the ability to be a fine writer. I bought this book without realizing it was part of the Young Reader program. Not to worry, some writers do their best in that genre. Carl Hiassan comes to mind.

First of all this is more of a novella than a book. The plot is fairly obvious. If it had been fleshed out into a real book there is a novel sitting there.

This one is mostly bones and little meat.