Customer Reviews

The Biggest Game in Town

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I know this book is 20 years old, so its not particularly surprising that most of the anecdote and stories seem old. Its all about Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek and Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson. Naturally there's a new posse in the world of poker today, Men the Master Nguyen, Phil Hellmuth , Poker Dick Cook. and the brilliant Russell Rosenblum. The world of the world series of poker has changed much since this book was written in 1983, there remains a question even about how much longer Binions will host the world series and the there is a real possiblity that Bellagio will even buy the trademarked name. This book advertises itself as a timeless cult classic, and as a period piece from 25 years ago, A. Alvarez captured a time and place. I wonder how much of this however will resound as novel to the poker player of today. When Alvarez mentioned Stu Unger winning the world series, it left me wanting to read about how stu ungar moved from world champion to dying in a run down Vegas motel room. Or when he talked about Ted Binion running Binions, the mind flashes to the fact that binion has since been murdered .Plenty of good advice in here for hold em play, of course the problem in gambling isn't usually knowing what to do, its being able to do it, to fight fatigue, to fight temptation to play too many hands, to summon up the courage to pitch aces when you know they have been cracked. The problem with the gamblig genre is that there just arent that many good books out there. Too many agents and publishers think they won't sell and bookstores tend to look down on gambling books as being anti-literary. Snobbery in the bookstore world is a real problem, as anyone who has ever asked a proprietor if they carry the Racing Form on their mag rack will quickly find out.

Quite simply, this is one of the best books I have ever read. My only regret is that it was way too short. Alvarez, simply put, is a great writer. You will not be surprised by his background as a poet after opening it because he writes masterfully. He has a poet's sense for distilled language no words are wasted and the quotations are carefully selected and sometimes astounding (like Binion's equating gambling with all that is American). The organization and flow of the work is tremendous and his 188 pages turned like 40. There's no way you'll put The Biggest Game in Town once you start it.

No work better describes the "alligator blood" of the world's top notch professional poker players. His portraits of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Strauss will be with you forever.

The sheer aggression of Hold 'Em becomes quite obvious as does the way in which our sexual drives, and just about everything else, become sublimated in those who are addicted to gambling. However, the allure of "action" is quite apparent and will make readers want to fly out to the World Series of Poker to experience the pagaentry for themselves. This is a rare and valuable offering.

It takes the insights of a foreigner to really lay out Las Vegas in all its bloated glory. Alvarez has an economical yet beautiful way with words that captures a time and place nicely. Though the Vegas he writes of is long gone (for example, the only kids' attraction in the early 1980s was Circus! Circus!), this book is not just a snapshot of bygone times and tournaments. It is particularly interesting in its portrayal of Doyle Brunson, as well as other players of the era. Great stuff!

This book is a time capsule of a very different Las Vegas. The Vegas of the late 70's and early 80's was centered around the downtown area, with none of the all-encompassing resorts on the Strip. This is the heyday of Binion's Horseshoe, when Benny Binion was holding court at the most over-the-top gambling paradise. Unlike other casinos, the Horseshoe had to limits on the bets it would accepts and played host to the most outrageous gamblers and bets of the time.

All the greats of poker legend appear here--Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek Dandalos in their 1949 many-weeks-long marathon multi-million dollar game, Doyle Brunson, wacky cowboy gambler Amarillo Slim Preston, and formidable strategist Jack Strauss, among others.

This is a must-read for any poker player. For a modern look inside the World Series of Poker, try James McManus's Positively Fifth Street.

This book is a must have for the serious poker library. While many of the poker players that Alvarez writes about in the book have now become household names, they were virtual unknowns (outside of their peers) when he wrote this book. This book really was groundbreaking in many ways.

Reading this book will enable you to appreciate the mentality of the hi-limit players before poker became mainstream and commercialized. If you want to appreciate a little more about the history of the World Series of Poker, this is a good place to start. The event was not always the "circus" that it has become today.

Alvarez has a nice writing style that is entertaining and easy to read. This is a quick read that you can get through in a few hours. I recommend it.

This book is a like a time-capsule that sheds light on the poker world before poker was on every channel and before Hold 'Em was the biggest game in town.
A great look at one journalist's foray into the World Series of Poker, this is just a terrific book.
He's a great writer, he captures the action clearly and with a 'you're in the game' point of view, and he makes it very exciting, yet still personal.
A must read for all players.

This is the first modern poker yarn by a legendary poker player and yes, literary critic. It seems half the UK poker players get their bonafides by how closely connected they are to Mr. Alvarez and his weekly game.

This book is not to be missed. The previous reviewer holds against that it was written before the current poker boom (or is it poker bubble). It chronicles such minor figures as Stuey Ungar and the WSOP. What poker player cares about that?

The latest poker memoir writers all pay tribute to this influential book. See what all the fuss is about.

Far better than some of the current narratives written by really weak players. I want to name them, but I won't.

This is such a great book, whether your big on poker or not. A. Alvarez was a close friend of Sylvia Plath and was best known (prior to this book) as the author of a study/contemplation of suicide, "The Savage God."

Wikipedia: [...]

This book is about the World Series of Poker and the road to it, in a day when poker was still young and there were far less entries. Great period piece, still very relevant today

A. Alvarez wrote a number of seemingly thematically unconnected books on the strange and the remarkable, outliers in life. The still-novel world of the World Series of Poker of the late '70s and early '80s, still lovingly controlled by the Binions and hosting all of 104 contestants (for the main event), as well as the still-interesting Las Vegas of the time, makes for a perfect study of unusual people living very unusual lives.

The heart of the book is an examination of various characters and their environment. And so we get a lot written on Johnny Moss, Jack Straus, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, the very young Stu Ungar, and so on; and along the way we get an understanding of a group, their time, and the poker mind. It's not always exactly uplifting, but it is endlessly fascinating. The book is something of a historical chestnut; these people and their times are almost all gone, and today's poker players very different. Times have changed dramatically, and so of course have the people.

Alvarez was a very shrewd observer of human nature, a natural interviewer, excellent at drawing out not only the standard stories his subjects would tell, but also the often more hidden key points of what made them tick. Most importantly, he wrote exceedingly well; crisp, sometimes witty, thoughtful, incisive...simply extremely well crafted work throughout.

The book's snapshot approach to the WSOP in Las Vegas as of 1982 dates it somewhat, if you are looking to read about the latest and greatest in the poker world. But if you enjoy outstanding writing, as well as the evocation of a unique time populated by unique characters, this is a book you will enjoy reading and rereading for many years.

I've read a number of the "writer/journalist poker life" genre books. (I'd guess at least six). This is the best written.

Yes, I know the book is almost thirty years old. And yes, the references to the Las Vegas of that era are almost quaint. However, I'm one of the very rare,a fourth generation Nevadan, so this takes me back to a time where I thought Las Vegas was really rocking. It's amusing to read about that period in today's context.

Alvarez captures the old downtown Las Vegas atmosphere perfectly. It's amazing that some of the poker world characters from that time are still active today. His writing is superb.

I've read this genre in the wrong order starting with the most recent books and then moving backward in time as I became fascinated with poker history. I wish I had started with this one so that I had the right chronological flow.

Best books of this genre, in my order of preference, (not chronological):

"Biggest Game in Town", Alvarez
"Positively Fifth Street", McManus
"Big Deal", Anthony Holden

Don't worry about the age of the book. It holds up marvelously.