I'm All In: Lyle Berman and the Birth of the World Poker Tour [Hardcover]

Lyle Berman (Author), Marvin Karlins (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2005

Lyle Berman, a one-of-a-kind combination of high-stakes poker maverick and entrepreneurial tycoon, shares the amazing tale of his life, a non-stop romp through the exciting and often perilous worlds of high-stakes gambling and business. Berman, who is a driving force

behind the poker phenomenon that has swept America and the world, shares a never-before-seen glimpse into the birth and early struggles of the World Poker Tour. This is a story that only Berman can tell. With colorful anecdotes and hard-won wisdom, I'M ALL IN sheds new light on the life and times of a man, a game, and a national phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In the poker world, Lyle Berman is known for a legendary 50-year career that has brought him three World Series of Poker championship bracelets, induction into Binion's Poker Hall of Fame, and millions of dollars in winnings. In the business world, Berman is known as the entrepreneurial mastermind behind several highly successful businesses, including Lakes Entertainment, Inc.-a billion dollar enterprise-and the World Poker Tour.

Marvin Karlins, Ph.D., is the author of 21 books, ranging in subject from fiction and time-management to gambling and psychology. Karlins served as the Senior Editor for Gambling Times magazine for ten years and has been interviewed for numerous print and television features on gambling and the gaming industry.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Cardoza; First edition. edition (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580421768
• ISBN-13: 978-1580421768
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading!, March 20, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm All In: Lyle Berman and the Birth of the World Poker Tour (Hardcover)

Lyle Berman was born into a family that had moderate success in a very niche market: leather products, especially coats. He learned the business from the ground up, helped his father build the business, sold it, bought it back, merged it, sold it again and used the proceeds to build wealth for his family.

Along the way he learned the art of the deal and the rush he got from that paralleled the rush he got from playing high-stakes poker. The two came together the first time when he became the outside agent who became the driving force that launched Indian Gaming. He accelerated gaming in Mississippi when he recognized that the need to be "offshore" on the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not necessarily mean on a boat, and he used barges to create bigger, glitzier, and more hypnotic casinos than would otherwise be possible.

The two "rushes" came together again when the timing was right to create the World Poker Tour. From concept to product to launch--The World Poker Tour came together in a series of meetings that at first made the probability of it going anywhere seem unlikely. But Lyle's connections and experience put the pieces together to launch a product in a niche market that was ready for something new. The details make for fascinating reading.

What also makes for fascinating reading is Berman's candor about what success costs. While he doesn't dwell on it, he does acknowledge that his drive for business success also laid the seeds of personal failure in his marriages and the impact it had on him and his children.

Armchair Interviews says: Well worth reading--especially for the person who is willing to read between the lines for life lessons that can be learned.