Customer Reviews

Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are a couple things to keep in mind right from the start in thinking about the phenomenon of Chris Moneymaker, amateur Internet player, who wins the World Championship of Poker in 2003. One, he really is an amateur, or at least was when he won the coveted bracelet; and two, there's a good bit of luck involved in winning any poker tournament. No player ever won one without being lucky a time or two, and usually more often than that. Moneymaker, as this book reveals, was a bit luckier than most.

Here's another thing to keep in mind. It would seem that a poker player who cut his eyeteeth on the Internet game would be at some kind of serious disadvantage to players used to playing live. I say this because on the Internet the only tells you can pick up (or give away) relate to how long it takes to bet, and, to be honest, these tells aren't very reliable since God only knows what the other player may be doing besides playing poker. Many players play more than one table at a time, and that can account for the gaps in response when it's their turn to act. So Chris Moneymaker, a kind of not too sophisticated young guy, an accountant from Tennessee with credit card debt and a wife and kid to support, would not seem the sort of guy who would suddenly discover an incredible ability to read players or to be unreadable himself.

But what Moneymaker proves, as he narrates this unlikely tale (filtered through skillful wordsmithing by professional writer Daniel Paisner), is that for one tournament, you may not need all the skills. Stamina in the five-day tournament, averaging over ten hours of play per day, can be an important factor, especially against the older players. And Moneymaker had stamina. But he really wasn't very good at reading the other players. Again and again he relates how he put the other guy on the wrong hand. But it usually didn't matter because (1) he either had the best hand going or (2) drew out.

What Moneymaker did prove beyond a shadow of a doubt was his ability to run a stone cold bluff through some very strong players with better hands. That's his gift, and to be honest it's a double-edge one in the poker world. Normally it is better to be thought of as conservative and close to the vest in your play. That way when you do go out on a limb, you're not as likely to be called. On the other hand, if you are known as a bluffer, you are going to get called down a lot.

Yet, being known as somebody who will splash chips with nothing, as Moneymaker demonstrated--if handled right--is good because then all you have to do is wait for your good hands and shove your chips into the pot. You will get played with. But it takes a real professional, a strongly balanced player to be just wild enough, to be just aggressive enough so that you manage to get called when you have the goods, and to make them fold when you don't. Some players refer to this as "changing gears." They have, through their previous play, established a "table image," and now is the time to take advantage of it. If you've been betting the ranch on a wing and prayer, now is the time to wait for pocket rockets. If you've been tossing everything but Big Slick and up into the muck, now is the time to take a flyer on unsuited connectors.

But Moneymaker apparently was not able to adjust to his new image and new life as a poker celebrity, as the reigning World Champion--and, as this story makes clear, he spent entirely too much time partying and basking in the glory, and not enough to taking care of business at home and on the felt tables.

In other words this is a cautionary tale as well as a great poker read. The little guy fells the giants, but falls victim to the corruption of the spoils himself. I feel somewhat sorry for Chris Moneymaker because in reading this book I know he still hasn't a clue--well, he has a clue, but he just hasn't developed the character yet to come to grips with the truth and deal with his sudden, largely fortuitous success. This book concentrates on the poker playing and only hints at what success has done to Moneymaker's personal life, the drinking, the living on the road, the career change, the failure of his marriage...

He's like the guy who won the lottery, not like the guy who reached the pinnacle of his profession after years of hard work. And it shows.

They say if the gods really want to destroy a man, they will give him his fondest wish. I think this is what happened to the man from Tennessee. Only time will tell if he can come back from the personal debacle and get his life together. I wish him well. His story did a lot for poker, and this is a good book in that he was honest enough to show himself as he really is. Now he needs to take a good, long study of the guy in the mirror.

I am not a poker player..don't know how to play the game, but I was fascinated by Chris Moneymaker's book, "Moneymaker: How an Amateur Poker Player Turned $40 into $2.5 Million at the World Series of Poker".

Though many people reading the book will know exactly how its played, I wasn't sure what Chris meant when he talked about the blind, the flop, the river etc. Chris has an explanation of the game and cards at the back of the book. Sadly I didn't realize this till I had finished the book. So take a peek at the back if you don't know how to play.

Chris, started gambling as a child. As he grows older he works hard to make a few dollars but then will rashly toss $500 or even a thousand into a bet for a sports game.

Eventually Chris begins to play the game of poker and enters a $40 Pokerstars internet competition. The game goes very well...so well that Chris eventually scores first prize: a $10,000 seat at Binion"s Championship Poker.

Chris recounts his thoughts and feelings as he faces opponents, and walks away with the grand prize of 2.5 million dollars...a nice chunk of change!

Though Chris tends to whine and make excuses for when he loses, (I was drunk...I was tired...) he writes a very interesting book. You feel like you are at the poker table with him and you get a backstage feel for the championship.

Super read and I am sure a heck of a lot more people are entering the Pokerstars $40 tournaments these days!

Moneymaker doesn't try to come across as a brain, which is the big strength of this book. The narrative is interesting and fun (a lot like BIGGEST GAME or BIG YEAR), and he talks about key hands. There's not much strategy, but for pure "you're sitting at the table" voyeurism, this book delivers.

+++++

"The poker player learns that sometimes both science and common sense are wrong; that the bumblebee can fly; that, perhaps, one should never trust an expert; that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt by those with an academic bent."

This is an actual quotation (by a famous poker player) found in this fascinating, well-written, and often humorous book by Chris Moneymaker. Yes! That's his real name. (Daniel Paisner, an author, also helped with the writing.) This book definitely proves the above quote and effectively conveys how Moneymaker "turned $40 into $2.5 million at the [2003] world series of poker."

This is not a strategy book. However, the reader will pick up a few tips as Moneymaker recounts the days that led up to him winning the 2003 world series of poker. Day one (there are five days altogether) of his incredible journey to become a poker champion is interweaved with biographical details of his life.

Moneymaker was not, as the book's subtitle states, an "amateur poker player" or, in fact, was not an amateur gambler. He was, however, an amateur poker tournament player.

Starting with day two, there are "chip leaders" lists for each day. The tournament that Moneymaker was involved in (which he ultimately won) had a total prize pool of $7,802,700.

There are appendices at the end of the book each of which is called a "crib sheet." People not familiar with poker will find them invaluable especially the ones entitled "A short course in Texas Hold'em (this was the type of poker game that the tournament Moneymaker was involved in played) and "A glossary of poker terms."

Finally, my only minor complaint is the glossary (that's indicated above) does not contain a couple of basic poker terms.

In conclusion, this book recounts how an amateur poker player named Chris Moneymaker turned $40 into $2.5 million at the world series of poker. I will leave you with another quotation by a famous poker player that is in this book:

"Poker is a lot like sex. Everyone thinks they're the best, but most people don't know what they're doing."

(first published 2005; 9 chapters; afterword; main narrative 225 pages; 5 appendices)

+++++

So many people think this guy just got lucky. Don't get me wrong, luck plays a major role in winning a poker tournament. All the luck in the world won't help however if you don't have your head in the game and know what your doing. Chris tells a very captivating tale about how he grew up a gambler, turned to online poker as an outlet after he got married, and then earned a shot at 2.5 million dollars and took down the biggest poker tournament in the world. I picked up the book and honestly read it from cover to cover before putting it down. FYI this is not a biography. It's simply the story of his huge win, with enough previous life story included so you understand what brought him there. Hell I'd like to buy him a beer for not holding back. It was a great story told without the spin the ESPN analysts put on it. Well done Chris!

This is far from a how-to book on poker. I'd say its more of a how-NOT-to on life, especially where gambling is concerned. Chris Moneymaker touches on his life story while describing the events and some of the key hands that led to his winning the 2003 World Series of Poker tournament. The thing I respect most about his story is that he lets you have the good AND the bad. He pats himself on the back where appropriate, but humbly lets you learn from his mistakes too.

As a novice poker player I found the blow by blow description of his poker experiences interesting and often informative. You get a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes at a tournament like this, an idea of what it feels like to suddenly find yourself up against some of the big names, and some insight into what goes thru someone's mind when thousands, and then millions are riding on what you do with a couple playing cards you're holding in front of you. A book like The Super System tells you how to play poker - this book tells you what its like to play poker at the top.

Meanwhile, other parts of the book left me wanting to slap him for the stupid decisions he made in his life, and then shake his hand for being honest and generous enough to include the negative aspects - the devestating mistakes he made with his life, specifically his problems with gambling. A lesser man would have left this at a fairy tale-like "average Joe hits it big" story. Instead, he gives it all, the good and the bad.

Overall, the story moves along very nicely. Its honest and interesting. After reading the book I feel like I know the guy for what he is, a good guy, a good poker player, a down to earth type who isn't perfect and doesn't mind letting you know it. It would have been all too easy to leave out the embarrassing parts while accentuating the good ones and just give you the glamour leaving you with an air brushed picture of a larger than life instant celebrity, but instead, whatever his motivation, he had the stones to tell it like it is.

For his honesty, and the simple fact this book was such a page turner alone, I gave it five stars. This is a must-read for anyone interested in poker.

While the story in general held my interest, I feel this could have been a much stronger effort. The credits suggest there was a ghost writer, and I presume there was an editor, but despite that, the writing style "left me all kinds of distracted." (Chris says "all kinds of" a LOT in this book...)

The parts about his financial woes and the attempt to humanize and "explain" why and how he became a gambling addict in high school and college were just kind of sad... as if, were we to understand how Chris has been betting on things all his life, it would kind of make it not his fault that he had such a problem?

The parts about the tournament were kind of amusing in the way that anybody's "fish that got away" poker stories are kind of amusing. However, given the blurriness with which he seems to recall many events, I tend to doubt the accuracy of any of the "hand stories" and feel that there's probably a good deal of legend-building and revisionism going on.

The hand ranking and starting hand guide appendices at the end are a complete waste of space and shouldn't fool anyone into thinking that this book has educational value beyond teaching people that it's not a good idea to be a gambler.

Moneymaker in many respects reminds me of John Daly, the professional golfer who was sporadically great and always wanted to "grip it and rip it". But Daly is known for his aggressive style and addictions to drinking and gambling which have kept him from truly being a great player. Moneymaker had the same problems but improbably was able to rise, at least once, to the top of the poker world. He's only had limited success in tournament poker since, but that doesn't mean that he can't play.

His life story is fascinating and very funny in places, but it also is a cautionary tale. I've read a number of poker books recently that focus more on the personality of the pros rather than the strategy underlying their games and there always seems to be a dark undercurrent of gambling addiction and other problems. I thought Daly was just an accountant who through pure luck won the World Series of Poker main event. His actual story is much more interesting.

Why I'd recommend the book:
*interesting portrayal of a World Series main event from the perspective of someone who never expected to be there
*an insight into how someone might be attracted to pro poker
*it's a funny read in places
*how the element of luck plays out even in a strategic skill game
*it's definitely a cautionary look at the perils of drinking and gambling from an early age.

Cons against reading it:
*if you are looking for a strategic playing or instructional book, this isn't it.

I picked up this book on a whim at my favorite book store's bargain table for only a few dollars....and it was a first edition. I read the book very quickly. It was entertaining in all aspects. He does a good job in describing what is going through his mind during the tournament but it is not a how-to play poker book (fortunately). However, you can pick up some good tips.

He also describes his life prior to making his name known in the world of poker and I found this to be the most interesting. He always had some type of bets going with his neighborhood friends, he had some hard knocks in sport betting and spells it all out clearly. It's a fun book that is truly rags to riches.

What would you do immediately after winning millions? Ha Ha, he did exactly what I would've done.

Well-written, entertaining book that anyone who likes poker, or gambling in general, should read. While I didn't learn anything that would make me a better poker player, I did learn what can happen, both good and bad, if you don't keep gambling in check (whether it be poker, sports, craps). Moneymaker's insight into the WSOP from eyes and ears of a player who actually sat there, was dealt cards, and played against the pros was superb. We all saw the ESPN coverage of the 2003 WSOP, but this book helps to tell a part of the story that ESPN didn't cover.