Customer Reviews

Swimming with the Devil Fish: The Colourful Story of the UK's Number 1 Poker Player

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Firstly, don't buy this to find the deep inner workings of a genius's mind. Frankly, don't buy it if you've never heard of Dave Ulliott. While hardly a "hagiography" - it won't make anyone want to recommend the man for a place in heaven - this book does a good job of showing how a certain type of gambler, even a criminal, can prevail in the world of poker even in the modern era of college geeks and mathematical wizards. By the way, it traces the history of some of England's best known modern poker players, and hence fills a gap in the poker lierature. Outside the crippling legislation of the US, poker's renaissance is continuing, and the Devilfish is as colorful as any Matusow or the tiresome Hellmuth. This is not a great book, but it's worth a read if you know something of the context. By contrast, Mr Wilson's next tome - Ghosts at the Table - is a very fine history and debunker of poker myth, that should be bought and devoured by all (not released in the US at the time of this review).

Very entertaining look at one of the most colorful characters in poker!

Highly recommended

This book should be retitled to "Swimming with the Poker Fish and Every other poker player in Europe". Too little about Devil Fish. Too much about everyone else.Swimming with the Devil Fish: The Colourful Story of the UK's Number 1 Poker Player

David "Devilfish" Ulliott is a poker player, and a great one at that. A hagiography, however, doesn't do much for this sort of being in the modern world. Perhaps the author might have chosen another time to write this legend lived large story: Victorian England might be otherwise appropriate.

Don't waste your time reading this; learn to play cards instead.