“The intricacies of family and the complexities of the games they play mingle wonderfully here in a memoir quite unlike any other.”R...
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Feb 10, 2011
Russell
rated it: 
I started this book years ago, thought it sucked and put it down. Then recently I saw it sitting there taunting me and decided to try again. God only knows why I would do that to myself.
Pretend that you're reading a Ben Mezrich book. It's all about smart young people, doing shady shit and getting rich. Only, instead of Mezrich gleefully guiding you through a sordid life of excess, Lederer is appalled by the things around her (even her own participation in the shadiness) and desperate More...
Pretend that you're reading a Ben Mezrich book. It's all about smart young people, doing shady shit and getting rich. Only, instead of Mezrich gleefully guiding you through a sordid life of excess, Lederer is appalled by the things around her (even her own participation in the shadiness) and desperate More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Ensiform
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The author, a poet and daughter of author Richard Lederer, tells of his quietly dysfunctional family: her neurotic father, alcoholic mother, and siblings who left home to become heavy hitter poker players in Vegas. Lederer writes well, with an engaging style that is polished yet simple.
But her memoir is overall too light, a mosaic of only slightly related anecdotes --- her mother trying out for “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,” housesitting for her brother, adjusting to a wealthy board More...
But her memoir is overall too light, a mosaic of only slightly related anecdotes --- her mother trying out for “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,” housesitting for her brother, adjusting to a wealthy board More...
Oct 21, 2011
Ann
rated it: 
I am left mostly with this as an impression: " ... ". Some of the stories in the book were interesting. Many of them feel rushed and oddly inserted. Even though all of the depictions are expertly crafted, mostly you are left wondering why this story was told at all.
Odd timing that I picked up this book right around the time the Justice Department brought allegations against the book's impetus, Howard Lederer. I had been meaning to read it ever since it was published, which was More...
Odd timing that I picked up this book right around the time the Justice Department brought allegations against the book's impetus, Howard Lederer. I had been meaning to read it ever since it was published, which was More...
Apr 20, 2011
Danny
rated it: 
Thoroughly enjoyable memoir from the younger sister of poker stars Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. Howard Lederer's story--which started with hotly contested chess matches against his father, and ended with him being one of the most feared sports and poker gamblers in the world--fascinated me the most. Katy Lederer's struggle to find her place in an ultra-competitive family gave the book a satisfying arc. Interesting read, especially if you're into high-stakes gaming.
Jun 22, 2009
Abby
rated it:
Katy Lederer is "famous" for being the sister of two top-notch poker players from a family with a penchant for gambling. She is also a published poet with an MFA from Iowa. Therefore, I thought the family memoir would be lyrical and observantly analytical. However, Lederer never explains why her family was so attracted, in fact compelled, to take risks, and she never explains why she felt such a need to record it.
Feb 12, 2009
Paula
rated it:
Katy Lederer's trajectory in becoming a poet was perhaps more unusual than most, and it is that "growing up" that she tells the tale of in her memoir Poker Face. The story/bio has all the elements of a great read considering that her mother (a purported "genius")and older brother and sister all become professional gamblers, first in NY and subsequently in Las Vegas, that saddest and most glittery of American cities. Her father teaches for many years at an elite high school f
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Oct 29, 2009
David
rated it:
Poet Katy Lederer re-counts a childhood and young adulthood growing up, literally in a House of Games. Youngest daughter of word maven Richard Lederer and kid sister to poker pros Howard Lederer and Annie Duke, she tells a compelling story of an unusually accomplished though frequently difficult and dysfunctional family.
Apr 16, 2010
Shareen
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Katy Lederer is the not so famous sister of famous gambling siblings Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. How she fits in to this family of gamblers and makes her own life. A very good memoir!
Mar 03, 2011
Luckngrace
rated it:
Written by the younger sister of the famous Howard Lederer and Annie Duke, I enjoyed the inside look at the making of a poker star. I did feel, however, that big bro and sis probably didn't appreciate her portrayals or their lives and motivations. All in all, just okay.
Sep 01, 2009
Mindi
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An interesting story and peek into the lives of professional gamblers. A nice quick read.
Jan 12, 2010
Jef
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considering the source, this was less substantial than i would have guessed.
Feb 18, 2008
Linnea
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More of a memoir than a poker memoir (see her sister, Annie Duke's _How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker_ for a more focused poker memoir), this is a compelling look at a highly intelligent, but odd and dysfunctional family. It has some interesting ideas about what draws people to certain kinds of games and professions.
Nov 26, 2011
Georgediablo
rated it:
It's a pretty average book. Had some interesting moments, but mostly I feel unsatisfied. The first half was far more interesting than the last. It's as if Katy struggled to finish it.
Sep 25, 2008
Joanie
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This book was interesting to me largely because of the author's views of her older brother and sister, professional poker players Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. I am familiar with her siblings' careers and so found this book interesting. Outside of that, it was kind of a generic memoir, and a little patchy.
Feb 03, 2008
Elizabeth
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I thought this book would prove more entertaining to someone who likes poker as much as I do, and it did have it's entertaining anecdotes and poker-playing strategies, but overall I discovered I like playing poker better than I like reading about it.
Jul 07, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
It reads like a good first draft, but it lacks the polish of a finished book.
I know that any ending to a memoir is artificial, but the ending is important.
This book didn't end. It just . . . stopped.
I know that any ending to a memoir is artificial, but the ending is important.
This book didn't end. It just . . . stopped.
Jul 07, 2011
Better at the start than at the end. She writes well, but the stories petered off without really going anywhere or saying anything. Didn't really understand the ending … too bad.
Sep 17, 2008
Alena
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It was an interesting biography. I was pleasantly surprised that it focused more on the lives of each of the family members instead of the actual game of poker.
Sep 11, 2011
Jason
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Sister of poker great Howard Lederer writes of growing up in a gambling family. Enjoyable tales only of interest to hardcore poker aficionados.
Aug 20, 2010
Melissa
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Really disappointed in this book. The narrative was disjointed and I didn't feel that the author was being honest about herself or her family.
Dec 22, 2007
Brian
rated it:
A decent memoire about the Lederer family ... the author is sibling to professional poker players Howard Lederer and Annie Duke.
Jan 19, 2012
Feb 12, 2012
Jan 04, 2012
