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The Biggest Game in Town
by
A. Alvarez
Al Alvarez touched down in Las Vegas one hot day in 1981, a dedicated amateur poker player but a stranger to the town and its crazy ways. For three mesmerizing weeks he witnessed some of the monster high-stakes games that could only have happened in Vegas and talked to the extraordinary characters who dominated them--road gamblers and local professionals who won and l
...morePaperback, 192 pages
Published
February 3rd 2009
by Picador
(first published 1983)
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In 1983 Al Alvarez wrote a book called The Biggest Game in Town. It was both a history of poker and an account of the 1981 main event which was won by Stu Ungar. Alvarez was and is a great writer of both poetry and prose, and was also Sylvia Plath’s close friend and editor. He knows how to put words together and he also knows a lot about poker, being a long-time player himself. The combination of writing ability an deep knowledge of his subject makes The Biggest Game in Town, in quite a few peop...more
"Las Vegas is no more a place for childhood than it is a place for sensibility. It is a town without grace and without nuance, where the only useful virtues are experience, survival and money. "In Vegas, they weigh you up in gold," said Jack Straus. "They call it the golden rule: the man who has the gold makes the rules." (Page 40)
The Biggest Game in Town gives you the 1970's history of the World Series of Poker, held at Jack Binion's Horseshoe Casino, along...more
The Biggest Game in Town gives you the 1970's history of the World Series of Poker, held at Jack Binion's Horseshoe Casino, along...more
I just reread this book, about the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in 1981--long before online poker, long before ESPN coverage, long before poker players were celebrities--and was again amazed and enthralled at the vividness of the writing, the insight of Alvarez (known for his poetry and his famous book on suicide) into the game, the nightmare/dream that is Las Vegas, and the colorful personalities who were pokers superstars (one of them, Doyle Brunson, is still a poker luminary). It's...more
Another poker classic on my Shelf of Honor. 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: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Alvarez
This book is also about the World Series of Poker (see my comments about Positively Fifth Street) but written about 20 years before James McManus's account -- in the days when the participants numbered in the dozens, ...more
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Alvarez
This book is also about the World Series of Poker (see my comments about Positively Fifth Street) but written about 20 years before James McManus's account -- in the days when the participants numbered in the dozens, ...more
Great travel writing-esque review of the 1981 World Series of Poker...
Written by someone from the UK, the perspective of the outsider looking in to the Vegas of that era is a novel way to see Glitter Gulch, than other histories of Vegas I've read.
Definitely, written for those with an affinity for poker and the major players whose personalities come out so well in the anecdotes and interviews Alvarez includes.
Written by someone from the UK, the perspective of the outsider looking in to the Vegas of that era is a novel way to see Glitter Gulch, than other histories of Vegas I've read.
Definitely, written for those with an affinity for poker and the major players whose personalities come out so well in the anecdotes and interviews Alvarez includes.
Last year I read Positively Fifth Street, a book about poker whose author entered the World Series of Poker and described the experience. The inspiration for that book was this book, widely regarded by poker players as one of the best poker books ever written. This goes to show you that poker players should stick to cardplaying and leave the bookreviewing to people with taste. This book is not nearly as energetic or enthralling as Positively Fifth Street. You don’t end up wanting to play poker; ...more
A slim volume that had some great moments with the characters in the 1981 World Series of Poker. Unfortunately, it was a bit too slim, and the author never really gave enough time to any one player. Still, worth a read if you're interested in some of the early years of the WSOP.
A great rundown of the World Series of Poker from the early 1980's; very entertaining book!
Terrific snapshot of vegas and poker, also happens to be one my favorite cover designs
This was a fun look into the lifestyles of professional poker players (my brother is one). Perhaps a bit dated if that is liable to bother you.
Best gambling book I've ever read.
Terrific writer, great story . . . .
Nonfiction. A writer and amateur poker player from Britain swoops into Las Vegas for three weeks to observe and write about the characters of the game and their fates at the 1981 World Series of Poker.
If you like poker, you will like this book.
One other note: This book will not help you become a better player. It's not a book of strategy or techniques, although the pros in this book do reveal some insight into their thought processes.
If you like poker, you will like this book.
One other note: This book will not help you become a better player. It's not a book of strategy or techniques, although the pros in this book do reveal some insight into their thought processes.
Really well-written account of the 1981 World Series of Poker and a treatise on poker in general. Alvarez's prose is superb and his descriptions of the game's history, characters, and tournament action paints a romantic picture of America's true passtime. also, a quick read at 18o pages.
Arguably the best book on written on high stakes poker. Has some interesting Las Vegas history as well. If you like this I would recommend "Positively Fifth Street"; a blend of the telling of the Ted Binion murder intertwined with the authors experience playing in the WSOP.
Faultless prose, solid content, nicely culled imageries and dialogues. The book meanders a bit (what essayistic project doesn't?), but I like that the picture of Las Vegas Alvarez painted for me; he managed to inform without judge, which is impressive. (Sociology; 200+ pages)
interesting, up to a point, but nowhere near as good as Amarillo Slim's "In A World Full Of Fat People".
a quick read, and a useful primer if you don't know about Vegas or poker.
a quick read, and a useful primer if you don't know about Vegas or poker.
A classic in poker literature and a portrait of the World Series of Poker before it became the bloated, corporate shill game it has warped into. Not that I don't love it.
They say this is the best book on poker ever. That doesn't say much for the genre.
Interesting to WSOP fans but, probably not many others.
This is easily the best of the books on poker that I’ve read.
Four of a kind!
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