Life's a Gamble: The High Stakes and Low Life of a Poker Professional

by Roy Brindley, Jesse May (Foreword)

Addicted to gambling like the majority of his family, Roy spent his teens and twenties in the bookies and, week in, week out, frittered away his entire pay packet as he attempted to chase his losses. By the time he was twenty-eight he was on the run from the police and living out of a cardboard box in Southsea. In 2002 he finally ended up in court and decided to turn his life around. After a chance viewing of the Hollywood poker film Rounders , he at last put his phenomenal mathematical talent to constructive use, and his domination of the European poker circuit began. From his dysfunctional early years, through a career as a greyhound trainer and journalist before playing cards for cash became his vocation, the story of Roy the Boy is both an inspirational rags-to-riches story of a man who learnt to trust something other than lady luck, and a fascinating insight into the glamorous, celebrity-filled, and ever-more-popular world of poker.

Genres: Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book from start to finish. The book flows well and kept me interested. I enjoyed the insight into Greyhound racing, and would have liked even a bit more depth into the sport. Overall, the book wasn't brilliantly written and I would have to say that the writing was average. But what I really appreciated was the honesty and integrity that the author had to put it all on paper - a lot of which the author would not have been proud of.

Whilst reading the book, I sent the author a tweet, and he tweeted me back. This made my day, I was very impressed. I became a big fan of his whilst reading the book and now I am even more of a fan. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy poker autobiographies. It is a very good and quick read.

[Andy Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful book about the highs and lows of being addicted to gambling