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Big Deal
Big Deal One Year as a Professional Poker Player by ANTHONY HOLDEN. Published by ABACUS,2002, Paperback
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
16 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Holden
93 books23 followersAnthony Holden is an English writer, broadcaster and critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 25, 2018
A page turner
Although thirty years old now, this is still a riveting read from a genuine author. There’s enough recognisable names to keep the modern reader ‘au fait’ and the stories of poker played in Morocco, on pleasure ships and in the old card rooms of London are fresh with nostalgia. What’s more, there’s not one mention of GTO, fold equity or 4-bet semi-bluffs. Happier times, when it was ok to admit that ‘playing the man’ (and it usually was a man) is the heart of any poker game.
Although thirty years old now, this is still a riveting read from a genuine author. There’s enough recognisable names to keep the modern reader ‘au fait’ and the stories of poker played in Morocco, on pleasure ships and in the old card rooms of London are fresh with nostalgia. What’s more, there’s not one mention of GTO, fold equity or 4-bet semi-bluffs. Happier times, when it was ok to admit that ‘playing the man’ (and it usually was a man) is the heart of any poker game.
May 7, 2020
This book is now more of a look at how poker was 18 years ago than much else, but that was actually really delightful. I felt like I got to know some of the oldschool poker greats (according to this book, Treetop was a sweetheart but Amarillo was a jerk). The prose seemed a bit too try-hard, and I felt like The Biggest Game in Town was an easier read and, unlike this book, more palatable to those not deep in the poker subculture.
August 4, 2009
I'm giving up on this one after 150 pages. It's not bad or anything, but it's indistinguishable from the two other "autobiography through poker" books I've read in the last few years (Positively Fifth Street and Poker Nation). At least Holden spares us the seemingly obligatory History of Poker chapter. (It was called Poque. They played it in New Orleans. It was five cards, face down, no draw. Blah blah blah. Yaaaaawn. Oh, and do you know why aces and eights is the "dead man's hand"?)
February 4, 2021
After a good result at the World Series of Poker, journalist Anthony Holden decides to take the leap from skilled amateur to out of his depth semi-pro.
There are a few elements of Big Deal that won't work for everyone. The chapter on psychology is a bit dull, the history of poker stuff is unnecessary and a lot of the strategy concepts are completely out of date.
But the book isn't a poker strategy book, history book or psychology book. It's a story of a journey that many of us recreational poker players would love to emulate. Taking that massive step of throwing in the job and trying to live by your wits as a poker player. It was great living vicariously through Holden's adventure, experiencing the immense highs and lows that most gamblers are very used to. A great read for any poker fan, even if you will find yourself skim reading through some of the slower parts.
There are a few elements of Big Deal that won't work for everyone. The chapter on psychology is a bit dull, the history of poker stuff is unnecessary and a lot of the strategy concepts are completely out of date.
But the book isn't a poker strategy book, history book or psychology book. It's a story of a journey that many of us recreational poker players would love to emulate. Taking that massive step of throwing in the job and trying to live by your wits as a poker player. It was great living vicariously through Holden's adventure, experiencing the immense highs and lows that most gamblers are very used to. A great read for any poker fan, even if you will find yourself skim reading through some of the slower parts.
October 20, 2017
Just finished my third read of this book. It is true what it says on the cover, the next best thing to playing poker is reading this book. A fun tale that gives you the chance to live vicariously through "London" Tony as he does what many of us wish we could: play poker for a living. It is a fun adventure through the Vegas of the 80s when comps flowed freely and the first super casino was just under construction. Highly recommended for all poker players, professional or amateur.
July 27, 2020
Amazing how someone as amateurish as Holden (every way he approaches pro poker is wrong!) can write one of the best books on poker I’ve ever written. He just gets across that Pre poker-boom world and the mindset of its protagonists so beautifully and entertainingly. Wonderful writer. Wonderful book.
May 24, 2020
Kinda dated but fun enough
January 8, 2024
genuinely such a fun read i had the time of my life on it
January 10, 2008
Along with A. Alvarez’s The Biggest Game in Town (reviewed by me in 2005) and Jim McManus’s Positively Fifth Street (reviewed by me in 2004), Big Deal completes the holy trinity of poker documentaries. Alvarez’s book was more a series of essays and observations about poker in the early to mid 1980’s, with a focus on some of the characters who were successful at the game (especially Stu Ungar). McManus’s book was all about one year at the World Series of Poker, and how it intermingled with a famous Las Vegas murder case. In Big Deal, Holden attempts to capture what it is like to actually be a professional poker player traveling to tournaments around the world and living on the edge of your bankroll. Holden is an accomplished British freelance writer and author of several books who plays in a weekly Tuesday night poker game with his buddies (and has been doing that for over two decades). In 1988, he decides to turn his love of poker into a book by taking $20,000 of his own money and documenting what he could do with that money in a year as a professional player. The book details his travels, his winnings and losses, his encounters with poker pros and other people in the poker world, etc. What the book does best, however, is describe the mental side of playing poker for a living. Holden walks through his fears about risking real money, his euphoria at winning, his despair at losing, his pre-tournament nervousness – as a psychological portrait, it’s a good read. There are some things that turned me off in the book – Holden’s mental anguish in some areas made me want to grab him and slap some sense into him; some of Holden’s experiences read like a long series of bad beat poker stories which gets tiring; Holden’s elite upbringing and life of privilege distance me from him somewhat; Holden doesn’t go in depth enough into the psychological addiction of gamblers’ mentality – but overall it’s a fascinating look at what it would be like to have your assets riding on the turn of a few cards. If you’re into poker, rank this slightly higher; if you think card games are stupid, rank it lower.
September 9, 2011
I know if I had the name 'Anthony Holden' I would definitely welcome, and perhaps start, the nickname 'Hold'em Holden'. But Anthony Holden, I am not. However, through the course of this book, I learn that we do have a few things in common. A love of Texas Hold 'em mainly, dry as a Martini British wit and a desire to tell Rupert Murdoch where to go. Although I've never worked for The Dirty Digger so I've not had the pleasure of quitting his employ, but I imagine it to be quite satisfying. I mean, as satisfying as it could be when you need to pay the bills and you've just handed in your notice, of course.
But I digress. This book is about one man taking a year off from the rat race and spending his time playing poker in various cities around the world. It's a rollercoaster trip.. not just in monetary values but also with a feeling of mental anguish with the losses and the lows.. and the exhiliration of no longer just being a Tuesday night player and competing with, and defeating, former world champions.
One thing that also amuses me is the way that Holden plays Blackjack just to help counter his losses. It's almost as if he treats the blackjack tables as a cash machine.
A must for anyone that's ever spent sleep-deprived nights watching Late Night Poker on Channel 4 when they were growing up.
*True story* I decided to tape (that's VHS by the way) the final to the show as it was on ridiculously late and I was already pretty tired. I set no timer to the video and just intended it to run on. The next day, I fast-forwarded the tape to start of the action and watched the players fall.. one-by-one.. until it came to the final showdown.. and the cards were dealt out.. the river went down.. and then there was a click and whirr.. yes, I had run out of tape. This was before the days of the internet, so I couldn't even find out who had won. Perhaps a fitting epithet of Holden's and my own luck at cards.. always finishing too early.
But I digress. This book is about one man taking a year off from the rat race and spending his time playing poker in various cities around the world. It's a rollercoaster trip.. not just in monetary values but also with a feeling of mental anguish with the losses and the lows.. and the exhiliration of no longer just being a Tuesday night player and competing with, and defeating, former world champions.
One thing that also amuses me is the way that Holden plays Blackjack just to help counter his losses. It's almost as if he treats the blackjack tables as a cash machine.
A must for anyone that's ever spent sleep-deprived nights watching Late Night Poker on Channel 4 when they were growing up.
*True story* I decided to tape (that's VHS by the way) the final to the show as it was on ridiculously late and I was already pretty tired. I set no timer to the video and just intended it to run on. The next day, I fast-forwarded the tape to start of the action and watched the players fall.. one-by-one.. until it came to the final showdown.. and the cards were dealt out.. the river went down.. and then there was a click and whirr.. yes, I had run out of tape. This was before the days of the internet, so I couldn't even find out who had won. Perhaps a fitting epithet of Holden's and my own luck at cards.. always finishing too early.
December 23, 2011
Journalist 'London' Tony Holden, clearly no slouch at the poker table, is emboldened by a boss placement at the World Series of poker (he finished ninetieth). He decides to see if he can 'run with the big boys,' or become a professional poker player. Thus begins a year of much intercontinental travel and poker play.
Reading this account, it helps to be familiar with card games, especially Texas Hold 'Em; if you're not you might be perplexed or just bored by the play-by-plays of various hands ('the flop was a Qc-Kh-7c... Did the river hold an ace?'). But you need know nothing about gambling to enjoy Holden's breezy writing style: within these pages lie more than a few telling and insightful remarks on the foibles of gamblers, on his own gambling obsession (courtesy of a shrink Holden hires for that purpose), on the history of gambling and cards, especially in America, and the crazed capitalism concentrate that is Las Vegas. It's good stuff, delivered with the wisdom of a seasoned traveler and the self-effacement of a confirmed Briton. The book probably isn't representative of what might happen if Joe Public were to start mixing it up with the pros of poker; given the ease with which Holden mops up most of his competition, and regularly busts out old pros, he must be one of the better players out there. But if you're looking for a book that takes a hard, sympathetic look at the culture of gambling, this is a good one.
Reading this account, it helps to be familiar with card games, especially Texas Hold 'Em; if you're not you might be perplexed or just bored by the play-by-plays of various hands ('the flop was a Qc-Kh-7c... Did the river hold an ace?'). But you need know nothing about gambling to enjoy Holden's breezy writing style: within these pages lie more than a few telling and insightful remarks on the foibles of gamblers, on his own gambling obsession (courtesy of a shrink Holden hires for that purpose), on the history of gambling and cards, especially in America, and the crazed capitalism concentrate that is Las Vegas. It's good stuff, delivered with the wisdom of a seasoned traveler and the self-effacement of a confirmed Briton. The book probably isn't representative of what might happen if Joe Public were to start mixing it up with the pros of poker; given the ease with which Holden mops up most of his competition, and regularly busts out old pros, he must be one of the better players out there. But if you're looking for a book that takes a hard, sympathetic look at the culture of gambling, this is a good one.
July 22, 2015
Great book, well written, but for 2015 it was a bit behind the times. As a classic, it was superb and excellent. I have Bigger Deal and I'm looking forward to reading it. This is writing at its best, a quality that I think the authors of our time today are struggling to keep up with. This was an enjoyable read, but went through some long and drawn out patches, hence I only liked it.
February 19, 2012
Fun book if you like the game of Poker!! I think everyone that has been to Vegas has at one time thought, What if I did this full time? This book makes it sound fun but yet so unpredictable that it would be hard to do. Good read!
November 3, 2014
Fun poker book, about one mans experience - not an instruction manual by any means! Very enjoyable, and I've read it many many times. Easy to read, not bogged down in heavy technical jargon, and filled with a healthy mix of "action" and anecdotes.
March 27, 2007
A fascinating read about a man's attempt to make it as a professional poker player.
July 20, 2009
I enjoyed reading about the WSOP before the poker boom, when Hellmuth was a brash young kid and Stuey Ungar was still alive.
July 28, 2009
After reading the book, you have to wonder if he had set up shop in Vegas and decided to play poker full-time, would he ever has gone back to writing?
Read
November 27, 2009fun, although I still can't remember what order the hands go in!
January 24, 2010
One of my three favorite gambling books. Great stories here.
July 11, 2012
The classic Holden poker book that inspired a generation. Quality.
October 28, 2019
Anthony Holden is simply the best poker writer in history. Bigger Deal does not reach the same heights as its predecessor but its still an excellent journey around the poker globe.
August 13, 2015
Fantastic book! A must read for anyone interested in poker
May 31, 2016
This is an entertaining book, but I believe its greater value lies in the way it points to an author who should be read by everyone who plays poker, David Spanier, or who gambles at anything at all.
January 16, 2017
Vegas sounds like a hell mouth. Neat chronical of a book deal justifying a year of living strangely.
October 7, 2019
A genuine classic. And quite likely to get you on the slippery slope.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews