Chris Moneymaker tells his story how as an accountant he spent $ 39 to qualify on the Internet for the World Series of Poker 2003 and eventually to win the tournament - and the prize money of $2.5 million.
What new can you expect from such a book? Someone tells his story which is already well known. We would expect a banal version of how Moneymaker played is hands ...this is far from the truth!
Chris Moneymaker engaged an experienced author, Daniel Paisner, which proved to be well worth it! The book is brilliantly structured and interchanges reports of the 2003 WSOP with autobiographical aspects. He describes the effect of compulsive gambling and its financial impact on his family life. In conclusion Moneymaker comments very self-critically on his time after the WSOP victory. The book is a real blockbuster. The reviewer bought it and read it on two consecutive evenings of 5 hours each! Inevitably this read will hold you spellbound. One simply wants to know more and more about this humble accountant with financial problems. One is also curious to know how Chris experienced the next day after the WSOP. How does he come to terms with the fact that he is still in the tournament on the third day although his goal was merely to survive Day 1? What went through his head when with 33 in his hand and 3 low cards on the flop he called Dutch Boyds’ All-In? The book gives answers to almost everything you ever wanted to know about Chris Moneymaker. For his true fans the book perhaps gives too much away. His gambling addiction, his inability to get to grips with his personal finances, in spite of being a professional accountant, is unsparingly depicted. His lack of self-discipline which displays itself in the excessive use of alcohol before or after a poker tournament would rather be ignored by some poker sentimentalists.
Conclusion: For poker fans this is a real must which provides ten hours of top entertainment! The book, however, will certainly not serve to improve your game!
This book uses relatively simple English. Poker expressions need to be known although there is a small lexicon of poker terminology. Otherwise, with an average knowledge of English one will not be tested to one’s limits.
