In the gap between his original literary and this one, the great game of poker went through dramatic changes fueled by a nearly perfect storm of television and Internet exposure. It is through this lense than Holden focuses his second attempt at winning the Main Event at the World Series of Poker between the years 2005 and 2006.
I'm certainly under qualified to critique his prose, so you'll have to read elsewhere for any stylistic opinions. Just know that Holden's writing does capture the feelings that every hopeful poker player has experienced with perfect precision. And to me, that's where the appeal of this book lies.
The emotional roller coaster of poker's successes and failures plagues even the seasoned veterans like Holden. From my perspective, his post tournament bust out sections are the strongest parts of the book. I think that if you've ever harbored thoughts that you might one day have what it takes to play poker professionally, you'll enjoy this book thoroughly.
Certainly, this is no poker strategy book, or "manual" as Holden refers to them. Frankly, I'm a bit weary of reading those any more myself. What I look for these days is a good story. A good poker story. If you're looking for something similar, I would definitely recommend purchasing a copy. As busy as I am these days, I managed to finish it in about three nights of reading. That should tell you something.
****
Now to the fun part. I have two extra copies I'd like to give away. I'll send a copy to the top two finishers in the quiz below. Please email your responses to my gmail address, user name of course is badblood. And away we go...
1. Over the course of Memorial Day weekend, I was involved in four $800 or greater pots. How many of those four did I go in ahead? Of those four, what was my won-lost record after the river card was dealt? (One point for each question.)
2. At various blogger gatherings, three lovely female bloggers have grabbed the guns. Name them. One bonus point if you can put them in chronological order. (Four points max.)
3. The following are 5 pictures of dirty Grey Goose vodka martini's. They are taken from the following 5 locations: PF Chang's, Justin's Steakhouse, Stax Peppermill, BadBlood's Kitchen, The Depot. You have to match them correctly to their place of origin. One bonus point if you can tell me which one shows up on my phone when Otis calls. (Six points max.)
4. In December of 2004, during my first trip to Vegas, I cashed in my very first tournament. Which casino did this monumental event take place? One bonus point if you can guess what spot I finished. (Two points max.)
5. At the 1st blogger gathering, the following pros were in attendance at the pre-tourney discussion: Ron Rose, Marcel Luske, Evelyn Ng, Tom McEvoy, Kiril Garisimov, and Charlie Shoten. Which of those pros was the only one I mustered enough courage to talk to?
6. True or false: BadBlood has vomitted in Vegas.
7. Geographically speaking, which casino have I played poker in that is furthest away from my current home town in G-Vegas, South Carolina?
8. I have NOT seen one of the following bands live in concert. Name it. In Flames, Slayer, Arch Enemy, Megadeth, Anthrax, Pantera, Hatebreed, Metallica, Queensryche, Bon Jovi, Ratt, Poison.
9. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I had four Tier 1 poker bloggers stay at my house overnight. Name them. One bonus point if you can name who slept in miniBlood's bed. (Five points max.)
10. Creativity points. Pretend you're coming to G-Vegas for a weekend. You have one paragraph to describe what we'd do. Worth 1-5 points.
I'll accept entries until Friday, June 1st, 12pm EST. Good luck.
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