REVIEW
In
May of 2000, Jim McManus set out for Las
Vegas to: Write a story about the rise
of women participants in the World Series
of Poker, write a story about the bizarre
murder of Ted Binion, and enter a few
satellite tournaments to see if he can
win his way into "The Big One", the final
event of the WSOP. McManus came away with
a story, but certainly not quite the one
he expected.
Positively
Fifth Street is an expansion of material
McManus wrote which was published in the
December, 2000 issue of Harper's
magazine. While the Harper's article related
only a synopsis of McManus' poker adventures,
by expanding the story to book length,
he is able to cover a lot more ground,
including a great deal of information
regarding the two stories he originally
went to Las Vegas to cover. We also are
presented with a great deal more information
about the author's poker escapades in
Las Vegas, as well as an abundance of
his thoughts and motivations, his background,
his feelings, and how all this influences
the arc he travels through the story.
The
book begins with McManus weaving a plausible,
although speculative, scenario describing
the events that may have transpired the
day Ted Binion died which reads like a
piece of a Quentin Tarantino film. Starting
with the second chapter, McManus starts
his chronology by setting the stage for
trip to Las Vegas. From then on, we flip
back and forth between the several intertwined
stories throughout the rest of the book.
This isn't a dry narrative listing poker
hands, nor is does the author blandly
recount the proceedings of the Binion
murder trial. McManus is very much a part
of every phase of the story. We see it
all unfold through his eyes. He tells
us about the thoughts that guide the play
of his hands, the process he goes through
while he interviews the Binion family,
and even what passes between his ears
while tracking down leads at a local "gentleman's
club". Perhaps needless to say, this book
doesn't make a "PG" rating.
Here's
the bottom line: This book is a great
read. While occasionally it's clear that
McManus is pushing a little too hard,
this is apparent primarily because so
many of his passages are stunningly well
written. It's rare that we find a poker
player who is able to express himself
so eloquently. Comparisons to poker classics
such as Al Alvarez' The Biggest Game
in Town and Tony Holden's Big Deal
are only natural. Further, those comparisons
are fair. It's my opinion that Positively
Fifth Street can be added to this
rarefied company of books that capture
the spirit and excitement of this great
poker event in a way that transcends the
event itself.
At
the same time, the reader should not mistake
this book as a poker "how-to". More than
once I found myself cringing at the way
the author played some of his hands. It
is, however, the story of a great adventure
about which every poker aficionado dreams
but precious few will get to experience.
I have to admit, that in addition to being
engaged in the narrative, I was more than
a little jealous of the author. Jealous
not only of his accomplishment at getting
to play out his dreams on poker's biggest
stage, but also at his ability to recount
this magnificent experience so vividly.
I predict that anyone who loves to read
about poker, and many who don't, will
greatly enjoy this book. I strongly recommend
it.
Capsule:
The
two book canon of great poker literature
that had previously included The Biggest
Game in Town and Big Deal must
now be expanded to include Positively
Fifth Street. James McManus is articulate
and engaging in his narration of the events
that he experienced during the 2000 World
Series of Poker. As poker literature goes,
this is first rate.
Nick
Christenson
Gambling
Book Reviews
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