Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, The: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time

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Reads like a good novel,a compelling and fascinating look into the biggest limit holdem game ever played. It provides enormous insights into developing a winning approach to limit holdem. A billionaire banker(Andy Beal) actually devised some amazing strategies to play many of the big name seasoned pros at their own game and beat them at times for many millions. If you love poker and story you will really enjoy this book and you will learn and gain insight into your own game. One of the five best books I've read this year.
9/30/05 POST SCRIPT: I didn't read any of the other reviews prior to writing my review and I was so surprised that several reviews state that there is no strategy to be learned from this book. In my opinion there is plenty to work with. One is that Beal minimized any potential collusion by playing heads up-a very important idea if you are afraid of real world or online collusion of any kind. Also, he wrote his own computer program and then additionally hired a computer programmer and spent hundreds of hours analyzing hand values and came up with brilliant ways to play various hands in numerous situations, how various strength hands played versus random hands etc. Much to think about and certainly insightful in improving your game. The fact that he analyzes heads up play is not the point, the point is that an amatuer with the time and energy to think through the game found ways to beat the best players in the world-no small feat.

What an enjoyable book! Michael Craig did a great job in describing sessions of incredible high limit heads-up Hold'em played by the billionaire banker Andy Beal against many great professional poker players in heads-up matches. The pros included Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harmon, Barry Greenstein, Todd Brunson and many more. The book is fun to read and the narrative is free flowing. It's a rare glimpse into the lives, thoughts, fears, and nerves of the high limit pros with a snippet of heads-up strategy. Although this is not a strategy book, it is still definitely worthwhile to read about the players' preparation for the heads-up matches as well as the lifestyles of these high limit pros. In particular, it is interesting to see how Andy Beal (the rich amateur) prepares in order to even the playing field between him and the best players in the world. The pros pool their funds together so they can have the bankroll to play games starting with $10,000 / $20,000 all the way up to $100,000 / $200,000. Each side has their share of wins and losses (I won't spoil who wins at the end). While reading the book, I found myself partially rooting for Beal (the intelligent outsider and underdog), while also partially rooting for the pros (the best at their game should win, right?). I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in poker.

The first i heard about this game was when i seen a full page add in cardplayer magazine where andy beal basically called out Doyle Brunson and his assembled poker cronies to put up or shut up I did not know there was history to this game until reading this great book.

Andy Beal is a self-made billionaire who has a very successful bank amongst other businesses that he has made a go of after a trip to vegas he decides to pursue poker but not just any game he wants a heads up game against some biggest names going ones you will reconize if you follow poker at all. These players Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese,Howard Lederer,Jennifer Harman,Todd Brunson Doyle,s son Ted Forrest and a few others that play in the big game at the Bellagio casino pool their money win this billionare wants to play heads up each started with 1 million dollars with blinds of 10,000 and 20,000 dollars and eventually these matches progress to one point of playing at 100,000 and 200,000 blinds where either party could lose 6 million in just a few hours. I do not want to give away how it turns out but i will say it was surprising you wou would think these players would never get rattled

There maybe some who wonder how he could spread this story out over 260 pages when it could have done in a magazine but the author does a great job giving you history on most of the players and Andy Beal himself. I can only imagine what it would be like to play for these kinds of stakes.

This is a excellent book give it a read wether you are a poker fan or not.

If you're one of millions who have become intrigued with Texas Hold 'Em, then this book is for you! Michael Craig takes us behind the scenes of a series of cash Texas Hold 'Em games that make the tournaments you see on TV pale by comparison. Imagine betting $100,000 and $200,000 per hand - and it's your money!

The professor, Howard Lederer, gave up a computer science major in 1985 when as a freshman he won $100,000 playing poker. The banker is Andy Beal, a self-made billionaire who earned $50 million plus per year from his various enterprises, including Beal Bank of Dallas. And the suicide king is the king of hearts. Poker players know that the king of hearts holds his own sword at his head, thus the name "suicide king."

A dozen times over four years (from 2001 to 2004), Beal would go to Las Vegas to play heads-up poker at table one at the Bellagio. He'd play against a syndicate of the world's best poker players, including Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Harmon, Chip Reese, and Howard Lederer. (Heads-up poker means that rather than up to nine players at a table, there would be only two - playing each other "heads-up"). Millions would change hands in each game - until over $20 million was on the table during the final game in May of 2004.

The stakes were so high that "flags" (red, white and blue edged chips worth $5,000) were not used. In Las Vegas $5,000 chips are rarely seen, yet the Bellagio has rarer-still $25,000 chips. And even the Bellagio wasn't prepared for a high stakes game of this magnitude. The Bellagio ran out of $25,000 chips to be used in the game!

As Craig describes the action you get a behind the scenes look at the preparation both sides made - and a history of Texas Hold 'Em that few have ever seen. You learn how the top professional poker players, made famous by the televised tournaments, came to the game and gained their poker education, you learn about the legends who kept the game alive until television discovered it. The action is fast, the descriptions vivid, the analysis revealing. This book is a real life pageturner!

I was looking forward to this book a lot; in the end it's a good piece of journalism about gambling, but it misses the mark as far as poker content is concerned. On the one hand, it has no clear perspective - you'd expect to learn a lot more about the thought processes of Andy Beal (the banker) than you do. Let's face it - he did something spectacular in sorting out some strategies to handle, or at least ward off, some of the biggest name players alive. But we never find out, except at the most superficial level, what those strategies are. Maybe the author doesn't feel qualified to write on that. Most of the stuff on the pros is pretty standard fare, related to lifestyles, not poker styles - Lederer's weight loss, Harman's health issues, Greenstein's philanthropy, etc, and unfortunately there is quite a lot of repetition of these. How many times do you need to know that Todd Brunson doesn't like to wake up early? And again, very few insights into the game. Buy this if you want a good story; don't buy this if you want to learn how any of them wins at high stakes limit hold 'em.

What happens when a billionaire decides he wants to play hold 'em poker for millions of dollars against Las Vegas' best pros? That is the subject of this fascinating book. This engrossing account follows the fortunes over four years of billionaire Andy Beal and his quest to beat some of the world's best players at their own game. Driven by who knows what, he challenges himself to better his game against the best while learning some expensive lessons along the way. Millions of dollars change hands back and forth in what was to become the richest poker stakes of all time. But who will prevail overall --- Andy or the professionals??? You'll find yourself rooting for the underdog the whole way. Pick up a copy of this book and you too will be bitten by the poker bug and unable to put it down.

First, I am a marginal poker fan. I didn't jump on the bandwagon like everybody else following the success of the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

Second, maybe now I will.

The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King details the three year period in which a billionaire banker attempted to beat the best professional poker players in the world at their own game. Andy Beal is a self-made billionaire with an obsession to be great at everything he does. In 2001, he took up poker, and rather than attempt to be great at the smaller games, he attempts to be even better at the big games...against the best of the best.

If you're familiar with names like Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, etc., you'll identify with and enjoy Beal's escapades between 2001 & 2004. Like I said, I am a marginal poker fan (and player) and found this story intriguing and hard to put down. At the same time, I was conflicted on whether to feel sorry for Beal (who gets killed over the three year period, to the tune of about $20 million) or despise him as just another rich guy needlessly throwing his money away instead of doing something for the greater good with it.

Things I enjoyed: The game of poker is certainly not the seedy game confined to the underground like in the past, and Craig does a good job of focusing part of his writing effort on detailing this. He also does a great job profiling each of the professionals Beal attempted to beat during his three year run, as he also does with Beal. He humanizes these professionals rather than allowing them to remain the cold, calculating robots that they may appear to be on television.

Things I didn't enjoy: The epilogue makes Beal a sympathy figure. Following his exploits in Vegas, the professionals (quite possibly misquoted by the media) took it upon themselves to belittle Beal, despite taking a significant chuck of change over the three years. I found it hard to find any sympathy for a man who knew the risks of playing the biggest cash games in the history of the game against people who's job it was to win money from other people.

The bare bones of this story are facinating, as other reviewers have detailed. However, the main problem with this book is that Mr. Craig simply runs out of things to dicuss and begins repeating himself ad nauseaum. How many times do we need to hear Barry Greenstein is contemplating finishing his PhD? How many times do we need to hear that Jennifer Harmen's husband does not like her gambling lifestyle? How many times do we need to hear that Andy Beal is contemplating quitting? Mr. Craig apparently feels we need to hear about these things at least 10 times, because he constantly repeats them. Additionally, this book is full of colorful character but for some unknown reason, Mr. Craig and his publisher have decided against putting in photos. This is especially annoying when he spends a few pages discussing an allegedly legendary photo of Beal w/the pro players, when he held all their chips. It would have been nice to see this photo but, alas, no photos are included. Overall, a decent read but be prepared to read things over again and again and again....

This book is a quick read and will do nothing to make you a better poker player. But it's a great story. If you want to know what it's like to play poker at the highest stakes, this is the book. Gives you a much more accurate picture of folks like Lederer, Brunson, Ivey, Reese, etc than what you see on the World Poker Tour. Lots of great stories and anectdotes about the personalities and some really big games.

Well, here's one more life style that I'll never live. I get concerned when I buy a twenty dollar raffle ticket (I actually bought six of those for a hundred dollars this year -- I lost).

I never dreamed that a world like this even existed. The people who play poker up at this level live in a world that's simply different than any I've even heard of. In fact, I don't even understand the rules of the games well enough to understand what's happening.

All that having been said, it's fascinating to read this book to see that such people exist, what they do, the nature of the game as they play it, and the various histories that they bring to the table. Gambling is not my thing, still I couldn't put the book down.

Craig's knowledge of the players and the Vegas/LA subculture surrounding them is in-depth and highly researched. I found previous portraits of the scene insipid and boring - full of who had what hands at what big tournaments, etc. I would put this up there with Positively Fifth Street as one of the most interesting poker books in years. Also, really made me love Howard Lederer even more than I already did.

I agree with King Yao here as I would about practically everything. It's hard not to read this book and root for Andy Beal against the poker pros we so admire. Beal is the quintessential underdog who teaches himself the game, and makes the most of every opportunity for self-improvement. Every beating is a lesson to Andy. Just like the engineer he was before he became tycoon and owner of Beal Bank, he throws tremendous concentration at the game and deconstructs every detail of his play and turns himself from an amateur into one of the world's best heads up limit hold 'em players. We find that when matched against the lesser pros, he is able to dominate them, but, when faced with the unworldly talent of stars like Todd Brunson, Howard Lederer, and Jennifer Harmon, well...I'll let you read it for yourself. This book tells fans much more about the high stakes world then we'll ever see for ourselves. Believe me, this sort of thing will not be shown on The Travel Channel. It's a fascinating portrait of men, and the real personality standouts are Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, and the great Doyle Brunson. The real hero though is Andy Beal. The fact that he's filthy rich makes our sympathies with him unlikely, but his sheer grit and fortitude will win you over. The writer, Michael Craig, put together a skillful and intriguing narrative. Well done.

Michael Craig, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time (Warner, 2005)

The interesting thing about The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King is that the actual poker game detailed, which went on and off over a period of years, is the least interesting thing about the book. It was limit hold'em, which is much more a game of playing your cards than is no-limit, and lends itself to far less variance. (While the dollar amounts thrown in the book may make that seem like a laughable statement, when it comes right down to it, a unit is a unit. Whether your big blinds are twenty cents or two hundred thousand dollars, a unit is still a unit.) Limit hold'em is normally a game for grinders, those of us who don't mind putting in the time to make one big bet per hour at the table. (That said, the poker books are wrong about that in at least one case; the lower the limits at which you play, the more big blinds you can make per hour, as long as your game is rock-solid. I rarely leave a fifty-cent/one-dollar game before doubling my buy-in, as long as I'm having a winning session. It rarely takes me more than an hour.)Andy Beal was not that guy, not by a longshot, and yet his chosen game was heads-up limit hold'em. Yes, he evened the odds a bit against the world's top hold'em players with his relentlessly aggressive play, but when all was said and done, aggression in a limit game is much less useful than aggression in a no-limit game, especially when each player has $5 million on the table. You push all-in with a stack like that in a cash game and very few players will call you with less than kings. In limit, all you can do is raise another big blind. Still, as I said, the game is far less interesting than the players, and in recognizing that fact, Michael Craig did himself, and those of us who like to read about poker, a great service.

Andy Beal was (still is, probably) a banker with a taste for poker. He also had a taste for buying things no one else would buy just before they got really, really big, which made Andy Beal a very, very rich man. (Still does, probably.) When his business interests took him to Las Vegas, his taste for poker developed into something of an obsession, and having the game's best players at his beck and call prompted him to make a little side bet with himself: could he get good enough to play these folks at their own game? And how far would he have to raise the stakes before the pros were out of their comfort zone? By the time the game had concluded, most every major high-stakes player in Vegas, and a number from California, had gone up against Beal, including both Doyle and Todd Brunson, the late Chip Reese, Johnny Chan, Jennifer Harman, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer (the Professor of the title), John Hennigan, and a host of others you've heard of if you watch any televised poker whatsoever. Beal would do reasonably well, losing far less than anyone expected him to, then limp back to Texas, do some more research, play a lot more hands, and go back to Vegas armed even better than he was the time before.

But, again, that's not what the book is about. It's about the backgrounds of the people who played in the game. It's about the economics of poker (taking shares, staking people, and all the stuff that no one ever talks about because, let's face it, that math you need for that ends up being more advanced than the math you use in calculating pot odds). It's about a rank amateur and his underdog dream. Good thing Andy Beal did not have an obsession with football. I'm sure the Denver Broncos, for example, would have wiped him out fast. But poker is a game where anyone with a good grasp of the rules, a decent amount of experience, and a dash or two of luck can sit down across a table from Barry Greenstein and end up with all his chips. It's not likely, but it can happen. That's a big part of what attracts us, the amateur contingent, to the game, and Michael Craig--being an amateur poker player himself--understands this and lets it shine through. To me, it's obvious that this is a book written by a poker player for other poker players. The fact that the public glommed onto it is icing on the cake.

Fascinating, highly readable, and for a nonfiction book, incredibly well-paced. Even if you're not a fan of the sport, this one's worth a read. ****

If you're not a poker fan, this book will probably not appeal to you, since its the knowing of the main characters is one of the strong draws to getting you caught up in this book. This book can teach you plenty about head's up poker while you don't even realize it's doing it. This shows what one slightly above average intelligent man can do if he puts his mind to it. This is a guy that went from being a non player to a pro level player in about 2 years. He used his bank's computers to help simulate play and run hand percentages in heads up. He closely watched the pro's and figured out that pro's do not always make the correct plays mathematically. He figured that if he did, he'd win. So, he charted out all the hand's that were most profitable, he figured out hands that would win over 50% of the time regardless of what the other people had, (listed in the book) on his bank's computers, and he became very adept at eliminating all tells, even to go as far as put a little timed pressure switch on his body just so he could always act at the same speed. It's really quite an amazing book and what made it even more intriguing, is it's all true. A great read and 5 solid stars!

If you are like me, you get tired of reading nothing but strategy books. This isn't a strategy book, but it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It's filled with story after story about your favorite poker players that you just can't find anywhere else. It's an amazing true story that's difficult to put down.

This isn't a "poker strategy" book- there are plenty of those. A lot of people have whined on some poker forums about this. As long as you understand what this book is, you're in for a real treat.

This book is a glimpse into the exclusive world of ultra high stakes poker, using one "whale" in particular- Andy Beal- as the primary example. ("fish" is a term the pros use for a sucker, a "whale" being the term the pros use for the biggest kind of fish, with tons of money to lose)

As you soon learn, Mr. Beal is far, far from an ordinary knock-about sucker with more money than sense. He is a man with a brilliant mind, a fearsome amount of cash with a willingness to put it in play. The pros- some of whom don't even have high school degrees- use their almost unlimited reservoir of pure, natural talents and decades of experience to engage in this match that has since gone down in poker lore.

At this point in time, the book has been out long enough that anyone seeking it is probably well familiar with how it ends, but I still won't post a spoiler. I will say that it is an amazing read for anyone who is interested in poker. Definitely a "must buy" for anyones poker library.

Although this book won't teach you to play poker, you'll be entertained by one man's obsession with winning one of the highest stakes games ever played.

One of the best books of its genre of true stories about poker personalities and situations. I have read a bunch of them and this one is the most interesting and well-written. Most intriguing is what the banker with an unlimited bankroll and singlemindedness is able to do against the pros. And the saga continues on even today. Apparently, he returned this year to challenge again.

One day at the big game, when the game was still mostly a private affair, Doyle B and Jennifer H were sitting at table one at the Bellagio poker room having a bit of a debriefing with each other. In the dealers seat was Linda, the original poker blogger. Jennifer as did most of the syndicate knew that Linda did post some things about her experiences dealing the game on her blog "Table Tango". Doyle was not aware of this, and when Jennifer mentioned it to him at this debriefing, Doyle scowled, "nothing good can come of that". One thing lead to another and the word came down to Linda from the boss that she was not to post about the big game on her blog anymore.
At the time Linda was part of my forum Poker Clan, IE it was the official forum for her blog and a couple of my other poker related web sites. Of course Linda could no longer post about the big game, but I could, if you get the picture.
The book is the most accurate depiction of the big game possible. When the game was going on there were a lot of mysteries surrounding things. Things like how much money was won and lost, who did what, who is Andy Beal and why does he want to play these guys. On the surface it seemed that Beal was a banker from Texas, with to much money and a bad habit that seemed to distort his common sense, IE the kind of guy that high stakes poker pros dream about. But as you will see, this is not the case with Beal at all. Michael Craig brings the whole story together in a great book. If you're a poker fan get this book, if you like tales of epic events get this book, if you like David and Goliath themes get this book. It is a wonderful and riveting read of an amazing true story. Look for the sequel, as I write this review in early February of 2006, the big game has started again after a year of negotiations.

Fascinating inside look into the world of high-stakes poker. If you follow poker on TV, you'll enjoy learning about these characters in real life, rather than the personna they project at the poker table. Highly recommended.

The hero of this Book,in my opinion is Andy Beal,The Banker.His preparation and focus on details that he thought would negate the edge the Pro's might have was astounding ! I actually thought it would "carry the day."
The Author made me feel as though I was a "Fly on the wall" and privy to the strategy sessions. I loved it!

Extremely interesting book about a side of Las Vegas high stakes poker that most of us would otherwise never become aware of. The deal brokering and risk management approaches of the top pros working together instead of against each other is fascinating. I always thought that the poker pros were lone cowboys, but that's not always the case. And Andy Beal would be a formidable opponent in anything he decided to take on.

Not a poker instruction manual, but a fascinating glimpse into the high stakes world of the top Las Vegas poker room. Worth the read.

This book is a must-have for any poker player or enthusiast. It's an awesome story of the biggest cash game in the history of poker! It takes you inside and behind the scenes of a poker game which very little people were privileged enough to see. Michael Craig, the author, is a regular writer for several leading poker magazines, including Card Player magazine (where he first broke the story). He was the only journalist allowed to get close to the action. He does an excellent job in giving you the most accurate details of the game. He introduces the players as they assemble to take on their wealthiest opponent ever, Texas billionaire Andy Beal. It's full of surprises, colorful characters, and of course, drama. You won't want to put it down once you start reading it. I bet on it!!

I'm a big poker buff so friend of mine got this book for me as a gift. Let me just say that I couldn't put it down until I had finished it all. Even if you're not a poker buff this book is a good one. Michael Craig just tells a great story, one that is well researched, engaging and that draws you in early and never lets go. Along the way you learn a little bit about the high stakes gambling lifestyle, the history of a handful of the big name pros and become engrossed in the battle on the felt between Andy Beal and the pros who pooled their money together to give him the biggest game in history.

it starts off a bit slow but in the end it delivers quite well. If anyone has heard of the big game against the banker that a bunch of pro's have pooled their money to try and beat, you will just love this. That is all I had ever heard about it and really wished I knew more. Well this book takes you into the heart of it and explains the motive and drive behind this 'amateur' trying to beat the pro's. Turns out the boy has game. I think he gets a bit too much into the "bankers" personal life and background but I guess you have to fill pages somehow. If it where not for that it would be a 5 star book. I would love to have a follow-up to this book because I know that other big names have joined in the COMBO and there have been some big games, with the pro's not always coming out on the winning end.

Michael Craig has provided one of those tales in which 'truth is stranger than fiction.' From the opening glimpse into the first few pages, the drama is set in full motion. Craig's research, information, and actual hours at the table with the poker combatants are exhaustive and entirely impressive. This book is hard to put down and certainly ranks among the best poker narratives written, along with Alvarez's "The Biggest Game in Town" and Holden's "Big Deal." An amazing and enlightening look into the world of the highest stakes poker game ever played.

This work is a fascinating study of the methods and mindsets of how some of the best and most successful poker players alive unconventionally combine their talents and efforts to battle billionaire Andy Beal who has decided to challenge some of the best in the poker business at their game. It provides insight into who they are, some background information, and what led these individuals to become professional poker players. Also - for those who aren't familiar with the highest stakes games, it provides a solid sense of what the work and professional world of the highest stakes pokers players is really like. A must read, and a true classic!

I couldn't put this book down since it vividly describes the major players in high stakes texas hold 'em along with one man's meglomaniacal obsession in trying to beat them.

Alan Safani

such a quick read, you get right into it it defininitely left me wishing it wasnt over and there was more to the story

If you're looking for a "how to" book on Texas Hold'em, this book is not it. But if you're at all interested in a look at the world of "poker degenerates", this is a great read. So, get a copy, read it, and pass it along for your poker buddies to enjoy.

I found this book very interesting. The way the author tells the series of events behind the biggest poker game ever is very intriguing! I recommend this book for when you feel like taking a break from learning about poker to read a story about poker.

This was a very interesting look into the life behind high stakes poker. I am currently a college student eking away a modest living on the game online and in casinos through out California and at times Vegas. I have followed pokers history and have dreamed of making it to a big tournament setting. However, to my disappointment, I'm not a tournament player, yet I fare rather well in cash games.

This book is a riveting account of poker history, bringing together Doyle Brunson to Howard Letterer, blended with the modern day feverish appeal that poker has taken on in pop culture. Craig has a natural capacity for storytelling. If someone would to pick this book up without any previous historical knowledge of poker it would still be a page-turner.

Andy Beal, a billionaire genius' strategy is to raise the stakes against a league of pros so that eventually even they become nervous and lose their cool. It's not only a story about poker, but even more so about the psychological aspect of poker, which has brought many to the table over the years.

In the days before the poker boom - today poker players are star personalities and hours and hours of games are televised on cable, a super rich amateur decided to take on the best money poker players in the world. Andy Beal played head-up matches with these pros and the results were surprising. With the pro's essentially being the "house" (the player with the greater advantage - like the dealer in Blackjack) - Andy worked and studied on how to lessen these advantages that the pros brought in to each and every game. Also some great insight into the lives away from the poker rooms of Vegas for the folks who make a living on the fall of the cards. If you are the sort of person who who pick this book up, then you will probably enjoy this brisk and entertaining read.

If you enjoy poker, and enjoy reading, this is an outstanding book. No strategy, just a great story about what many of us can only dream of, a person who is filthy rich, up against people who would gamble on anything they feel like they have an edge at. A lot of fun.

Interesting and well documented. Andy Beal is truly one of the brightest minds of the past 100+ years. This book offers a 'peak' into Beals's beginning and mindset....Clearly demonstrating whatever endeavor Andy takes on, he does it 'full bore" and BIG time succeeds!!

As wealthy as Beal is, he's even much more intelligent-GENIUS!

This book left me wanting more details on Andy Beal, his life and history...I cannot wait for his autobiography!!

The author does a great job of relaying the story line, although I could do without some of the extra detail on poker business. I have read the majority of the book, but the one thing I really want to know cannot be provided: specific hands from the games. Of course there are some memorable hands that were recounted to the author, but more often than not, it's just something like, Jennifer Harman won 9 million in 3 days and I am left wondering how some of the bigger hands were played out. Now there is nothing that the author can do since there is no record of these hands. In that sense, the book does a solid job. But if you like to hear about specific poker hands, this is not the book for you. (I recommend Gus Hansen Every Hand Revealed for that: he notated every hand he played in a tournament!) As a reader of novels, I don't think it reads like a novel, but Andy Beal is by far the most intriguing character, and it is the business aspect overall in which this book shines. It's very readable as well. Support local bookstores if you can.

UPDATE: I just finished and was extremely disappointed to discover that Phil Ivey's legendary victory over Beal took place after this book was published. I kept waiting for Ivey to come in and clean up. Wow. The book clearly needs a second edition. Very disappointing, but again, it's not like the author knew.

Barring some technical books in my field, "The Professor, the Banker, the Suicide King" is the finest work of non-fiction that I've read. Michael Craig's writing is superb. The story races along, the participants are deftly-drawn, and the moments of tension are superbly handled. Here's hoping that the author has more books to come.

This book has a lot of things going for it. It is a well-told story and a very human look at professional poker, which is refreshing for those of us who live in that world and also watch it on TV, and know what many of these players are like when the cameras go off. It's also an interesting top-level look at high stakes poker strategy from someone trying to beat the best at their own game.

This is all nice, but the best reason to read this book is that it provides a stunning insight into why the national poker fad (now in it's 7th year and counting) will never entirely fade. A couple years ago some people were saying that there was an inevitable ceiling to the rising trend in poker popularity as the less talented players get sick of losing their bankrolls to the best players, and all the money is sucked upward until there isn't any cash left among the mid-level players.

But poker isn't about making a bunch of money. Or at least it's not just about that. It's about pitting yourself against another player or players and working to beat them through a combination of luck, courage, and hard-earned skill. The initial simplicity of the game makes anyone feel like they can play with the best players in the world. And in the short-term, sometimes they can.

The other lesson, is that one of the most important factors in playing effective poker, no matter how good or bad you are, is a sufficient bankroll. Beal gets in some pretty good shots against some of the top players in the world simply because he isn't afraid to lose his roll. It allows him to avoid reacting out of fear, even when facing down men who make most smart players leave the table when they enter a card room.

So rest easy, poker's not going anywhere, as long as there are people with money, there will be people who are willing to risk that money over a game of wits and chance. (But mostly wits.)

I bought this book because I'm a poker fan and casual player. I love reading dramatic stories surrounding Las Vegas. However, I found myself more interested in Andy Beal throughout the book than any of the stories surrounding the games being played. Maybe it was my entrepreneur/business side coming out, but for pure poker alone this book wasn't that interesting. If there is a biography about Andy Beal, I'll be sure to read that next.

In some ways this could be considered a story about negotiating terms and conditions - these factors were key in determining the outcome of "the game". Very interesting backstories about some of the players that appear at so many final tables of big tournaments.

This is a great book, I believe for a poker player although someone who wants insights into the High Stakes world would also enjoy it. It was absolutely riveting and it was extremely difficult to lay it down. An exceptionally fast read. I would recommend the book wholeheartedly. The ending was a bit off with the author forcibly interjectedly himself into the story. I found that trivial and quite unnecessary.

This book was very interesting and hard to put down. It talks about a lot of the poker pros that live and play in Las Vegas and L.A. And is a good insight into some of the highest stakes poker games in the world. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be a high stakes poker player you should read this book. It is also very interesting to read about what goes on behind the scenes in the high stakes poker rooms in Las Vegas.

Michael Craig does a great job of mixing reportorial style with novelistic pacing. He tells the story of Andy Beal, a very rich man even among rich men, whose motivations for taking on the greatest poker players in the world by definition transcend the money. At the same time, he raised the stakes for the heads-up hold 'em games to levels never before seen -- even among the highest stakes players who joined financial forces to accept the challenge. Craig also gives insight into the "gambler's mindset" -- that itch that sits in the mind of anyone who gets off in a casino -- as it applies to the game of poker. This is the most interesting part for me, as poker is the only widely spread casino game where the house's advantage is 100% but capped (in other words, they charge a fee or "rake", rather than making money off of a statistical advantage). Thus, Poker combines the skill and gambling -- which is why it attracts some of the brightest people you will find in a casino. Michael digs into this phenomenon, both in his interviews of Beal and of many of the successful players who played against Beal.

This book does well for those who enjoy a good poker tale. This is not a strategy guide. But what it is is a fantastic read:)

An enjoyable story of big dollars, bigger ego's, and the biggest games of poker ever played. While it helps if you are a fan of poker, it's a good read even for those who have never picked up a card. How much of the story is true we'll probably never know but that's part of what makes the book fascinating to read. It also shows what alot of effort, focus, determination, and a billion dollars can do for anyone willing to take on the biggest names in the poker world!

A quick, easy read this book opens your eyes to the crazy life of the top professional poker players.

In the poker world, stories about Andy Beal and his huge game with a syndicate of top pros have taken on a life of their own. The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King details these games.

The book is a good read. There isn't much discussion of the actual poker hands played, which may disappoint some readers. Instead Craig focuses on the backgrounds & motivations of the individual players and the results of the games (millions won and lost). Craig's hard work to provide accurate results for the various sessions is a welcome contrast to previous inaccurate journalism on the Beal games. It's unfortunate that Craig wrote the book before the final sessions between Beal and "the company" occurred. As a result, the book stops somewhat mid-action.

This book ultimately isn't very deep, but if you're a poker player you'll probably find it an entertaining evening's read. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't play poker.

This book for any poker player or just anyone who is interested in high stakes poker is a real page turner. Craig has done a wonderful job on finding many hard to find details of what exactly
Andy Beal did and has a made a pretty good book out of this story.My problem is I feel as though there is too much filler about things that I had no interest in or any real value to the story. He fills severeal pages with things like where players grew up or who used to own what casino in Vegas. They made be intersting facts but I bought the book to read about a story of high stakes poker not the history of vegas and its players.

Whether you like poker or not, This book is a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the highest stakes poker game of all time.

Full of interesting back-story info on the poker stars we see on TV. PB&SK allows us an insiders look at the high-stakes world of poker icons the likes of the Brunsons, Ted Forrest and Jennifer Harmon. It gives the reader a sense of what is really at stake for these people we normally see plunking down a mere $10K for a tournament. In this story $10K is peanuts and each of these players is risking money that could make a significant dent in their fortunes...all but one, the mysterious banker from Texas. The writing is a bit sluggish at times and the author doesn't always seem to finish his anecdotes -- I found myself looking for the punch line more than once, particularly at the end. But for poker afficiandos, it's a must-read, and for those who know nothing about the game and want to live momentarily the life of a risk-taker, it will sate their desire. Enjoy!

It is an entertaining book, tells a story of how poker can get into people's mind and can be a very lucrative job for the pros.

I found this book a nice read.

If you follow poker at all, this is a must read. Andy Beal is obviously a smart man since he was capable of earning the fortune that allows him to gamble at the highest stakes. This has been a continuing story and you need only browse the internet to determine the results of later matches.

Give it a read, you won't be disappointed.

The book is a very in depth review of the high stakes game of poker. It is very interesting and explains the actions of Andy Beal as he challenges and plays the worlds best poker players in a series of heads-up challenges for the highest stakes ever played for. I highly recommend reading this book

An excellent, entertaining account of poker as played by the men and women who play for a living. Provides interesting insights into the personalities of many of the players. A fascinating account of the game as played by the pros.

I own dozens of poker books and this is the best read of all. Whether you are a poker fan or not, this book will provide most enjoyable reading pleasure. To those reviewers who claim there is not enough poker strategy: there are countless poker strategy books available; this is not intended as a "how to" book on poker, it's intent is to tell a fascinating story in an easy to follow manner. Kudos to the author, who did some nice investigative journalism in getting the facts of the "big game".

I loved this book. It's amazing how much detail there was about only 7 games. Of course, the fact that Beal and others consented to be interviewed for the book, helped a great deal. Beal spent a lot of time with the author. But it's still amazing that 7 games could generate a book that size. And it's never boring. It's not even a particularly detailed description of the games. There's a lot of extra stuff that makes the book very interesting.

And now, as of Feb '06, Beal is back in Vegas! Early in the month, he played 5 days and then actually released a press release saying he was done with poker (I think he was down about $3M for the 5 days). But then, 5 days later he was back and had a big swing (about $9M swing, if I recall correctly, to put him up $6M (out of a possible $10M)). Last I heard, Todd Brunson was able to win back some of the money (about $3M, so Andy's still up $3M). Ted Forrest is up next.

Given all that, I assume there will be a new version of the book. The author is in attendance at these games, so he'll have plenty more details.

I just finished this book and loved it. Can't wait to pass it on to my poker buddies. Great stories about the gambling lifestyle that these players lead.

Hey - bought it, read it, liked it. A lot of description of the big game, and an insight in the poker pros world. Unfortunaly absolutely no analysis of the high stakes poker limit at all...no insight in poker strategy on high stakes - that disapoints me a bit.

A good story that provides insight into the world of high stakes poker and the colorfull people who play.

World Poker Tour junkies will probably enjoy this book, but those of you who seek gritty poker action should probably look elsewhere. The story focuses too greatly on the personal lives of the dozens of high stakes professional poker players who bashed heads with Andy Beal the Banker in the story. It never goes into any great detail into why Andy Beal decided to take on the pros, other than the fact that he found poker to be fun and wanted to enhance his skills.

It's not a bad read, but I would not recommend buying a copy. Use the old library card for this one.

It's not a how-to book, but a book that anyone who wants to play poker should read. This inside look to the big game is hard to put down and very entertaining. Although a little short, it says all that is needed to be said.

I thought this book was great. The fact that it really happened is incredible. Playing for that much money is crazy. Way out of my league

this book is no good, waste of time, booring, who cares, never should have been written.
zero star

The story itself was great fun to read. Real poker lovers will know most of the characters alredy, but will still find the background fascinating.

The Kindle version had only rare typos, and otherwise presented the text in a very well formatted way.

The author knew poker and the players he profiled. An inside look at the "big games" and the "biggest players"

Book arrived as described. Great condition, just one "eared" page. Quite satisfied. If your familiar with poker and it's famous players, this book is a very quick read.

Anyone who has any interest whatsoever in poker or gambling will love this book. I will keep this one on the shelf and read it again when my memeory fades. Very enjoyable.

Ignoring their own better judgement the biggest names in poker continuously risk their entire bankrolls on what they repeatedly find are the narrowest of advantage (if any). If accurate, this book demonstrates that even the most successful and talented poker players in the world have enough "gamble" to risk far more than they can afford.

Perhaps more revealing of the compulsion to gamble and take risks than compelling as a story, this reads like a train wreck about to occur at any moment. If this really went as protrayed than a group of the most successful poker players in the world risked their entire cumulative bankrolls on the turn of very few cards and exposed themselves to extraordinary risk where the different turn of just a few cards may have broke them all.

I find my self somewhat incredulous that people this successful in their field would take such risks, knowing how little "edge" they had in a short session. The author makes Andy Beal seem like the only sane person in the book. Hopefully there is more to the story and the pro players have benefited greatly from the risks they took through increased "action" from other high rollers, if not this is truly a documentation of a serious pathology on the part of what are undoubtedly the worlds greatest players.

This book causes some serious reflection and makes a game I truly love appear to draw out very unhealthy behavior from even its top practitioners. I hope there is far more to the story, otherwise I should probably rethink my aspirations in this field.