The Biggest Game in Town, by Al Alvarez from Casino Bookstore.com

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Mesmerizing time capsule of Vegas two decades ago

This book is a time capsule of a very different Las Vegas. The Vegas of the late 70's and early 80's was centered around the downtown area, with none of the all-encompassing resorts on the Strip. This is the heyday of Binion's Horseshoe, when Benny Binion was holding court at the most over-the-top gambling paradise. Unlike other casinos, the Horseshoe had to limits on the bets it would accepts and played host to the most outrageous gamblers and bets of the time.

All the greats of poker legend appear here--Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek Dandalos in their 1949 many-weeks-long marathon multi-million dollar game, Doyle Brunson, wacky cowboy gambler Amarillo Slim Preston, and formidable strategist Jack Strauss, among others.

This is a must-read for any poker player. For a modern look inside the World Series of Poker, try James McManus's Positively Fifth Street.

if you play poker, this is a must-read

This book is a like a time-capsule that sheds light on the poker world before poker was on every channel and before Hold 'Em was the biggest game in town.
A great look at one journalist's foray into the World Series of Poker, this is just a terrific book.
He's a great writer, he captures the action clearly and with a 'you're in the game' point of view, and he makes it very exciting, yet still personal.
A must read for all players.

Delicate and Hypnotic.

Quite simply, this is one of the best books I have ever read. My only regret is that it was way too short. Alvarez, simply put, is a great writer. You will not be surprised by his background as a poet after opening it because he writes masterfully. He has a poet's sense for distilled language no words are wasted and the quotations are carefully selected and sometimes astounding (like Binion's equating gambling with all that is American). The organization and flow of the work is tremendous and his 188 pages turned like 40. There's no way you'll put The Biggest Game in Town once you start it.

No work better describes the "alligator blood" of the world's top notch professional poker players. His portraits of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Strauss will be with you forever.

The sheer aggression of Hold 'Em becomes quite obvious as does the way in which our sexual drives, and just about everything else, become sublimated in those who are addicted to gambling. However, the allure of "action" is quite apparent and will make readers want to fly out to the World Series of Poker to experience the pagaentry for themselves. This is a rare and valuable offering.

A very fun and interesting read

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to any poker player or any fan of Tom Wolfe's non-fiction (this book reminds me of Wolfe's writing). It has great anecdotes about some of the legends in the poker world and gives a little insight into the life of a professional gambler.

A must read for the true poker fan...

Compelling and revealing, this book is about Vegas, Binion's Horseshoe Casino and the 1981 World Series of Poker. Legendary player Doyle Brunson is all business when he plays this high stakes game that relies as much on discipline and stamina,
luck and skill as it does on understanding the psychological nuances of the other players. No single element stands alone.
Professional players like Jack Straus aren't dealt special cards, they just know what to do with the cards they are given, and they read the other players' hands by their tells and betting. According to Nick the Greek Dandalos, "The next best thing to gambling and winning is gambling and losing. For an inside look at the life of an aggressive, high stakes gambler read this classic.

Casino Bookstore about Las Vegas

What is Las Vegas?

The Biggest Game in Town

Al Alvarez

Chronicle Books, 2002-03

Price: $15.95

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