Synopses & Reviews
In the spring of 2000,
Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend. But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament--the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it--and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it.
Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"--the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts.
James McManus is the author of four novels, including Going to the Sun, winner of the Carl Sandburg Award. In 2001 he received the Peter Lisagor Award for sports journalism. His writing appears in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Esquire, Chicago, and Harper's, and has been widely anthologized. He teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including a course on the literature and science of poker.
In the Spring of 2000, Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Pokerin particular, the mushrooming progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend with a technique so outré it took a Manhattan pathologist to identify it. Whether a jury would convict the attractive young couple was another story altogether.
But when McManus sets foot in town, the lure of the tables is too strong: he proceeds to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. Only with actual experience at the table (he tells his skeptical wife) can he capture the hair-raising subtleties of the kind of poker that determines the world champion. The heart of the book is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament itselfthe players, the hands, and his own unlikely progress in it.
Written in the tradition of The Gambler and The Biggest Game in Town, Positively Fifth Street is a high-stake adventure, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"the eros and logistics of our primary competitive instincts.
"Sex, drugs, Sylvia Plath, Amarillo Slim, the history of cards, the psychology of gambling, and most insistently the edgy drama of no-limit Texas hold'emit's all here in language that nearly burns a hole in the page."Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate
"James McManus bet big and won. His Positively Fifth Street, an exhilarating chronicle of the 2000 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, will go on the shelf with the classic that inspired it, The Biggest Game in Town, A. Alvarez's account of the 1981 event . . . As tension packed as any thriller . . . A great story."The New York Times Book Review (cover)
"Artfully woven . . . McManus captures the adrenaline-juiced tension of the game, and he also captures the anomalous mix of skill, bravado, gamesmanship, and sheer good fortune that a player needs to succeed; the bantering rivalry and comraderie that engulf the survivors; and the knowledge, as Conrad once put it, that 'it is the mark of an inexperienced man not to believe in luck.'"Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Irresistible . . . McManus gives the reader a riveting over-the-shoulder view of the hand-by-hand action . . . His prose is flashy, funny, and unexpectedly erudite, but McManus hardly even needs itwith material this rich, he's holding the writer's equivalent of a royal flush."Time
"In writing about poker Jim McManus has managed to write about everything, and it's glorious."David Sedaris, author of Me Talk Pretty One Day
"A long run of luck. It takes guts to write a book like this, to reveal yourself in three dimensions, to stand as hero and fool."Chicago Tribune
"Beware this book. Jim McManus portrays a Vegas that most of us don't believe ever really existedseedy and thrilling and deadlyand his poker scenes rank with the most exciting sports writing you'll ever find. I'd never even heard of Texas Hold 'Em when I first read his blow-by-blow account of how he won a quarter million dollarsas an amateur!in the World Series of Poker. Now, because of him, I'm hooked on the game."Ira Glass, host of This American Life
"Irresistible . . . A joy to read . . . McManus dances poetlike amid stores of knowledge from every conceivable field and somehow ties them all together."Gerald Nicosia, Los Angeles Times
"A rich and raunchy memoir, a Las Vegas fable of no-limit action."Sports Illustrated
"A tension-filled shot of adrenaline . . . gloriously depraved . . . This is a real-life Clark Kent matching wits with poker's superheroes and emerging triumphant."Newsday
"What makes [McManus's writing] compelling is its empathy . . . Beyond being the most authentic account of the World Series of Poker, Positively Fifth Street is an elegant explanation of why people . . . are drawn to risk."The Wall Street Journal
"James McManus is the only literary poker-player ever to have made it to the final table in 'the Big One,' and he did so by playing brilliantly. I admire his achievement, envy his skill and discipline, and was completely absorbed by his subtle, detailed, lively account of the longest four days of his life."A. Alvarez, author of The Biggest Game in Town
"Compelling . . . as close as you can get to a Vegas table without risking your bankroll."New York magazine
"Although this is not a book by which to learn poker, it contains some of the most profound poker wisdom a player is likely to learn . . . A riveting and humorous emotional roller coaster." The Washington Post Book World
"Many have tried, myself included, but no writer before Jim McManus has made it to the final table of the 'Big One' at the World Series of Poker. It's the equivalent of NASA sending a poet to the moonand the resulting book is just as enthralling."Anthony Holden, author of Big Deal: One Year as a Professional Poker Player
"I was present during the events McManus describes in glorious detail. At the time, I didn't know how a man with McManus's relatively limited tournament experience could perform at such a high level. Seeing the courage he displays in Positively Fifth Street by baring ALL elements of his experience, including the negative ones, I know now that it wasn't just luck and good play that got him to the final table. James McManus has nerves of steel (or iron balls, as you prefer), and you will find yourself unable to put down [this] compelling true tale."Andrew N. S. Glazer, Detroit Free Press
"Chasing after the great big epic of the USA, McManus finds at the poker table a reflection of just about everything that matters: love, money, violence, resentment, envy, fear. Positively Fifth Street is a love story, really, and just the far side of gonzo, too, with the tranquillized reporter following his dream right into the story-like the kid at the Natural History Museum who crawled inside the diorama."Rich Cohen, author of Lake Effect
"A straight flush . . . The drama of high-stakes poker is inherently compellinghere is a rare opportunity to read an account by someone who can really write."Publishers Weekly
Review
"McManus has crafted one of the finest books ever written on poker, gambling and murder. There is hardly an aspect of the gambling life that he doesn't honestly examine." Kim I. Eisler, Washington Post
Review
"Positively Fifth Street nonfiction though it is may be the closest thing to a true Beat novel we've seen since Kesey went back to dairy farming, Tom Robbins started going for too many easy laughs, and Thomas Pynchon fell silent again." Gerald Nicosia, Los Angeles Times
Review
"The drama of high-stakes poker is inherently compelling here is a rare opportunity to read an account by someone who can really write." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Beware this book. Jim McManus portrays a Vegas that most of us don't believe ever really existed seedy and thrilling and deadly and his poker scenes rank with the most exciting sports writing you'll ever find. I'd never even heard of Texas hold'em when I first read his blow-by-blow account of how far he made it as an amateur! in the World Series of Poker. Now, because of him, I'm hooked on the game." Ira Glass, host of This American Life
Review
"Murder, sex, drugs, Sylvia Plath, Amarillo Slim, the history of cards, the psychology of gambling, and most insistently the edgy drama of no-limit Texas hold'em it's all here in language that nearly burns a hole in the page." Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate
Review
"Most fascinating is his portrait of the customs and sensibilities of the eclectic homo pokereins across every race and nationality, male and female (including a very aggressive barefoot and pregnant professional poker player). A delicious inside look." Vanessa Bush, Booklist
Review
"James McManus bet big and won. His Positively Fifth Street, an exhilarating chronicle of the 2000 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, will go on the shelf with the classic that inspired it, The Biggest Game in Town, A. Alvarez's account of the 1981 event." Robert R. Harris, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Though the language of poker can be as obtuse as haiku, McManus uses it to dazzle the reader....A heart-in-its-mouth card story: urgent, potent, and damn jolly." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"I found the author's writing about the tournament heart-stoppingly dramatic, as brilliant as anything ever written about poker. And while his coverage of the Binion trial feels less compelling, less fought-for, Positively Fifth Street, like Sin City itself, is an endlessly fascinating spectacle." Adrienne Miller, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)
Synopsis
Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies" the eros and logistics of our primary competitive instincts.
Synopsis
In the spring of 2000,
Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend. But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament--the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it--and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it.
Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"--the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts.
Synopsis
In the spring of 2000, Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend. But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it. Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies" the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts.
About the Author
James McManus is a novelist and poet, most recently winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for sports journalism. He teaches writing and comparative literature at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including a course on the literature and science of poker.
Table of Contents
The End 3
Dead Money 21
Family, Career, Even Life 35
Black Magic 69
Urge Overkill 87
The Poker of Science 107
Nobody Said Anything 125
Chicks with Decks 149
Death in the Afternoon 185
Book-learned 207
On the Bubble 223
Song for Two Jims 249
Tension-discharge 269
The Last Supper 311
Either Way 337
Zombies is Bawth of 'Em 355
Tons and Tons of Luck 369
Poker Terminology 389
Bibliography 399
Acknowledgments 405
Index 407