Synopses & Reviews
An overeducated underachiever, Peter Alson spent his post-college decades doing his best not to grow up. But having just turned fifty, this rambling-gambling bachelor decides it's time to settle down. So he pops the question to his longtime girlfriend, then hatches a plan to pay for their wedding -- involving poker and a trip to Las Vegas. Boarding a plane bound for the neon desert and the biggest game in town -- the 2005 World Series of Poker -- this inveterate gambler and bad boy stares down his past and his future while competing for over $56 million in prize money. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;iandgt;Take Me to the Riverandlt;/iandgt; is a hilarious, wrenching, full-tilt Vegas exploration of one man's obsession with poker and the lessons it has to offer -- about probability and luck, good fortune and bad, patience, perseverance, and -- most fitting for a man with marriage in his near future -- commitment.
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A bloody good read." - Poker Life
Review
"Without question, one of the finest poker books ever written." -- James McManus, bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Positively Fifth Streetandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Literary, smartly written." -- The Poker Gazette
Review
"[Alson's] transparent prose is ferociously honest and deceptively simple." -- Matthew Klam, author of andlt;iandgt;Sam the Cat and Other Storiesandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Alson's crystalline prose takes us through a risk-lover's garden of terrors and earthly delights during the course of his comic, at times moving quest for luck, love, and the new American dream. Take Me to the River is, without question, one of the finest poker books ever written." -- James McManus, bestselling author of Positively Fifth Street
Review
"Alson writes like he's making a late-night long-distance call from a phone booth in the middle of the desert, with his head buzzing as he digs into his pockets for more change. His transparent prose is ferociously honest and deceptively simple." -- Matthew Klam, author of Sam the Cat and Other Stories
Review
"A compelling look inside the often tortured lives of professional gamblers." -- Mason Levinson, andlt;iandgt;Bloomberg Newsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Alson is at his best in recounting pivotal hands from his tournament experiences. He expertly builds suspense while explaining how he observes his opponents for clues and calculates his chances of winning a hand." -- andlt;iandgt;St. Petersburg Timesandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"A bloody good read." - andlt;iandgt;Poker Lifeandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Literary, smartly written." -- andlt;iandgt;The Poker Gazetteandlt;/iandgt;
Synopsis
An overeducated underachiever, Peter Alson spent his post-college decades doing his best not to grow up. But having just turned fifty, this rambling-gambling bachelor decides it's time to settle down. So he pops the question to his longtime girlfriend, then hatches a plan to pay for their wedding -- involving poker and a trip to Las Vegas. Boarding a plane bound for the neon desert and the biggest game in town -- the 2005 World Series of Poker -- this inveterate gambler and bad boy stares down his past and his future while competing for over $56 million in prize money.
Take Me to the River is a hilarious, wrenching, full-tilt Vegas exploration of one man's obsession with poker and the lessons it has to offer -- about probability and luck, good fortune and bad, patience, perseverance, and -- most fitting for a man with marriage in his near future -- commitment.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Peter Alsonandlt;/bandgt; is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir andlt;Iandgt;Confessions of an Ivy League Bookieandlt;/iandgt; and coauthor of andlt;Iandgt;One of a Kindandlt;/iandgt;, a biography of the poker champion Stuey Ungar, and andlt;Iandgt;Atlas: From the Street to the Ring: A Son's Struggle to Become a Manandlt;/iandgt;. Alson's articles have appeared in many national magazines, including andlt;Iandgt;Esquire, Playboyandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;Iandgt;The New York Times Magazineandlt;/iandgt;. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Alice, and their daughter Eden.
Table of Contents
Forward by Brian Koppelman ix
Prologue 1
1 Vegas from the Air 9
2 Heart of Ice 26
3 A Thin Slice of Nothing 48
4 The Troglodyte on the Couch 79
5 Something Bright and Shiny and Worth the Pain 107
6 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 119
7 Seduction, Fantasy, and Getting Lucky (Not Necessarily in That Order) 140
8 Almost All of Them Are Tough 165
9 Strangers When We Meet 188
10 A Senior Moment 210
11 The Perfect Path 226
12 The Quick and the Dead 239
13 The Mighty Casey 257
14 The Single Most Depressing Day of the Year 267
Epilogue 281
Acknowledgments 285
Selected Reading 289