All in: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker

Nope. There are no discussions of how to play poker here. But whether or not you play poker you will enjoy this book. As the title says, it's (almost) the entirely true story of how the WSOP got started, the bumps along the way, and of course, the characters involved. It takes you from the humble beginnings to the behemuth that it is today. And such stories...like the 1972 WSOP had 13 entrants, but only 8 of them played because they would rather play in the lucrative sides games than the WSOP. 1972 is also the year that Benny Binion made it a $10,000 buy-in...but paid half of it for the players who entered. You'll watch the rise of the Binion family only to see it implode along the lines of a "Dallas" script. You'll read where a tournament director was fired because he refused to move old grumpy Johnny Moss who didn't want to sit by the railbirds during the tournament. Stories of great poker players like Jack Strauss, Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim and others fill this book. Read how Jessie Alto, who made the final table 6 times, went on a full tilt after he was bluffed out of a pot. It's a fast read and I definitely recommned it to anyone who has a passing interest in poker.

A story is all in the way it's told, and Grotenstein and Reback do it remarkably well here. They bring the Series to life in a way that makes the book an engaging narrative rather than a standard chronology. Similar to McManus's POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET in that it provides rich background on the game's most colorful players. However, ALL IN is more tightly written and edited. I especially liked the coverage of Stu Ungar. All told, ALL IN was a great read-- challenging enough for poker veterans yet accessible to those unfamilar with the WSOP and its storied past.

I must confess that I am not a poker player. My husband bought this book and raved about it so I gave it a shot. Much to my surprise and delight, I couldn't put it down. All the characters are just that: TRUE CHARACTERS. From the charismatic Amarillo Slim to the egomaniacal Phil Hellmuth, all of the players are incredibly interesting, and I found myself rooting for the ones I got to know best to succeed. Happily, most of the good guys prevail and win a coveted championship. Some of the descriptions of the hands were a little over my head, but all this did was make me want to learn how to play the game. I am now officially all in.

This is the last poker book that needs to be written. With the original ambition of simply relating the history of the World Series of Poker, All In also manages to describe the entire history of modern-day poker along the way. In this highly entertaining read you will see how poker evolved from a shady game played in back rooms into the staple of mainstream culture it is today. All the characters you see on television every week (Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, etc.) are described in such rich detail it is like meeting them in person. I have read all the best poker books from A. Alvarez's The Biggest Game in Town to James McManus's Positively Fifth Street and All In ranks right up there with them. I look forward to reading All In II someday, the story of the tournament's next thirty years.

A fast-paced, suspenseful and hysterically funny inside account not just of the WSOP, but of the secret fraternity of poker in Post-WWII America. Every paragraph contains a surprising fact, a shocking detail, a colorful anecdote, and frequently all three. The authors' concise and lucid blow-by-blow of the most famous hands in poker history is more than matched by their color commentary on the personalities involved. Although the book contains no photographs, the players, their styles, their histories are described so vividly that you'll recognize them in a second if one of them sits down at your table. For that alone, this book is indispensable.