The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King

by Michael Craig

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Reviewer: Mark

I read this book a few months ago, and loved it. I have a pretty extensive poker book library, but this is one of my favorites. There are very few poker books out there that are written for a fun read. 95% of my poker books are pretty much "how to play" books. And the ones that are regular books, are typically poorly written.

I loved this book for the same reason I loved Bringing Down the House (another great gambling book), it has drama. There are highs and lows in the book and each chapter leaves you wanting more. I ended up reading the book in one day, mainly because I couldn't put it down.

The book is about a Texas billionaire bank owner that decides he wants to play poker for the highest stakes around. And where better to go to find this action that Las Vegas. He ends up playing some of the biggest poker names in the business, and I won't tell you how he does, but the entire ride is very exciting. And the best part about this story, is that it's all true!

I would recommend this book to anybody that enjoys playing, watching, or even talking about poker.

Reviewer: Craig Smith (CM_Smith)   -    A Sunday afternoon in Portland, Oregon

Let me start with a little background. I'm a professional Strength Athlete on the Heavy Events (Highland Games) Circuit. While not my full time profession, it does allow me to travel around the world, to see and go places that I normally wouldn't. The downside of this is the airline travel. Recently, I traveled to Portland, Oregon for a competition. Smooth sailing on the way there, not so smooth on the way back. Cancelled and delayed flights, being awake for 35 hours straight, and returning home an entire day later than I should have, is always a good time. In spite of this massive schedule change, I decided I could turn my many hours at the airport into something productive. Off to the bookstore I went.

I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire section of poker books in a airport bookstore. Thank you to the poker boom and televised poker. Having the need to entertain myself for many hours and to read something more than just poker strategy, I settled on The Professor, The Banker, and The Suicide King by Michael Craig.

Having read about "The corporation v. And Beal" on the various internet sites and poker forums, I already had a little background on the story. Andy Beal is basically a self made billionaire, now running a bank in Texas. He decides that he wants to play poker against the best poker players, at the highest stakes. In a journey that spans a couple years, Andy Beal heads to Vegas and plays with notables such as Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, Jennifer Harmon, Todd Brunson, Howard Lederer, and a host of other professional poker players. In the process, millions of dollars are won and lost in single hands, with the stakes reaching 30k/60k in Heads Up matches. It is interesting to note how much "gamble" the Pros have in them, and a few tales in the book highlight this.

Anyone looking to get away from the strategy only books for a moment, looking to take a break from the internet forums, or looking to take a break from the daily grind of online poker, should definitely read this book. It is very entertaining to read about the poker "celebrities" and playing for amounts of money most of us will only dream about. And hey, if you are ever stuck at an airport looking to kill a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s good for that too!

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