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The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time

by Michael Craig

A documented account of poker’s ultra-high-stakes Big Game

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A documented account of poker’s ultra-high-stakes Big Game

Michael Craig chronicles a series of heads-up poker matches that began in Las Vegas in 2001, when Texas banker Andy Beal challenged established professionals including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, and Jennifer Harman. The account traces how initially million-dollar match funds and five-figure betting rounds escalated over months, eventually placing more than $20 million on the table. Alongside the mechanics of extreme-stakes play, the book frames the contest as a study in calculation, pressure, risk, and the professional gambling world surrounding the Bellagio’s high-stakes room.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Poker players interested in notable high-stakes cash-game history
  • Readers interested in gambling, risk, and competitive psychology
  • Fans of nonfiction accounts centered on Las Vegas poker culture

Themes

High-stakes pokerRisk and wealthCompetitionGambling psychologyLas Vegas

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The Players: the best poker professionals in the world The Challenger: a wealthy banker from Dallas The Game: the richest poker stakes of all time... In 2001, a rich stranger from Texas descended upon the high-stakes poker room in the opulent Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. A self-made billionaire by the name of Andy Beal, the stranger challenged some of the world's greatest poker players-including Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, and Jennifer Harman-to heads-up matches in the richest poker game ever played This is that story...

Beginning the scintillating contest that would shock the world of poker, Andy and each opponent had $1 million, betting $10,000 and $20,000 per round. As the games intensified over the coming months and Andy developed into a great player, he realized how he could take his adversaries out of their comfort zone-he raised the stakes to put everything they had on the line. By the time the battle of wits ended, there was more than $20 million on the table. For the first time ever, here is the detailed, true account of the Big Game that has already achieved legendary status in poker lore. Putting you railside to observe the pulse-pounding action, where you can almost hear the distinct sound of clay chips on felt, Michael Craig takes you inside the iron-nerved mind and pathological psyche of the professional gambler. Filled with vivid characters, sensational tales, and riveting human drama, The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King is a unique, suspenseful journey into the world of people who live on the razor's edge of fortune-where incredible wealth, or utter ruin, turns on the flip of a card.
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