The Noble Hustle
Summary
I have a good poker face because I am half dead inside. So begins the hilarious and unexpectedly moving adventures of an amateur player who lucked into a seat at the biggest card game in town - the World Series of Poker. In 2011 Grantland magazine sent award-winning novelist Colson Whitehead to brave the harrowing, seven-day gauntlet of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. It was the assignment of a lifetime, except for one hitch - he'd never played in a casino tournament before. With just six weeks to train, our humble narrator plunged into the gritty subculture of high-stakes Texas Holdem. Theres poker here, sure, which means joy and heartbreak, grizzled cowboys from the games golden age, and teenage hotshots weaned on internet gambling. Not to mention the overlooked problem of coordinating Atlantic City bus schedules with your kids drop-off and pick-up at school. And then theres Vegas. In a world full of long shots and short odds, The Noble Hustle is a sure bet, a raucously funny social satire whose main target is the author himself. Whether youve been playing cards your whole life or have never picked up a hand, youre sure to agree that this book contains some of the best writing about beef jerky ever put to paper.
©2014 Colson Whitehead (P)2014 Random House Audio