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Positively Fifth Street
Product
Positively Fifth Street by James McManus
Hits
- A page-turning factual account of the 2000 World Series of Poker that flows like fiction
- Filled with humor, poker history and card play trivia
- Offers an insider's look at poker pros and the World Series of Poker
Misses
- Some of the information is dated as a result of McManus writing the book in 2000
- The only poker strategy comes in snippets from other authors' Texas Hold'em guides
Review
James McManus' two passions - poker and writing - meet in Positively Fifth Street, a sprawling tale of all things Las Vegas: murder, gambling, strippers, booze and drugs. Luckily for us, his Texas Hold'em skills are almost on par with his talents as an author.
Sent by Harper's magazine to cover the 2000 World Series of Poker, McManus - a 49-year-old with family-man values and bad-boy vices - becomes the main character in this non-fiction narrative.
In the telling of his adventure, McManus is frequently sidetracked, pausing to present details of Ted Binion's unfolding murder trial, as well as literary poker references, the history of card play, examples of Texas Hold'em's checkered past and, as it would seem in the book, its equally checkered present state.
But just as the reader begins wondering what McManus' detour has to do with the story at hand, he makes the poker connection and drags us back into the action.
His Harper's assignment was to cover the Binion murder trial and the advancement of women at the WSOP; however, the real story of Positively Fifth Street becomes his unexpected advancement in the series' Main Event while battling the temptations of long-legged Las Vegas strippers, pharmaceuticals and gambling.
McManus' writing is honest and informal, which makes for a very funny and interesting read. His retelling of tournament poker action is just as delicious, tempting the reader to skip ahead and sneak a peak at what the river brings for the author.
Penned following the 2000 WSOP, Positively Fifth Street focuses on a time before Chris Moneymaker blew the top off the poker scene in 2003. Consequently, a lot of the information in the book is dated, including the verdict of the Binion murder case which was overturned in 2004.
The older material doesn't end up taking much away from the book, however, as it offers an insider's view to a WSOP Main Event that took place prior to the now-prolific live tournament coverage.
Readers looking for a how-to lesson on Texas Hold'em should look elsewhere. Though woven with some poker theory McManus learned from strategy guides prior to playing in the event, this book isn't about helping to improve your game.
Rather, readers should pick up Positively Fifth Street to follow McManus' WSOP underdog story and experience Las Vegas's naughty bits without getting in trouble with their spouses.
The book is 417 pages, which includes a glossary of poker terms, a bibliography and detailed index.
Details:
- Paperback $22
Picador
