The Bookworm Gambler’s Digest: Living It Up

24/7: Living It Up and Doubling Down is a book written for true gambling fans who understand what going “all in” means. 

If you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a gambling binge, this is the book for you. Background story? Lets see… Andres Martinez decided that he would write a book. But not just any old novel or fiction, mind you. He got it in his head to make something truly new and shiny: report his own experiences, without censor, just the way he lived through them. How inspirational! To do this, he took a big portion of what he got in advance for this book, and went all-in: during thirty days, he would visit ten casinos in Vegas.

• USD 50,000 and 30 days
• Colorful characters
• Never-ending party

Be prepared, this is an exhilarating read. Its sincere style and humor will make it impossible to put down. It will take you straight into the belly of the beast: with luxurious US poker rooms and fancy restaurants, it will provide you with real insight into the life of a high roller. It is a book for a rainy afternoon; it will brighten up your day right from the first page. Martinez’ Ivy-League education really comes through; his vocabulary is beautifully diverse and his descriptions are just magical. It is wonderful to read each paragraph.

USD 50,000 and thirty thrilling days

So, Martinez took this sizeable amount of money and let himself off the hook: he visits ten casinos (among them are the classics: Desert Inn, Caesars Palace, Luxor, Ballys and The Golden Gate.) You, dear reader, will just sit there, shocked, with your mouth open and pondering on why oh why didn’t you think to do this first? We get to know many colourful and funny characters, like the man who has six children and just lost eight million dollars, or the Christian Minister who is moonlighting as a strip club worker (don’t get your panties in a bunch, he didn’t do any stripping…)

In a turmoil of such great participants, Martinez rocks it out, parties and gambles till he drops. I love the endless sense of freedom that comes through this book; his job is basically to have a very, VERY good time. All throughout the thirty days. The whole concept is magnificent. He meets and plays with professional tennis players (a guy who also used to be a dealer at a casino) and surprises his wife with a renewal of their wedding vows. You guessed it, they did the whole thing in classic Vegas-fashion: Elvis style! There is not a serious bone in this book, which makes it a relaxing and happy read. You could easily read it between two sessions of mobile betting.

Let’s get down to business

The book becomes even more intense when Martinez starts to talk about what goes on at each table: the battles of high rollers at poker and Baccarat. He never leaves a detail out; the expressions of players and tensions running high are perfectly mirrored in Martinez’ writing. I can almost see the trickle of sweat on each players’ forehead as they think about what to do next, and the fear of having bad cards. Martinez doesn’t only mention the high rollers and casino hosts, however. He also talks about the mix of rude and kind dealers, even the girl at the gift shop. Each time we get to know someone new.

When most of his money has melted away and he only has a little left, we can start to feel what probably every gambler feels. This, too, is perfectly described by the author. The hint of despair and its accumulation, like a dark cloud that starts to form and gets bigger and bigger… up until the final moment when everything is gone and the games must come to an end. No more cards, no more bets… not even mobile casino gambling (of course not, they didn’t even exist at the time.) Time to shut it all down and go back to write. And thank God, the book was published, because without it, our rainy afternoon would’ve stayed very, very dark.