The Bookworm Gambler’s Digest: Telling Lies and Getting Paid

Michael Konik’s book is a true wonder: a light read for a sunny afternoon about poker and gambling.

It’s safe to say that with mobile casinos, we all have gotten used to playing games and poker wherever and whenever we wish. Gone are the days where you had to go to a casino in order to have fun: everything is at arms’ length. There is no problem with this, technology in evolving and we’re using it to our own advantage. But Michael Konik’s book will make you want to experience live games again, that’s for sure.

• His openness comes through
• Entertaining and sharp
• Quick read

Prepare to be utterly engaged in this book from the moment you read the first word until you finished it and put it back on your bookshelf. It is basically separated into two sections (both are greatly entertaining,) with one recounting funny little gambling stories and the other talking about things Konik experienced during the 2001 World Series of Poker tournament where he himself competes, too. His writing style is captivating and amusing; the way he portrays situations is simply fantastic. His laid-back attitude and experience in gambling in general makes this book just informative enough.

Michael Konik, gambling commentator

No wonder then, that he has had an extensive and diverse career: apart from books, he also wrote articles for The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and for Delta Airlines’ Sky Magazine. He was named “Dean of the World’s Gambling Writers.” According to his official website, he is a creative character, with talents for jazz and performing comedy. He is also a two-time marathon runner and is a volunteer animal therapist helping out in hospitals and nursing homes. He is no stranger to playing in US poker rooms, and played in six WSOP tournaments. Unfortunately, he never won.

Konik can also boast of having written many books: In Search of Burningbush: A Story of Golf, Friendship and the Meaning of Irons; Ella in Europe: An American Dog’s International Adventures; The Smart Money: How the World’s Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions and the list goes on and on. Among these book is the famous novel Making It, too. Although he never became a poker winner, he sure is a victor in other areas of life. He has been a commentator on Poker Superstars, too. How can one person do so many things? All the better for us, readers: his openness comes through his books and make them really special.

His vast creativity in life’s other areas mix with his knowledge of poker

His way of writing makes us want to abandon online poker sites in the UK and dive into the combination of lively gambling characters and funny situations presented by him. He recounts many stories about wonderfully livid characters who would make us roll on the floor laughing our hearts out in real life. He promotes live games, and I’m not surprised: the way he describes situations in this short book makes me wonder how mobile casino gamblingbecame so popular in the last few years.

From the other part of the book, his memoir, we can see the willingness to actually live through the actions of a grand event like the World Series of Poker instead of only writing about it. It is this hands-on attitude of Konik that oozes out of every word of this novel. He doesn’t only give an account of the action, he digs deeper into the souls of himself and the players and keeps us hanging on every word in order to learn more. This book is far from boring. It will suit you even if you’re not much of a reader, since it’s short and so well-written. It’s humorous and doesn’t beat around the bush: a perfect symbol for what poker is.