Shut Up and Deal

April 13, 1998
May's speedy, coming-of-age debut unfolds in the insular, all-male world of high-stakes professional poker, where staying in the action is everything and money is just a way of keeping score. Narrator Mickey, who joins the pro circuit at the age of 21, is surrounded by a large cast of eccentrics with stereotypical nicknames like Vinnie the Greek, Fresca Kid and Uptown Raoul. They're all constantly searching for the next "big game," moving like nomads across America as if it were no more than a barren desert speckled with casino oases like the Mirage in Las Vegas, Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and Foxwoods in Connecticut. In a world where you are who you pretend to be, image, bluff and reputation are as important as talent and luck: Mickey opts for sunglasses and garish Salvation Army clothes, makes a place for himself on the circuit during the early 1990s and then feels it slipping away. As he reels off one tale after another about hitting it big or going broke, Mickey's voice rings true, his obsession, insecurity and self-delusion barely hidden beneath a thin mask of bravado. Yet the price for accuracy is a lot of jargon: rudimentary knowledge of poker is not enough to understand the repetitive, blow-by-blow accounts of games like 10-20 Hold 'em, Pot Limit Omaha and Seven Stud Hilo. "There is no reality away from the poker table," Mickey says. He may be right, but that exclusionary attitude will keep most readers standing "on the rail," watching the play without anteing a stake of their own.

May 1, 1998
This first novel is a rambling look at the world of poker as seen through the eyes of Mickey, a young professional gambler. As Mickey travels from casino to casino, tournament to tournament, Atlantic City to Las Vegas, poker game to poker game, he describes the people he's playing against, the type of poker he plays, and how much money he and the rest of the guys win or lose. Self-indulgent to a fault, Mickey is no Paul Newman of the poker world, and this is no Hustler. Presumably, this novel is aimed at poker players who enjoy reading books about their pastime or profession. Large public libraries in Atlantic City and Las Vegas might consider purchasing, but others can safely skip this.--Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle