Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: Other peole have already said it better than me that this book is a mastrpiece from a writer whose so much better than everyone else writing about gambling its not even close. So I didn't feel I had anything to add to a review until I saw someone claiming Konik's stories are made up. Well I've lived in las vegas for nearly 15 years now and I can tell you that everything in this book and in "Man With $100,000 Breasts" is 100% true. In fact I think sometimes the author left certain incriminating details out of his stories to protect the innocent! I know three of the people he writes about in his books, and its all true.They say truth is tsranger than fiction. Well in gambling that's for [darn] sure. If you want the TRUTH from someone who has seen a lot more than most gamblers ever will, you gotta have BOTH Konik's books. It don't getr any better. Nuff said.
Rating: 
Summary: Telling Lies is an apt title
Review: Telling lies and getting paid, more than a book title, is a description of what the author accomplished by writing this book. For almost certainly a third of what's here is apocryphal, and if hd didn't made his stories up, his characters and stories are so immature and stereotypical, it doesn't really matter. The other problem is that this author can't write. It is true he strings sentences together competently, but to pull off a book of stories, you need to be able to write well, to weave a story, develop characters and create interest and dramatic tension. This book doesn't get close. Some of the stories I would expect might titillate a teenager who doesn't get out much, but won't do much for the sophisticated reader. There is no subtlety to his writing: no observation from a distance, no analysis of how crazy this or that is, of what might be going on from another perspective. He never steps away from his simple stories to give background, for example, on the opulence/decadence) of Vegas or the nuances of Texas Hold em and its illustrious characters. These are plainly told gambling stories. And that may also be the one strength of the book. I'm a poker player, and I love gambling stories, and I found it interesting and fun to read an account of his time at the World Series of Poker, the second half of the book. It would have gotten him three stars were I not convinced he makes some of his stories up (as I believe he did in "The Man with $100,000 Breasts"--even the photo of "the man" looks fake--a photo of a woman's perfect breasts superimposed National Enquirer style. And anyway, who cares?). Had stuck with his own poker playing and that of others in Vegas, I would have gone for 4 stars for it is the one reason to buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Tijuana Times, Gives 2 Thumbs Up
Review: The best gambling book yet. Mr. Konick really out did himself this time. Hey Mr. Konick is there going to be a sequel ?
Would like to know.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: This is the best book I've ever read about gambling in general and poker in specific. Anyone even thinking of playing in the World Series of Poker should read Konik's account of playing in the Big One. He captures poker in a way I've never read before. Its very personal but very applicable to everyone at the same time, and that's why I would suggest this book to anyone. Some "big" words but very easy to read. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: MUST read
Review: This is the most amazing book ever written about poker. Michael Konik gives you a chance to have a real taste of how it "feels" to be sitting on a poker table with all these big poker players in the World Series of Poker. His honest psychological analysis of the game gives this book a very original flavor. It's not about odds. It's about people. The main story is preceded by a bunch of entertaining stories about some of the most intriguing characters and casinos of the gambling world. If you have any interest in the gambling world, it is a MUST read. Konik's book will probably change the way you look at gambling.
Rating:
Summary: MUST read
Review: This is the most amazing book ever written about poker. Michael Konik gives you a chance to have a real taste of how it "feels" to be sitting on a poker table with all these big poker players in the World Series of Poker. His honest psychological analysis of the game gives this book a very original flavor. It's not about odds. It's about people. The main story is preceded by a bunch of entertaining stories about some of the most intriguing characters and casinos of the gambling world. If you have any interest in the gambling world, it is a MUST read. Konik's book will probably change the way you look at gambling.
Rating:
Summary: Read and Learn
Review: World Series of Poker time again. Plenty of strategy books out there. Only one about what's inside the heart and head of top players. I reread Konik's masterpiece the night before the last tournament I played. Won it. This is the book I'm going to be reading night before the Big One. Mr. Konik I salute you.
Rating:
Summary: Good as it Gets
Review: You want to know about the world of gambling, this is it. Doesn't get any better.
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