HARPER COLLINS

In 2004 the number of entrants -- and the winning pool -- at the World Series of Poker tripled, thanks in large part to Chris Moneymaker, an amateur player who came out of nowhere to win the 2003 Series, and prove to newcomers and poker pros alike that anything is possible with a chip and a chair. Moneymaker was a young accountant from Tennessee who loved to gamble but only took up cards after college. Three years later he was playing a $40 game of online Texas Hold 'Em and won a coveted seat...

Slim, a World Series of Poker champion, offers an entertaining blend of stories, hustles, con men and powerful players from Texas to Nevada and everywhichway. Dinkin spent hundreds of hours interviewing Slim and captures his persona in his drive to find that elusive edge at whatever he played. 270 Pgs. 2003

Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso was the boss of New York’s Lucchese Mafia family. He worked himself to the top as a cold-blooded killer, responsible for more than 50 murders. He was also, for a while, the next-door neighbor of the author. Carlo’s sister babysat for Casso; his mother was best friends with Casso’s wife. That long and trusting relationship garnered Carlo, journalist and best-selling author (The Ice Man, 2006), unprecedented access to one of the most ruthless crime bosses in the history...

The electrifying true story of the rise and fall of New York's notorious Bonanno crime family. On New York's Park Avenue on a rainy Tuesday night in October 1964, the famous Mafia chieftain Joseph Bonanno was kidnapped by two mobsters and reported by the police as dead on the following morning. More than a year later, Bonanno mysteriously reappeared, setting off a bloody mob feud that came to be known as the “Banana War.” In this monumental work—packed with intimate details and brilliant...

An introduction to the modern game of blackjack, including high and low stakes casino, shoe games, online and tournaments. Begins with the basic rules of play and then moves on to a card-counting method, broken down into three levels: novice, recreational and professional. Also covers camouflaging techniques, money management, and team play. Includes many stories of triumphs at the tables. 267 Pgs. 2005

Everybody wants to win the lottery but few people understand the huge burden that comes with winning, especially since lottery winnings are often paid in yearly installments rather than in full. Ugel was a salesman for a company that offered to buy peoples lottery winnings with a lump sum, often much less than face value but at a good investment for his company. Though he was a huge success at his job, he asked himself, if you're good at something that is bad for some people, does that make...

Subtitled " How the Mob Owned Cuba...and Then Lost it to the Revolution". To underworld kingpins Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano, Cuba was the greatest hope for the future of American organized crime in the post-Prohibition years. In the 1950s, the Mob - with the corrupt, repressive government of brutal Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in its pocket - owned Havana's biggest luxury hotels and casinos, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment,...

Navarro, a former FBI counter-intelligence officer specializing in nonverbal communication and behavior analysis, offers his knowledge and techniques, with illustrations and examples from poker pro Hellmuth to teach you how to decode your opponents nonverbal cues. Picking up where other books have left off, this book was written by a people reader, not a poker player, who has caught some serious tells given off by some of the worlds best poker experts. 240 Pgs. 2006

From Oscar De La Hoya, one of the most celebrated fighters in the history of boxing, comes a frank and touching memoir about achieving the American Dream: His rise to the top, the power of a solid work ethic, his mother's painful death from cancer, the pitfalls of stardom and a very personal take on what it means to be an American. 265 Pgs. 2008 Hardcover

Sexton, commentator for the World Poker Tour, is also a consummate poker player and spokesman for the game, encouraging newcomers to play without being intimidated by those who have been at the game for a long time. In his book, he teaches the basics to beginners to help them move up to the winning strategies of top players. Covers no-limit hold'em strategies, online tourneys, and how to set up a home tournament. Indexed 197 Pgs. 2005 Table of Contents You Can Become a Winning Poker PlayerThe...

Subtitled "The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World". When Molly Bloom was a little girl in a small Colorado town, she dreamed of a life without rules and limits, a life where she didn’t have to measure up to anyone or anything—where she could become whatever she wanted. She ultimately got more than she could have ever bargained for. In Molly’s Game, she takes you through her adventures running an exclusive high-stakes...