Positively Fifth Street
Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker
Picador · Print & ebook · March 1, 2004
In the spring of 2000, Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend.
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- Who it’s for
- Poker suspense meets a wry look at risk and competitive instinct.
- Themes
- Poker tournament competition, Ted Binion's murder, Competitive instincts
- Pacing
- Fast
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In the spring of 2000, Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend. But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself.
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This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament--the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it--and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it. Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies"--the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts.
Risk at the Tables
Poker suspense meets a wry look at risk and competitive instinct.
Come here for
- Long-shot tournament tension
- Poker’s curious psychology
Expect
- Hand-to-hand tournament drama
- Seedy carnival atmosphere with laughs
Where it sits
| Poker | 78% |
|---|---|
| Gambling | 50% |
| Murder & Homicide | 44% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Poker
- Pop Culture Studies
- Authors
- James McManus
- Publisher
- Picador
- Published
- March 1, 2004
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Poker tournament competition · Ted Binion's murder · Competitive instincts
- Reading lane
- Poker