Poker is a game with many crazy stories, wild bets, historic wins, and colorful characters. And there have been some great books through the years that have taken a look at the game and the people in it. For poker fans looking to brush up some history of the game as well as some unique players, here’s a look at some books to check out.
Poker Pioneer by Tom McEvoy (2024)
Winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in 1983, Tom McEvoy was one of the key figures leading an effort to make tournament poker smoke-free. He was also an early supporter of limiting tournament days to 12 hours and one of the first online poker hosts and ambassadors. The 79-year-old was inducted into the Poker Hall of Game in 2013 and details his life in the game – from the highs of winning on poker’s biggest stages to the lows of bad business deals, failed marriages, and everything in between.
“The absolute truth about my life and career,” he says of the book. “It will tell what it takes to be a successful professional poker player and the pitfalls to avoid.”
Big Deal by Anthony Holden (1990)
This poker playing British journalist passed away in 2023 and the book chronicles his life trying to become a poker pro and playing in events at the WSOP from 1988-89. The book received rave reviews by many fellow players including playwright David Mamet, author Salman Rushdie, and actor Walter Matthau.
Holden takes a look at some of the game’s biggest names at the time and after a life of penning numerous works, Big Deal was his most successful book. In 2007, the author even released a sequel – Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom.
Alligator Blood: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the High-rolling Whiz-kid Who Controlled Online Poker's Billions by James Leighton (2013)
Leighton offers a compelling look inside the boom of online poker and the fall of Daniel Tzvetkoff, who created an online payment processing system to circumvent U.S. law and allow sites to keep accepting play funds.
Leighton offers a fascinating look at how Tzvetkoff lived the high life and made millions of dollars a month. That all came crashing down, however, when he was eventually arrested in Las Vegas in 2010 on money laundering and bank fraud charges.
The Moneymaker Effect by Eric Raskin (2014)
In 2003, Chris Moneymaker’s name became synonymous with poker and this work offers a great look at his historic run through the $10,000 Main Event at the WSOP. His everyman story of winning an $86 online qualifier and then taking down poker’s biggest event for $2.5 million will resonate with readers.
The book focuses on how important his win was as television viewers became fascinated with the game and began following poker on ESPN and other outlets. Some of those commenting included poker greats like Daniel Negreanu, Sammy Farha, Mike Sexton, Dan Harrington, Greg Raymer, and others.
The Biggest Game in Town by Al Alvarez (1983)
This is a classic poker work that defined the genre. Poker was a much different game in the 1980s and British author Al Alvaraz offered one of the first looks into this unique world. That included some of the WSOP’s early players and most colorful characters.
The Biggest Game in Town Is also credited with bringing Texas Hold'em to a wider audience for the first time. Anyone interested in poker history will want to add this to the bookshelf.
By Sean Chaffin