Sometimes you read a book which opens your mind to a world so different to your own that you wonder at the diversity of the human race as you say, “these people are so unlike me”. I am not a gambler and I don’t play poker, but I found For Richer For Poorer thoroughly entrancing from start to finish, not only because of the “alien” subject matter, but also because of Victoria Coren’s skill at communicating the mysteries of this hidden (to me) world.
Victoria Coren has been playing poker for 15 years and unlike most gamblers, has won quite a nice sum of money, not least in 2006 when she won $1m in the European Poker Championships. The subtitle of her book, “A Love Affair with Poker” hits it on the nail, but this is a love affair with no happy ending, just a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, complete ecstasy when things go well and misery when they don’t.
You have to admire her persistence. She joined the world of poker when it meant mixing with disreputable people in dingy clubs, the lure of the cards overcoming the distaste for her surroundings. The book, For Richer For Poorer, chronicles her journey from playing her big brother Giles and his friends for pennies, through to the time when she carries a fat roll of bank-notes around with her.
Continue reading Review: For Richer For Poorer – Victoria Coren
Recent Comments