What a great read! The book is broken down into twelve chapters, each having their own theme. Then each chapter is broken down into a series of what are really short stories about Amarillo Slim (Thomas Austin Preston Jr.) and his adventures.

You get to learn about Slim’s pool skills, how he started playing poker, and some of the craziest bets I’ve ever heard of. Like he mentions many times throughout the book, “if there’s anything worth arguing about, either bet on it or shut up.” More times than not, Slim made the bet. More times than not, Slim also won that bet. He’s beaten a horse in a foot race, rafted down “The River of No Return” in the middle of winter, and rode a camel through a casino; all to win money.

This just isn’t a book about poker. In fact, it’s more about gambling in general. Slim was never one to back away from proposition bets and he made a few of his own. His insights into the world of gambling let me in on my dream life, but also reinforced the fact that it’s “a hard way to make an easy living.”

I give this book an A-.