The FTT Book Review

Positively Fifth Street, by Jim McManus

As I move closer to fantasy football season, I found myself moving away from draft prep. Instead, my eyes kept coming back to this book, and by the end of it, I realized it was more than a desire to play hookey on the spreadsheets. McManus really is that good of a writer, and "Fifth Street" really is that good of a book.

The book covers two arching stories. The first is McManus's own poker play, which involves a run in the 2000 (pre-Internet, pre-Chris Moneymaker) World Series of Poker. The second is the murder of Ted Binion, one of the private family of casino owners who did more for poker than just about anyone, even if the Series is no longer at the rundown Horseshoe, at the hands of the woman he was involved with, and a confidante who was also involved with her.

The strength of the book is in McManus's unflinching honesty. Whether it's missteps at the felt or in an adult establishment, he's a reliable narrator in a sea of duplicity. It also doesn't hurt at all that his WSOP might be the last one to have true star power at the close; table-mates for McManus include Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, T.J. Cloutier and Annie Duke. Meanwhile, the criminal system grinds through the proceedings in the Binion murder, which is incredibly seedy, even by Vegas standards.

It's a bit long as there things go, but the access is remarkable, and so are McManus's gifts. Definitely worth your time and attention, even if you aren't a poker player... and the last lines of the book hit me like a truck. It's not just whether you win or lose at the tables; it's also what you lose by being there in the first place.