Check-Raising the Devil

Mike is a funny guy. He genuinely seems to be a good person at heart. He’s also a degenerate gambler who has made a lot of money playing poker and lost a lot of money on most of his other betting. One of my favorite stories in the book is when he wins 250k in a tournament right before having to go to jail for six months. He sets 50k aside for his bills while he is in jail then gives his buddy 200k to place sports bets on his behalf while he is in jail. Under Mike’s direction he lost the 200k in 3 months of jail and came out of jail practically broke.I do think Mike is a good person though who is just doing his best to make it in the world.

Love him or hate him, if you know who Mike Matusow is you'll want to read this one.This book arrived in yesterday's mail. It is such a compelling story and so well written that I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it. Then I realized I'd read it so quickly I missed some of the deeper lessons to be learned. I'll have to read it again more slowly and contemplatively.I tend to be a bit of a nitpicker, being easily annoyed by poor editing. Not with this book. The quality of editing is outstanding - I didn't spot a single typo or grammatical error. That doesn't mean there are none, just that the book has been edited as if it really matters.The story is compelling and the writing is superb. The book is essentially an autobiography of a unique individual who happens to be among the world's best poker players as well as having significant emotional/neurological problems. Mike Matusow has been tried in ways most of us can't even imagine. And he appears in the end to have won his match with the Devil.This book can be viewed in many ways, among which are Mike's struggle with his personal mental problems, Mike's drug use, and Mike's lesson in how law enforcement works. Though it isn't written as a "how to play poker" book I think there are also some poker lessons in how this outstanding player approaches the game, and most of us who enjoy the game can benefit directly from that.

Good story - if you enjoy watching 'Mike the Mouth' on TV playing poker tournaments, you would enjoy reading his story - there was a lot contained within his book about his life that I didn't know. It's very interesting to read how someone becomes one of the top 1% or 2% in the world at his trade...he has come a long way from his very humble beginnings in North Las Vegas, and in the process has lost more money than I will ever make...and won it back again. I hope he continues to enjoy sobriety; with his addictions, he was in some dark places while feeding them.

This may not have been an audiobook, but I could hear Mike reading it to me! So maybe he's not the best technical writer, but he told his story in an honest and gut-wrenching way. He did not mince words, he was blatantly honest and vulgar, and he was just...himself. I gained a new respect and fandom for Mike in this book, and really hope he gets his issues under control.This book is not for kids, or anyone who wants to use it as a poker how-to. This is more of a life story. And if you can ignore the lack of formal writing technique, it's a fantastic one. Treat it more like you're listening to him tell you a story in person.

Check-Raising The Devil, copyright 2009 by Mike Matusow, published by Cardoza Publishing, 269 pp, written by Matusow with help from Amy Calistri and Dr. Tim Lavalli.This book is the story of Mike Matusow's poker adventures, beginning with his hopelessly losing sessions at video poker while working at his parent's furniture store and culminating with Matusow's triumphant return to the poker world after a 6-month stint in jail on a trumped up drug charge.Even in those first few sessions, "The Mouth" could readily see the game had far more to do with playing the other players than in playing your cards. In his own words, Matusow was a "natural" and began winning big in cash games from the start.Matusow's rise in poker began a full decade before ESPN would televise Chris Moneymaker's incredible run in the 2003 WSOP Main catapaulting poker onto the national stage and giving players like Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Johnny Chan, Amarillo Slim and Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson celebrity status. But even then Matusow knew his life would be devoted to playing poker.The book includes tells of his hard-scrabble existence surviving on junk food and living alone in a trailer, the trials and challenges he faced on the way to stardom and how street drugs almost led to him sharing the fate of the late, great poker champion Stu Unger.Poker players and poker fans will really enjoy sharing the roller-coaster life of this great player.

Matusow charts his rise from poker fish to poker professional.He provides a frank account of his ADHD, his bipolar. Also, he describes how he was persuaded to try drugs and how it all affected his game. Initially it was great but then it all went down the toilet. How people he trusted set him up. Then how he overcame it all.Drugs and all-night parties can put a poker player on tilt.Most significantly, Matusow provides some useful insight into how poker gets played successfully. In particular, his account underlines the necessity of being able to read his opponents accurately.

Brilliant book by a brilliant man.Mike Matusow is definitely one of the most passionate and commited players to the game of poker there is.I loved every single second I sat reading this book and strongly reccomend it to anyone who loves poker or anyone who just loves a really good book!

It's 5 stars because its so inspiring.Not many people understand what it's like to have a need to be the ultimate best at something. It's more addictive than heroin. I loved this story, and I already rated Mike one of the best NL players in the world. Amazing, just amazing!

Awesome, book, brings you in the world of Mike Matusow who doesn't want to have an insight look in there?Honest written describing his come ups and failures. Once you start you won't stop!

Top class from start to finish