Bet the House
How I Gambled Over a Grand a Day for 30 Days On Sports, Poker, and Games of Chance
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
During the course of 30 days in early 2009, Richard Roeper risked more than a quarter million dollars on practically every method of gambling currently available in America. Chronicling his wild ride in a breezy, humorous manner, this entertaining exploration both celebrates and details the many pitfalls and lures through Roeper's stories about his lifelong affair with gambling. With insight and aplomb, the narrative answers the questions What is it like to bet money you don’t have, knowing that if you lose, you’re in serious trouble? What is it like to play in a poker tournament alongside celebrities and world champions? and What are the 10 best gambling movies of all time? This delightful dalliance proves that the true national pastimes aren’t baseball, basketball, or football, but instead fantasy football, March Madness, poker, slots, the lottery, craps, blackjack, church raffles, and bingo.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Roeper (Sox and the City) was inspired by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me to do his own 30-day challenge: every day for 30 days, I would risk at least $1,000 gambling. From craps and blackjack, to slots, off-track betting, poker tournaments, online poker, the lottery, and more, he gives a day-by-day account, with wins and losses, such as Day 8: Bankroll: + $4,980. Shuffling a full deck of anecdotes, movie references, and memoir moments, Roeper deals in such topics as gambling addiction, high rollers, casinos of choice, Indian gaming facilities, celebrity and charity poker tournaments, luck vs. strategy, and sports upsets. Amid dreams and desperation, he recalls, I have had insane fun and I have experienced freefalling, dangerous lows in various gleaming casinos on the Strip. As a film critic, Roeper is certainly aware that his entertaining book could easily be adapted into an equally entertaining high-stakes movie.
