Positively Fifth Street

Positively Fifth Street combines two Las Vegas narratives from the year 2000: the murder trial of Ted Binion and the World Series of Poker Main Event. Author James McManus arrives to cover the sensational trial for Harper's Magazine, documenting the case against Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy for the death of the casino heir. McManus uses his article advance to enter a satellite tournament for the WSOP Main Event, managing to win his way into poker's most prestigious competition. The book tracks his unexpected journey through the tournament while maintaining his reportage on the ongoing murder trial. The dual storylines create a snapshot of Las Vegas at the turn of the millennium, from the dark underbelly of crime and addiction to the high-stakes glamour of professional poker. The parallel threads explore the city's complex relationship with risk, money, and human nature. The book serves as both a true crime account and a poker memoir, examining how games of chance and games of skill intersect with questions of fate, decision-making, and human psychology.

Readers appreciate McManus's ability to weave together the two main narratives - his own WSOP tournament experience and the Ted Binion murder investigation. They note his descriptive writing style and personal insights into poker strategy and culture. Specific praise focuses on the detailed reporting of both stories and McManus's candid accounts of his emotional state during tournament play. Many readers who don't play poker still found the book engaging. Common criticisms include the lengthy tangents into literary references and personal anecdotes that some readers feel interrupt the flow. Several reviews mention the book could be shorter and more focused. Some readers wanted more emphasis on either the murder case or the poker tournament, rather than splitting attention between both. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (180+ reviews) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (600+ ratings) Most critical reviews still rate it 3+ stars, suggesting readers found enough merit despite their complaints.

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🎲 McManus finished fifth in the 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event, winning $247,760 from a $4,000 satellite tournament entry that was meant to be part of his reporting budget. 🏆 The murder trial covered in the book involved Ted Binion, whose family founded the World Series of Poker in 1970 at their Horseshoe Casino. 📚 The book's title references both McManus's tournament finish and the Fifth Street (river) card in Texas Hold'em poker, which is the final community card dealt. 🎰 The author wrote the book while teaching writing and civilization studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, bringing a literary scholar's perspective to poker culture. 🌟 "Positively Fifth Street" helped spark the poker boom of the early 2000s, alongside other catalysts like the invention of hole-card cameras and Chris Moneymaker's WSOP victory in 2003.