This is a tale not of a champion, but of a burnout on the fringe. Coffee and Advil sustain his ability not to see the other’s cards but their souls. The ride gets wild. If he can hold on, his destiny awaits at the final table.
“Out from our modern world plagued with facsimile comes an account from the inside, without filters or apologies. We are lucky to have this stubborn young man in our ranks.” -David Stowe
“He did it. The definitive poker novel has now been written.” -Reid Maclean, author of When The Deal Is Done
“This is a novel, and most probably one of the best poker books ever written. Over time, CARDS will be extolled as a classic.”
-John “The Scientist” Hayes
Poker Player Newspaper
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5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!, January 25, 2006
By Jack Bonner
All my life through school, I never read books for subjects or anything like that. Though the past 2 years, I started ready poker books for strategy and other ideas of the game. But then I saw someone say something about a book called, “CARDS” and I thought i would buy to see. I wasnt even sure what is was about. I didn’t even know it was a novel. When I recieved it, i saw that is was a novel and sat it down for a couple of days. Then one day, I opened it just to see what is was like. Right then, the book great control of me and I was very very hooked. I really upset because I was wanting more. I highly recommend this book for people who love holdem and to see a young person succeed then fall. It is my #1 book to have ever read. I hope Mr. Maxwell will continue with these books and hopefully a movie will be made!
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this one is pretty spot on:
“If you’re looking for a safe, politically correct poker novel, stay far away from this, because it’s raw, real, no apologies. It seems the author didn’t try to please his readers, instead, he wrote what he wanted, and out came easilly the best poker novel to date, probably ever. Strong and defiant.”
it reminded me a lot of Jesse May’s book. it certainly is plumbing the degen depths of addiction, but is compelling enough to want to read. by the end i was racing to see the end results.
i was actually re-reading it last night. so i think it has some second time around appeal too.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love poker, you’ll love this book!, February 4, 2006
By Mike Hunt (Tacoma, WA)
This book is the “Catcher in the Rye” of poker if you will, with most of the book narrated by the hero, Mike the poker player. It is funny, gritty, and if you’ve played poker seriously, you’ll surely be able to relate to both the fortunes and misfortunes that Mike encounters on the felt.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
This is about a lot more than cards…… GREAT read!!, December 15, 2005
By: Book Lover
I entered a world I’d never seen when I opened this book. A trip I’m glad I took. Fun to read.
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Cards by Jonathan Maxwell is excellent and much underated. Production has many faults but it captures something essential about the primative gambling of a degenerate poker player.
-Chezlaw
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A week ago i ordered three poker books from Amazon. i just finished them all up this past week and have to say, they are all good reads. i was really impressed with Cards from Jonathan Maxwell. reminded my of Jesse May’s Shut Up and Deal. when it arrived i thought it was going to be as short as Broke, but opening it up reveals 8 point font! lots of reading packed in those pages. although the book could use some serious editing (there are many spelling errors and several glaring usage errors) it still reads well and the plot keeps moving. of all the three books, this was my favorite.
-Sellthekids
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Maxwell can write, though, and he does successfully take you inside the head of a degenerate poker addict. We’ve all played at the table with this guy, the one making move after move, without any idea what to do with the winnings besides buying into a bigger game. It’s very well done, but I ended up appreciating it more than enjoying it.
-Ted_Thompson
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Re: Poker Novels–My Quick Ratings.
Yeah, Maxwell is a damn good writer.
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This book moved me. I guess that’s a strange thing to say about a poker book, but this book is different. It’s a story about a burnout 28 year old poker player that barely makes enough money to pay his rent, and although the author depicts the character in a funny way, clearly the character hates his poker life.
I get bored quickly with books, but in each page of this novel you feel a big intake of information. It moves very fast, but after a while you have to put it down because it’s so intense because the story is intense, but also because of the quality of the writing. That’s part of what I was saying about how it moves you. The more you read, the stranger you feel. At first I didn’t like the main character, but as the story continued I liked him more and more, even though he’s such a negative guy. Maybe that’s how the author, Maxwell, wanted me to react, but how many poker books have you read that made you ask these kinds of questions?
On the negative side, I think I would have liked a little less technical play and more of the character away from the table, especially in the middle of the book. Also I wanted the character to play against a certain very aggresive player named “James.” And the book has a lot of typos. The publisher needs to fire their proofreader.
The bottom line is that I expected to read some simple poker story, and got way more than I bargained for. I’m not even sure how I feel yet. I think I’m seeing poker and the whole poker scene differently.
-Mitch Ingrisani
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5.0 out of 5 stars The most realistic poker book ever written….., February 29, 2008
By Kinetik “Semi-Pro Poker” (Los Angeles)
Two things you should know. First off, I personally know the author but I didn’t know I knew him until after reading the book. Second of all, I go to the casino he’s referring to, which is actually called Hollywood Park, all the time. Third, I was a “professional” poker player for almost a year in the exact same footsteps as this man. Ok, now the review. This is easily the most unapologetic, entertaining and real poker book of all time. Why you connect so much with this character is because he’s not only telling you what’s going on, but tells you what he’s “thinking” about what’s going on. It creates a personal feel, as if he’s truly letting you into his pshyche. As far as the tactical approach to the game and his opinions on how to play certain hands, I don’t completely agree with but it does provide a different approach. The truth is that the hand descriptions and ways of playing those particular hands are fairly accurate but not entirely. Anyhow, overall this is a book that any poker player is going to love and as far as non poker players, I have no idea what you’re going to think cause I’ve been playing for so long lol. My friend recommended this book to me and all he said is, just read the first page, after doing so I read the entire thing in two days. You’ll love it.
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Re: book recomendations
Cards by Jonathan Maxwell – Not a well known player, but I think many of us who play for a living can really relate to his story. Even those who don’t play for a living would benefit from getting a deeper understanding of what goes on in a poker player’s mind. A light and quick read too.
Check out the reviews.
-jontsef
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Check out ‘Cards’ by Jonathan Maxwell
-LocustHorde
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+1, I loved this book. It’s like the Catcher in the Rye of a poker degen.
here’s a good excerpt from the book near the beginning,
“This is 3-6 poker. This is true hell. This is one of the most profound concentrations of stupidity on the globe.”
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Re: Poker Novels
i bought Cards by Jonathan Maxwell at the same time i bought Broke. i really enjoyed both, but Cards much more so.
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I’m trying to find a book that I bought from a 2+2 advert. I lost my copy and now card find it anywhere amazon etc. I think it may have been self published. I think that it was just called “cards” It was a green book with two cards with the corners folded up. It was about this degen who played in california underrolled ran up a bankroll moved to france then to vegas and ended up busto back grinding the 2/4 limit game. Anyone have any idea what I’m talking about?
-Tomdemaine
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Two books that weren’t mentioned: Broke: a Poker Novel by Brandon Adams and Cards by Jonathan Maxwell.
I liked Cards more but they were both decent and most poker players can relate to the main characters.
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Originally Posted by foal
I hated Positively Fifth Street. The subject matter was sort of interesting, but God all those long winded tangents, the author coming off as a d-bag, etc.
lol, my sentiments exactly.
One more obscure one worth checking out is “Cards” by Jonathan Maxwell. Good read imo, just don’t expect any helpful strategy tips
-Dave88
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Big Deal and Bigger Deal are not novels. I am currently reading Cards by Jonathan Maxwell. It is good. But it is very depressing. The guy is deep in the world of degens and his lack of patience seems to have him always broke.
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Rick Bennet’s King of a Small World and Cards by Jonathan Maxwell were both pretty good as well.
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For fiction, “King of a Small World” and “Shut Up and Deal” are both very good, as is Jonathan Maxwell’s Cards (certainly the pokerest poker book ever written–very hardcore).
-Illdonk
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