Rating: 
Summary: Bad Jim, Indeed
Review: Decent book about the WSOP, gives some insider perspective on what it's like to make it to the final table, the poker scenes are very well rendered.Trouble is, the author is a bit of a goober and there's an awful lot of padding. It seems he had more than enough material for a Harper's article, but not enough for a book. There's really nothing he doesn't talk about. Most strangely, he refers to his own genitals repeatedly throughout the book - no kidding. Sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically, but about once every chapter. I found myself thinking, "Look pal, I really don't want to think about your scrotum." Considering his experience, he could have written a masterpiece if he delved into the personalities and histories of the players around him more and his own life and mid-life-crisis worries less. Anybody who follows this stuff knows that the sport doesn't lack for interesting personalities - anecdotes about the other players would have been much more interesting than about him shopping for his wife or going to a strip club (passages written as if the author were the first to explore some exotic country). Also, his "imagination" of the Binion murder in the opening chapter also almost stopped me cold by fictionalizing the account to such a degree and then telling the reader afterward, essentially "oh, by the way, I basically just made that up - but I did a lot of research!" Bad Jim, indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: McManus is a great writer. The book covers everything from his experience as a finalist in the World Series of Poker to the death of Ted Binion. Now, as a writer/journalist, I love anything written by someone like McManus. But there are several chapters I skipped because I didn't buy the book to learn about the author's childhood, and, by the end of the book, I knew enough about his wife and life that I skipped the final (or last two) chapters.
Still, the book is recommended because you get to follow the author's progression from reporter covering the WSOP to a player finishing fifth in the tournament.
Rating: 
Summary: Get this and Craps Underground
Review: I love going behind the scenes and this book does it with a passion. The other book I really enjoyed had to do with craps players who have developed the ability to alter the odds at dice. This is found in The Craps Underground, another great book in the same vein as Fifth Street.
Rating: 
Summary: Poker enthusiasts, read this book. Others, pass.
Review: In 350 pages (plus an appendix of poker terminology), the professor from the Art Institute of Chicago details what happened when he took his $4,000 advance from Harper's Magazine for an article on the increasing presence of women in high stakes poker and the murder trial of fallen casino heir Ted Binion, which was concluding concurrently with the World Series, and entered the 'Big One'. For any fan, the poker coverage is riveting, and the ins and outs of the trial will leave you pondering right to the end: are they gonna get off? The interspersed history of Jim's family, and the seemingly forced battle between what he calls 'good' and 'bad' Jim are less successful as literary tools go. Any poker fan will appreciate the insider look at the 2000 World Series of Poker from a man who went from dead money to being invited to sit with Becky Behnen, the Horseshoe Casino owner, as the verdict was being read in the trial of her brother's alleged murderers. But, I'd caution those without a love of the game from forking over the chips to see what McManus is holding in this one. I'd put him on a medium Ace, and it really depends on your point of view whether those are rags.
Rating:
Summary: Great read for poker players.
Review: It amazes me that this book has sold so well to the general public, as opposed to the poker community. Although I found this book to be quite enjoyable (sans the Binion murder trial), I felt it was interesting simply because I was first learning the game at the time. If you've played the game and have aspirations of playing in the WSOP some day, you'll no doubt enjoy this book. However, a few friends who never play poker borrowed the book and returned it after reading just a few chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Positively........Good!
Review: But not great. I enjoyed this book, yet somehow it left me wanting more. I guess I wanted more of the seamy underbelly of Vegas, and a little less of the "Good Jim v. Bad Jim" !! But that's not how his experience was. The poker part of the book was excellent & in depth. The psychology of the game and the way He explains his moves were very good. The murder really did captivate the city (& still does!) Absolutely everybody in Vegas has an opinion about it and shares it whether you ask for it or not!
Don C.
Rating:
Summary: Aging Hipster Run Amok
Review: This book is three things: entertaining, annoying and pointless. It provides a very entertaining narrative of an amateur's run at the World Series of Poker. At the same time, the author's writing style is also incredibly annoying - he actually ends sentences with exclaimations like "Dude!" The most unsatisfactory part of the book, however, is his treatment of the Binion trial. As the book progresses, you come to find out that most of his coverage of the trial is obtained from watching Court TV. The rest is the result of conjecture. McManus tries to tie it all together - poker, Binion, Vegas and his own life. It reeks of fifty-something boomer philosophy, the former nonconformist convincing himself that he's still cool even though he now resides in the burbs and drives a Volvo. Ultimately, the book is more about the author than it is about fifth street and its titular consequences. The book shines, however, when he's writing about what went on at the tables. Although a working knowledge of poker may be recommended, it is by no means necessary. McManus makes full use of the jargon but does not overwhelm the reader, all the while spinning a very suspensful narrative. And of course, this part of the story wouldn't be nearly as good if not told from McManus' unique perspective. In short, read the poker parts, and skip the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Super fun book
Review: James McManus was sent to the World Series of Poker to write an article about women in poker for a magazine. He decided to try to win an entry in to the tournament and does. Then he plays in the tournament and survives the first day. At the end of the second day, he has a pile of chips in front of him. He ends up making it to the final table (the final nine players out of 600+ who enter) and has a chance to be World Champion. This book is a great read. Even if you don't know the first thing about poker, you will be entertained by the people the author meets on his way to the final table of the World Series of Poker.
Rating:
Summary: Only half a great book
Review: Had Mcmanus confined himself to a 150 page book on his experiences with the world series of poker, he would have had a great book. Unfortunately, the story of the Binion murder and trial is written in a stilted and artificial fashion - almost like a Hemmingway wnabe. Skip this part and you will have an enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Save your money
Review: I generally love reading any book regarding gambling. This book is the exception. I can't even finish the thing because he's SO boring. He rambles on and on about things that aren't relevant. I spend more time skipping pages than I do reading them.
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