The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King

Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time

Michael Craig

Recommended By

Book Reviews

One of three books Chamath Palihapitiya tells new graduates to read.

Book Synopsis

"The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King" by Michael Craig is an exhilarating true story that delves into the fascinating world of high-stakes poker. In this gripping tale, Craig takes readers on a thrilling journey through the minds of extraordinary individuals.

The story centers around a legendary weekly poker game known as the Big Game, hosted at the famous Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. A group of elite poker players, including a college professor and a wealthy banker, gather to compete against some of the world's best in the highest-stakes poker games ever played.

At the heart of the tale lies the enigmatic figure known as the Suicide King, a mysterious and reclusive billionaire who joins the Big Game, seeking the ultimate challenge. As the stakes rise to astronomical amounts, tensions soar, and the professional poker players must confront their skills, strategies, and psychological stamina to take on this formidable opponent.

This true story unfolds with captivating detail, showcasing the intense highs and lows experienced by the players, the psychological battles fought at the poker table, and the extraordinary sums of money exchanged in a single hand. With each page, Craig provides readers with a glimpse into the world of high-stakes poker, revealing both the glamour and the dark underbelly of this captivating universe.

"The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King" is a masterfully-written narrative that combines the thrill of a high-stakes poker game with insightful observations on human nature, ambition, and the pursuit of greatness. It is an unputdownable read that will leave readers amazed by the lengths individuals will go to achieve their goals and the intellectual prowess required to succeed in the world of professional poker.

Explore More Books

See All
The Gifts of Imperfection
The Four
The Elements of Style
The Celestine Prophecy
Foundation's Edge
When Breath Becomes Air
The Gift of Good Land
Chasing the Light
Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees
Sperm Wars
Probability Theory
Becoming Steve Jobs
Red Notice
Antifragile
The Truth about Carbs
The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History
Bossypants
Should We Eat Meat?
All I Want to Know is Where I'm Going To Die So I'll Never Go There
Crossing the Chasm
Information
Foundations
Certain To Win
Think on These Things
How to Teach Your Baby to Read
The Activist's Media Handbook
The Robber Barons
Kill Decision
When The Wolves Bite
To Dare and to Conquer
Command
The Art of Stillness
Idea Makers
In The Plex
Thank You For Smoking
Strength In Stillness
The Oxford History of Britain
Citizen Coke
How The Scots Invented The Modern World
The Internet of Money Volume 1
Brotopia
The MAGA Doctrine
The Untethered Soul
Poor Charlie's Almanack
Killers of the Flower Moon
Wild And Crazy Guys
The Hydrogen Sonata
Market Wizards
Super Pumped
Filters Against Folly
All Quiet on the Western Front
Founders at Work
The Doors of Perception
1984
Queen of Fashion
Simple & Direct
Ignition!
Being Nixon
The Craft
Bend The Curve
Evicted
24/6
Triumphs of Experience
The Power of Broke
The Hobbit
My Years with General Motors
Intellectuals
Math, Better Explained
Competing Against Luck
How To Decide
Paper Lion
High Output Management
In Cold Blood
Co-Intelligence
Foundation and Earth
Tribal Leadership
Memoirs or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople
A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis
Tender Is The Night
Happiness
A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes
The Story of Philosophy
Devil's Bargain
A Good Man
The Lord of the Rings
Clocks and Culture
Don't Shoot the Dog!
Lagom
The Curse of the Mogul
Cognitive Surplus
Why We Get Fat
Dark Towers
Glass
The Prize
Starlink
Happy Accidents
Digital Gold
The Aeneid
Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll
The Song Machine