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 Construction of Social Reality
The New One
Different
The Complete Stories
100 Plus
Discovering Your Personality Type
The Model Thinker
Lords of Finance
Leading
Bureaucracy
Educated
What School Could Be
The Canceling of the American Mind
Inside the Rise of HBO
Emergency
The Little Liar
Disruptor
The Great CEO Within
The Journalist and the Murderer
A Mathematician's Apology
Xi Jinping: The Governance of China
Powernomics
Strength In Stillness
The Confessions
It's All Too Much
The Jack Vance Treasury
Ending the War on Drugs
Carry on, Jeeves
Fauna & Family
Parfit
Same As Ever
Matter
The Psychology of Achievement
Can't Hurt Me
My Years with General Motors
The Course of Love
Brute
We Wish To Inform You
Thirst
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Citizen Coke
Search Inside Yourself
The Power of Myth
Savage News
Human Compatible
On the Genealogy of Morals
The Origin of Wealth
James Turrell
Eisenhower
Poor Charlie's Almanack
The PayPal Wars
All Marketers are Liars
The Story of Civilization
Carrying The Fire
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
The Unwritten
The Viral Storm
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
The Evolution of Cooperation
I am Benjamin Franklin
From Headless Chicken to Golden Goose
Inversions
The Jungle
Savage Son
Caste
Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Originals
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Getting to Yes
The Evolution of Beauty
A Very Expensive Poison
Mission
Mindstorms
Modelling Extremal Events
The Great Wave
Me Talk Pretty One Day
High Output Management
The Beginning Of Infinity
Ordinary Men
The Great Influenza
Game Engine Black Book
Inside the Investor's Brain
Makers
The Ultimate Resource 2
On Grief and Grieving
No Ordinary Time
Maps of Meaning
The Search
Fiasco
The Inflamed Mind
Value-added Measures in Education
How We Got To Now
The War for Kindness
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Toussaint Louverture
Under Saturn's Shadow
To Dare and to Conquer
Best Evidence
Bird by Bird
How Big Things Get Done