Bigger Deal

This book charts the incredible journey from “Big Deal” to “Bigger Deal,” capturing the essence of poker’s transformation over the years. The poker landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation in the fifteen years since Anthony Holden’s classic book, “Big Deal,” was published. Back in 1988, when Holden participated in the World Series of Poker, the event attracted 167 entrants vying for a $270,000 prize. Fast forward to the 2006 WSOP, the setting for the climax of this book, and the scene had shifted dramatically with 8,773 players competing for a staggering first prize of $12 million, the largest in any sport. This seismic shift in poker’s popularity and scale can be attributed to the advent of the internet and television, which have sparked a global poker boom. Poker has shed its once murky image, evolving into a game with a newfound respectability, much to the chagrin of traditionalists. The infamous smoky rooms of the Horseshoe have been replaced by the glitzy tables of massive Las Vegas tournaments, now frequented by celebrities like Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck, who have all embraced the game. In the UK, the television show “Late Night Poker,” attracting around 2 million viewers, has contributed to the game’s mainstream appeal, although Holden found himself excluded from the last series due to his exceptional performance.