Telling Lies and Getting Paid by
Michael Konik
Telling Lies and Getting Paid by
Michael Konik
-Non-fiction gambling stories and a novella about
the WSOP
-Our rating: 93 (out of 100)
-Entertaining memoir with a hint of strategy
Overview
In this 2001 publication entitled
Telling Lies and Getting Paid, author Michael Konik split the
book into two sections: entertaining gambling stories and a memoir
about his personal experiences at the World Series of Poker. It
isn't a strategy manual but it is an enjoyable read if you love
poker. The gambling stories range from the life of a backgammon
champion to the birth of online betting and even exploring strategy
in Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Following those is a
novella-length piece chronicling Konik's own thoughts and
experiences as he competes in the 2001 World Series of Poker Main
Event. Michael Konik is known for his syndicated gambling columns in
national magazines and, more recently, as the poker analyst on FSN
poker programs like Poker Superstars.
Comments
Initially, I had picked up Telling
Lies and Getting Paid because of Konik's commentary on Poker
Superstars. I felt like he had a great grasp on poker strategy
and yet was usually entertaining and dramatic enough for the show. I
didn't quite know what to expect, but I'm truly glad that I gave
this gem of an author a chance. Konik is one of the few poker
authors who is actually a quality writer besides just knowing about
poker. I would compare his style to a couple of other great gambling
writers like Peter Alson or A. Alvarez. Konik seems to have a
artistic background, casually mixing in dry humor about literature,
art, and film in a way that doesn't seem pompous or condescending.
That is a rarity. I picked up a few other books from him after
finishing this one simply because his style was is to read.
As for the actual text, the collection
of gambling columns is entertaining with tales about "line movers",
a nun who accurately predicts football scores, the life of a
backgammon hustler, a man who consistently wins sports contests, and
other quirky gambling tales. These are just a few pages long each
and are a quick read. One column I found particularly entertaining
was about his apprehensive feelings about placing sports bets
online. You have to remember that online gambling was still in its
infancy when Konik wrote this. There aren't too many pieces about
poker, unfortunately, as the book shows its pre-poker-explosion age.
The real meat of the book is in the more
book-like Telling Lies and Getting Paid story. While he
acknowledges he isn't the first at the idea, he wants to enter the
World Series of Poker as a gambling writer actually experiencing the
action rather than just reporting on it as he has done for years.
What makes Konik different than someone like James McManus is that
he actually knows about poker. In fact, this was one of several
attempts at The Big One. He would love to throw away his writing
career, play poker professionally, and do what he loves with his
life. Unfortunately, his self-discipline grounds him to the
sidelines and he grinds away rather than risking everything.
As he writes about his experiences in
the 2001 Main Event, there is plenty of descriptions of the poker
action to keep players entertained, but he also describes his
thoughts, feelings, and motivations well in order to really pull the
reader in. You'll recognize names of pros that he meets and plays
with, which is another interesting tidbit. If you know much about
recent poker history, you probably know how the story will end up
but that isn't the real draw of the book. Rather than a dry hand
history, Konik creates stories well out of each hand. For me,
reading about how hands unfolded and knowing how many times I've
been in the same situation was just fun.
I would definitely recommend Telling
Lies and Getting Paid to any poker player who enjoys reading
about poker. Besides snippets of strategy from reading how Konik
plays certain hands, it isn't meant to necessarily improve your
game. It's meant to be an engaging and entertaining story to those
who have been in the same poker situations themselves. The only
frustration in this book is the lack of poker tales in the columns
section and the fact that this took place just before the entire
poker landscape changed. I'd love to see Konik write an updated
volume. Until this, it's still a great read into a smaller world of
poker.
Score
Out of 100, I give Telling Lies and
Getting Paid a
93. It's a fast read that you'll enjoy enough to read in a couple of
sittings.
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