Review of Check-Raising the Devil

Title:

Check-Raising the Devil

Author:

Mike Matusow with Amy Calistri and Tim Lavalli

Publisher:

Cardoza Publishing

Date:

2009

ISBN:

1-58042-261-6

Pages:

267

Price:

$24.95

Reviewed by Nick Christenson, npc@jetcafe.org

June 17, 2009

I need to be honest right up front. When it comes to poker behavior, count me in the "act like you've been in the end zone before" camp. I prefer players who win and lose with dignity and decorum rather than those who engage in the sort of antics that can charitably be called "good for television". I appreciate the Barry Greensteins of the poker world much more than the Hevad Kahns every time. So, I came to Mike Matusow's biographical book, Check-Raising the Devil, with some reluctance. It's clear to me that Matusow is a poker player with extraordinary gifts. For me, the question is whether he could be as compelling as a person as he has been a televised poker character.

The first thing I noticed is that the book is extremely well written. Many times when reading an "as told to" type of bio book the narration shows gaps or feels like newspaper reporting. I suspect it's mostly Amy Calistri that's tying the story line together, but whoever is responsible did a great job. It's also an indication that Matusow must have taken this project seriously and put in a considerable amount of time to fill in the gaps. In any case, I found the result to be a joy to read.

I think the book will disappoint those who are looking for insight into Matusow's poker success. While this is intended as a bio story, Matusow is much more an intuitive than an analytical poker player. I suspect he would be largely ineffective in trying to explain to someone what he does that makes him so successful. His skill is undeniable, but I expect that he'd find it difficult to precisely articulate his approach in a general sense. Whatever the reason, strategy is not the focus of this book, so we don't get a lot of detail that readers could easily apply to improve their own games.

Matusow does provide great detail about the major events that have taken place in his life, and it has been quite a roller coaster ride, as he himself points out. He is quite candid about the short and long-term effects of his recreational drug use, his stint in prison for selling illegal drugs, and the effects that his bipolar disorder has had on his life, as well as how he copes with it. He's quite clear about how each of these events has taken a toll on him, and he freely admits those that were his doing. I was quite surpised, however, that his interpretation of these events was entirely devoid of any moral underpinning.

For example, from his standpoint taking drugs was bad because it led to him making some really bad decisions and exacerbated some of his emotional problems. Selling narcotics to someone he thought was a friend was a mistake because he ended up in prison. In the book, I found no indication that Matusow even considered whether any of the decisions he made might be right or wrong in an abstract sense. As far as he was concerned they just seem to be hands played well or badly at the cosmic poker game of life. Frankly, I found this more than a little chilling. While Matusow seems like a more personable guy than I might have first thought, I don't see an ethical core, and if he has one, I don't see any indication of what it might be.

Everyone who knows Matusow's career is familiar with some of his better publicized antics that have made their way on to poker television. In this book he goes out of his way to explain the context of each of those events, and he wants the reader to believe that his motives were much more benign than they have been touted in public. Is it just brain chemestry that gets Matusow in so many situations where such an explanation is necessary to demonstrate that he isn't a complete jerk? Why is it that so few other famous poker players have any of these moments, not to mention enough to populate a highlight reel? What does this say about Matusow himself? The book does not answer these questions, at least not nearly to my satisfaction. The book falls a little short of being the complete cathartic mea culpa I wanted.

Despite my reservations about his character, I found Check-Raising the Devil to be entertaining. Despite some questions I have with a few dates early in the book, I also found it to be quite informative. I was actually surprised at how much I learned from the book, although most of that information I hope to never need. So as a book, I think it suceeds quite well. Matusow is fond of yelling, "Vindication Baby!" when he wins poker tournaments. I would have to say the jury is still out on that count.

Capsule:

Check-Raising the Devil is an entertaining and informative biography about one of poker's most colorful celebrities. This is a very well written narrative about Matusow's life and presents his side of his many stories that have already become part of poker lore. While it provides a great deal in terms of explanation for his behavior, I expect people will continue to disagree as to whether it provides the final word on Mike Matusow the person. That debate on the man will continue, but the book held my interest, and as a project I judge it to be a success.

Note: I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. I have no other interest, financial or otherwise, in the success of this book.