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Hunting Fish: A Cross-Country Search for America's Worst Poker Players Paperback – May 29, 2007

by Jay Greenspan (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 22 ratings
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If you want to prove you're a good poker player, you don't have to battle against the best. Nobody really cares if you ever bluffed Phil Ivey or got Daniel Negreanu to make a bad call. You're at the table for the money, not stories of conquest. A disciplined player, one who's playing for the right reasons, would rather sit with the worst, those he's sure to outplay. He's looking for donkeys and donors. He's hunting fish.
In Hunting Fish author Jay Greenspan sets out on a cross-country drive---from Connecticut to Los Angeles---looking for players he can outclass. In casinos, underground clubs, and home games throughout the country, Jay shared tables with the most inept gamblers America has to offer. In South Carolina he wiped out some racial-epithet-spewing good ole boys; in Houston he fleeced the country club set; and in Vegas he happily pounded drunken tourists.
Hunting Fish is, however, not merely the story of a hustler's travels. In addition to fleecing suckers, Jay was convinced he could beat the very best and make it as a full-time pro. This trip gave him the opportunity to build his bankroll to the point where he could test his mettle in high-stakes games when he reached Los Angeles. Although to play in the high-limit rooms at Commerce Casino he needed a steady nerve---and a fatter bankroll. In his three months on the road, he needed to pad his roll with an additional twenty thousand dollars. That's a lot of fish to hunt.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 29, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.54 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0312347847
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0312347840
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“If I were seeking a guide to lead me through the streams in search of really big fish, I'd grab my tackle and get in Jay's canoe. And if I were searching for fish at the poker table, I'd follow Jay too. And so should you. He can lead you to everything you wanted to know about poker but have never asked.” ―Lou Krieger, author of POKER FOR DUMMIES

“There are great poker players and there are great writers. Jay is one of the rare exceptions who is a star at both. As a poker writer, he is a fresh voice with sharp insights on game play, strategy, players, and poker's impact on pop culture. Gauging from his large following on the Web, when Jay talks poker, poker people listen.” ―Bhu Srinivasan, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of All In magazine

“Jay Greenspan is a terrific writer with a deep and detailed understanding of poker. If he's writing a book, it's guaranteed to be entertaining. Hunting Fish is the kind of book veteran and novice poker players alike will really enjoy reading, and stands a great chance of joining the short list of poker classics.” ―Dan Kimberg, Card Player columnist

About the Author

Jay Greenspan is a Brooklyn-based writer and semiprofessional poker player. His work has appeared in All-In magazine, Bluff magazine, PokerPages.com, PokerSavvy.com, and FullTiltPoker.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition (May 29, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312347847
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312347840
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.54 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 22 ratings

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Jay Greenspan

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
22 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

cinders
5.0 out of 5 stars Hunting Fish
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2011
Verified Purchase
I bought this for my son who is an avid poker player. Going by the reviews I will give it 5* Any change I will let you know after Christmas as this is a present. Service was great fast delivery.
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BC
3.0 out of 5 stars Marginal.
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2006
Verified Purchase
This is another of the poker books now available reflecting the nationwide poker boom (which hopefully isn't in the past). Greenspan tells us his story of going on a trip across America looking for profits against weak players. Much of the play described on these pages is very entertaining; although, I wonder about the author's playing style. Some of the plays he makes are totally batty despite their working out in the tale; although, the description of the poker action is very believable and easy to follow. His fellow semi-pros will readily identify with the ups and downs. Further, I liked that he let us know that sometimes fish are very bad for the bankroll. Their bizarre moves can eat you alive--at least in the short-term.

That being said, I can give Hunting Fish no more than three stars. This is wholly due to the narrator's refusal to treat his readers with respect. He is your classic "think I'm a liberal anti-liberal." He's a leftist progressive and can't wait to tell us all about his political views--only none of us bought the book to be subjected to his pretension and skewed opinions. Greenspan also appears to have never considered that many of his peers are libertarians who realize the futility of the nanny state and understand that government is more shell game than charity. Perhaps Greenspan has never listened to his tablemates and thinks that all of us are shallow statists in the same way he is. As for me, I was alienated by his reckless lecturing right away. I just wanted him to be quiet about politics and talk about poker. The pontificating was definitely a nuisance and decreased my opinion of him along my enjoyment of an otherwise okay book. A lot of what he said was comical though as he doesn't know much about politics or government. His are the observations of a poseur. Greenspan claims to be very comfortable in his ethnically diverse neighborhood and then adds that he remains happy about being there even after being robbed, lol. Why would he mention this unless he thought the mixed nature of his neighborhood had something to do with being robbed? Then he gives us the big lecture about George W. Bush and Bob Jones University just so we know what a good person he is because he'd never craft guidelines against interracial marriage. That's great, but what does that have to do with politics, let alone poker? Worst of all, Greenspan is very hypocritical. He makes fun of people like me who he dismisses as nutty libertarians, but then he makes the argument on pages 167 and 168 that poker players are unfairly taxed. Of course I agree with his opinion, but would add that all of us are unfairly taxed in America. However, the author only comes around to his epiphany concerning the Fedocracy because he has been personally affected. If you ask me, there are a ton of better books out there than this one, please save your money.
15 people found this helpful
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G. Ecker
5.0 out of 5 stars in league with "big deal" as one of the best poker narratives
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2006
this book tells it like it really is. I've read many many poker books and I found this to be among the most riveting and realistic narratives. I would rate it up alongside Big Deal by Tony Holden as one of the most entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable poker books ever written. The author comes at it from a fairly unique angle, as a budding semi-pro player who is trying to make a living at a game he loves. Poker is about different things to different people, and this book tells a realistic tale about making a living as a "blue collar" cash game specialist.
9 people found this helpful
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M. Warner
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, interesting fun read
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2014
Verified Purchase
This book was an interesting read and fun to follow the author's adventures in underground and home games. I enjoyed it, and will probably read it again in a few years.
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M. Suescun
5.0 out of 5 stars entertaining, insightful read
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2006
This book is a great read, compelling from start - what's more compelling than reading about a poker player getting robbed, literally, of his bank roll a week before setting out on a cross-country poker trip? - to satisfying finish. The hand descriptions are precise and vivid, but it's Greenspan's excellent description of the color around the game - the various tablemates, the tedium of long sessions - and, most impressively, his thoughtful chronicling of his internal journey that the great gift of this book. A wonderful yarn, and a thought-provoking read for anyone who's ever considered going pro.
3 people found this helpful
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KimoKailua
3.0 out of 5 stars Only Average For This Genre
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2009
Verified Purchase
I admit it. I read this one as the last of several 'I wonder if I should be a full time poker pro?' genre books. The author's writing voice and story is so similar (to some of the others I read first) that if you gave me a sample of his writing to compare to similar paragraphs from the other writers, I couldn't tell you which author or book it came from. That colors my viewpoint. If you haven't read the others first and if you share the common fantasy of becoming a full-time pro poker player,this would be a fresh and cautionary read.

Don't get me wrong. This guy is an excellent writer. And the story is interesting if you haven't read some of the others with the same basic narrative.

If you think you might be interested in this genre, I recommend you read "Positively Fifth Street" by James McManus first. Then research some of the others before you buy this one.

And it's not an instruction book, so don't buy this if that's what you need.

It's a good read. Not necessarily the best.
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Sean J Twyford
3.0 out of 5 stars Non-stop Poker action!
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this book. Non-stop poker action and good analysis of poker play/strategy. Only reason I don't have it rated higher is I kinda got the sense the author thought his s*** didn't stink.
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Sunflower River Blues
4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best poker book out there
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2017
Not the best poker book out there, but it gives one a sense of what it was like to dream about making a living from poker during the boom years of pre Black-Friday. Just about anyone who plays poker in 2017 knows more about the game than the players back in 2007, so when the author is talking about hands and poker history and chasing fish, it is like reading about 19th century chess players - romantic attackers with big dreams and limited knowledge.
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