Book Review: Straight Flush
The true story of six friends who created an online gaming empire, and how it all went bad.
This is the true story of six American college buddies who put together a billion-dollar online poker casino somewhere down in the less-than-regulated country of Costa Rica.
The story: Six Montana fraternity brothers used to meet for a weekly poker game in the basement of a local dive bar. Through sheer pluck and brilliance they turned this weekly gathering into a billion dollar online virtual poker powerhouse called AbsolutePoker.com, which was one of the largest companies in the world, a bona fide presence in the online gaming world.
Everything seemed to be swinging their way, except for one small problem: The US Department of Justice (DOJ) was after them.
The story is based on extensive insider interviews and participation and tells the rags to riches story about what a savvy (albeit in the end, illegal) business strategy can bring. These guys had it all: An outrageous lifestyle replete with women, parties and money - lots of money. At its peak, Absolute Poker was an online gaming behemoth that was earning more than a million dollars a day.
Written by Ben Mezrich, the New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House-the sources for the films The Social Network and 21, Straight Flush looks to be another story destined for the silver screen about the ups and downs of the always exciting world of poker.
