Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker

Rough sex, black magic, murder, and the science—and eros—of gambling meet in the ultimate book about Las VegasJames McManus was sent to Las Vegas by Harper’ s to cover the World Series of Poker in 2000, especially the mushrooming progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament’ s prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend with a technique so outré it took a Manhattan pathologist to identify it.

Whether a jury would convict the attractive young couple was another story altogether.McManus risks his entire Harper’ s advance in a long- shot attempt to play in the tournament himself.

Only with actual table experience, he tells his skeptical wife, can he capture the hair-raising brand of poker that determines the world champion.