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James McManus

Author / Poker Player

James McManus is an author and professional poker player.  His most recent book is “Cowboys Full” an account of poker’s role in American history. His bestselling memoir, “Positively Fifth Street” was based on his coverage of a Las Vegas trial and his participation in the 2000 World Series of Poker. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, and The New Yorker. A teacher at The Art Institute of Chicago, he lives in Kenilworth, Illinois.


Grant went bankrupt, Eisenhower could finally afford a date, and Nixon won enough to start a campaign. James McManus chronicles the checkered history of gambling presidents.
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Why is a game with almost impossible odds that thrives on the impoverished a legitimate form of tax revenue while a skill-based game like poker is outlawed in most American […]
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