- Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Simon and Schuster (February 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0689833210
- ISBN-13: 978-0689833212
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.8 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,353,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Although this tale of a teenager's descent into the world of high-stakes poker lacks the labyrinthine yet crystal-clear plotting of Mr. Was, Hautman nonetheless holds a wild card in his hand. Denn has always been obsessed with money, but his life is otherwise normal. He has a thriving landscaping business and a longtime girlfriend. But both of these quickly disappear when Denn discovers poker. He moves from living-room games with a group of boozy tough kids to the $1000 tables at a local casino, in and out of Gamblers Anonymous and finally to a private game where the sky's the limit. The wild card is that Hautman does not turn this into a problem novel. Instead, it's the story of a boy who finds he has talent and works to develop it. Despite accusations of immorality and addiction, Denn sees himself as a child prodigy. He studies hard?identifying his opponents' "tells" and learning the odds for completing different hands?and he wins continuously. This bitter, almost amoral novel ends with Denn, at age 16, living alone and owning the casino. He struggles to explain the appeal of the game, why it's worth giving up his normal life: "Money and winning were important, sure, but they weren't what kept me awake at night. It was the action, the ebb and flow of fate, the expressions on the faces of the players, the sounds and smells of the casino. But most of all it was the cards." Swift and salacious, Hautman's latest compellingly echoes gambling's siren call. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Once Dennis Doyle, 15, discovers his talent for playing poker, he gives away his lawn-mowing business and abandons his formerly good relationships with his divorced mom, his best friend, his girlfriend, and a local priest-all victims of his obsession. Short, cleverly titled chapters realistically and frighteningly detail Denn's transformation during one intense summer from a likable, hard-working skateboarder into the calculating, successful poker player described by the title. Watching it happen, step by credible step, the only question is how it will play out. When Father Seamus coaxes Denn to attend a meeting of Gamblers Anonymous, will he see the light? Or will he continue down the desperate spiral that he sees his poker partners take? What does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his own soul? Denn doesn't care to ask that question, as long as the cards keep coming. At book's end, he is the best. He wins the local restaurant where no-limit poker is played, displacing the King and inheriting his throne. Poker makes him rich, but readers will have no doubt that he has lost. Fast paced and powerfully delivered, this novel is as taut and suspenseful as a high-stakes game.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Poker Book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stone Cold (Library Binding)
This was a great book that just shows you how gambling can ruin your life even if you're good at it and win. It can especially ruin your life if you lose. I think it touhgt a good lesson to my son that gambling is bad. I would greatly recommend it.Definitely 5 Stars!!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addiction and Obsession,
By Sarah Witt (Bemidji, MN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stone Cold (Mass Market Paperback)
Sixteen-year old Dennis Doyle is learning about an important tool of independence - money. Like many young people, his first job is mowing lawns. He's good at his job, and keeps track of his profits down to the last cent. He learns that money can give him some control in his life, which is something he's been looking for since his dad left him and his mom.We get to know Denn Doyle so well very early in "Stone Cold", especially since the book is in first person through Denn's perspective. Pete Hautman does such a good job portraying the stage of life Denn is in - somewhere between child and adult, and we can't help but laugh with Denn, and really like him. Denn's newfound interest in money and the control it gives him leads him down a path we readers know he shouldn't go down, but can't help but wonder if we would take the same path if in his shoes. It starts with a simple card game, but Denn wins, and he's hooked. He plays more and more, dreams about and studies poker, and we readers experience Denn's addiction, his obsession, and what it does to his life, and his youth. Before we know what's happened, Denn Doyle has left childhood far behind, and we get quite a hint at what adulthood has in store for him. "Stone Cold" is such a moving depiction of adolescence and addiction, and though I must admit it saddened me, it also had me laughing out loud more often than most books I've read. It's a good one - for both young adults and adults.
1.0 out of 5 stars
purchaser,
By tyler (orlando florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stone Cold (Hardcover)
stone cold is right he sure knocked me out when i purchased his book
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