Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

 Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock 305 pages

Bluff  is the story of former socialite (current poker player) Maud Warner.  When she was young and impressionable, she was taken in by celebrity accountant Burt Sklar.  Once she figured out that he was a fraud, her mother had already invested money with him and lost most of it (think Bernie Madoff).  One day she goes into The Four Seasons restaurant and tells the maitre d she is meeting Burt and his dining companion Sun Sunderland.  She draws a gun from her purse and shoots.  She hits Sun Sunderland since Burt Sklar uses him as a shield.  Did she hit the wrong man?  After this she goes into hiding with one of her poker buddies in Washington D.C.  I would summarize more, but might give away the twists.

Filled with plenty of twists and turns (and poker terminology), Bluff is a delightful caper mystery from beginning to end.  If you enjoy a lighter story with a twist, Bluff may be just what you are looking for.

 

Pokergeist

Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash    266 pages

Pokergeist is the fourth novel by as-yet-to-be-discovered author Michael Phillip Cash that I’ve read, and I think this one is his best yet.

The story opens in Las Vegas. Poker legend Clutch Henderson comes from a poker legend family; his grandfather was a champion player. He taught Clutch how to play the game.

Clutch is good. After all, this is his nineteenth attempt to win the million-dollar gold bracelet in the International Series of Poker. His opponent is an Internet poker sensation, Adam “The Ant” Antonowski. It’s the final hand; Clutch can practically feel the bracelet’s weight on his wrist. Everything he ever dreamed of is just a card away. Suddenly, Clutch can’t breathe. There is a heaviness in his chest. Words fail him. He falls to the floor.

One year later, Telly Martin has lost everything. It started with a layoff and spiraled down from there. Now he and his girlfriend Gretchen are living in a seedy hotel, barely able to eat and make the rent.

Telly also has dreams of winning the International Series of Poker. He’s a pretty good player, but with luck he could go all the way. All he needs now is the ten thousand dollar buy-in fee. Yeah, right, like he has that kind of money lying around.

Then Clutch shows up in ghost form to act as Telly’s mentor.

There are no real surprises in this plot line. Still, it’s well done and interesting reading. It’s a lot of fun too.

I give Pokergiest 5 out of 5 stars.