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Synopsis
"You know how they say you can't climb out of a hole till you hit bottom?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm trying to find the bottom."
At seventeen, Denn Doyle isn't old enough to gamble legally, but thanks to his talent for reading tells, he's made a fortune — and along the way, he's upset some of the most notorious Texas holdem players in Las Vegas, including Artie Kingston, who had already lost his nightclub to Denn. But now Denn's luck has run out and he's just about broke. His only chance is a million-dollar, winner-take-all tournament at Artie's new casino, but Denn can't play unless he comes up with the $10,000 entry fee. Denn's future all comes down to one hand of poker.
National Book Award-winning author Pete Hautman introduced Denn Doyle in No Limit, of which School Library Journal said, "Fast paced and powerfully delivered...as taut and suspenseful as a high-stakes game." Here he deals another hand of love, luck, and greed in the high-stakes world of poker.
KLIATT
To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2007: Seventeen-year-old poker prodigy Denn is in Vegas, and almost broke. He'd won a casino and restaurant from Artie Kingston, but now his luck has turned and he's down to pocket change. He's fallen in love with Cattie, a redheaded young card dealer, but he doesn't know that she works for Kingston, who is out to get Denn. Denn's only hope is a million-dollar winner-take-all tournament at a new casino that's opening, but he needs to find $10,000 for the buy-in. Is Denn really just a mark to Cattie, or something more? Alternating chapters from Denn, Cattie, and fellow player Jimbo's points of view give readers different perspectives on the action, which mostly revolves around poker hands and reading "tells," the subtle signs players look for in each other in order to decide what cards to play. A glossary and explanation of the ranking of poker hands at the end will help novices understand the game. They will have to have read No Limit first to fully appreciate Denn's story here, but poker afficionados will be eager to find out if he can bluff his way to a miracle. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick