{"product_id":"straight-flush-the-true-story-of-six-college-friends-who-dealt-their-way-to-a-billiondollar-online-poker-empireand-how-it-all-came-crashing-down-isbn-9780062240095","title":"Straight Flush: The True Story of Six College Friends Who Dealt Their Way to a Billion-Dollar Online Poker Empire--and How It All Came Crashing Down . . .","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Accidental Billionaires \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eBringing Down the House\u003c\/em\u003e—the sources for the film \u003cem\u003eThe Social Network \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003e21\u003c\/em\u003e—comes the larger-than-life rags-to-riches tale of a group of University of Montana frat brothers who turned a weekly poker game in the basement of a local dive bar into AbsolutePoker.com, one of the largest online companies in the world. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on extensive insider interviews and participation, Straight Flush tells of the company’s initial operations in the exotic jungle paradise of Costa Rica—where its founders embraced an outrageous lifestyle of girls, parties, and money—and of the gray area of U.S. and international law in which they created an industry. Soon, the U.S. Department of Justice was gunning for them… Should they fold—or double down and ride their hot hand? Impossible to put down, \u003cem\u003eStraight Flush\u003c\/em\u003e is an exclusive, never-before-seen look behind the headlines of one of the wildest business stories of the past decade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eFrom the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Accidental Billionaires\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBringing Down the House\u003c\/em\u003e—the sources for the films \u003cem\u003eThe Social Network\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e21\u003c\/em\u003e—comes the larger-than-life true tale of a group of American college buddies who brilliantly built a billion-dollar online poker colossus based out of the hedonistic paradise of Costa Rica. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne problem: the U.S. Department of Justice was gunning for them. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on extensive insider interviews and participation, acclaimed author Ben Mezrich's \u003cem\u003eStraight Flush\u003c\/em\u003e tells the captivating rags-to-riches tale of a group of University of Montana frat brothers who turned a weekly poker game in the basement of a local dive bar into AbsolutePoker.com, one of the largest online companies in the world, on par with some of the behemoths of the Internet. At its height, Absolute Poker was an online empire earning more than a million dollars a day, following savvy business strategy and even better luck. Its founders set up their operations in the exotic jungle paradise of Costa Rica, embracing an outrageous lifestyle of girls, parties, and money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, the gray area of U.S. and international law in which the company operated was becoming a lot more risky, and soon the U.S. Department of Justice had placed a bull's-eye on Absolute Poker. Should they fold—or double down and ride their hot hand? Impossible to put down, \u003cem\u003eStraight Flush\u003c\/em\u003e is an exclusive, never-before-seen look behind the headlines of one of the wildest business stories of the past decade.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“The \u003cb\u003ereigning cowboy\u003c\/b\u003e of creative nonfiction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Oregonian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A \u003cb\u003enear-perfect specimen\u003c\/b\u003e of pulp nonfiction.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cb\u003eThe action is nonstop\u003c\/b\u003e. ... Mezrich follows [the] friends from their University of Montana frat house to Costa Rica and Canada as the young entrepreneurs’ extravagant lifestyle of booze, fast cars, and hot women spirals into death threats, auto accidents, 24-hour bodyguards, and federal indictments.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Engrossing. ... I can’t wait for the movie.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A \u003cb\u003ebreakneck retelling\u003c\/b\u003e of how a bunch of closely knit fraternity brothers built an online poker empire. … \u003cb\u003eFast-paced and wild.\u003c\/b\u003e” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889421971685,"sku":"NP9780062240095","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062240095.jpg?v=1730231221","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/straight-flush-the-true-story-of-six-college-friends-who-dealt-their-way-to-a-billiondollar-online-poker-empireand-how-it-all-came-crashing-down-isbn-9780062240095","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}