All-in

by Pete Hautman

Overview

Denn still thinks life’s a gamble, but he might be out of luck in this sequel to No Limit—in trade paperback for the first time.

In this sequel to No Limit, Denn Doyle is seventeen now, and he’s made it rich playing poker in Las Vegas. But his success has attracted the wrong sort of attention from people like Artie Kingston, who’s out to get Denn at any cost. Then Denn’s luck runs out and he hits a losing streak. Artie’s hosting a winner-takes-all tournament at his new casino, but Denn doesn’t have the funds to play—so everything comes down to one game of poker. Will the cards—and a healthy dose of luck—be on Denn’s side?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442433359
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	02/07/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Pete Hautman is the author of National Book Award–winning novel Godless, Sweetblood, Hole in the Sky, Stone Cold, The Flinkwater Factor, The Forgetting Machine, and Mr. Was, which was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, as well as several adult novels. He lives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visit him at PeteHautman.com.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7 Up
Poker prodigy Denn Doyle of Stone Cold (S & S, 1998) is back. The novel opens as the now 17-year-old, who has moved to Las Vegas with money he won from poker kingpin Artie Kingston, loses his last chunk of cash in a fixed game. It turns out that Artie is behind this, and has used Denn's new girlfriend, Cattie, to deal the fatal card. Denn must raise $10,000 to enter a million-dollar winner-takes-all tournament to save his pride. Hautman tells the story through Denn, Cattie, and a jaded 22-year-old gambler. Jimbo, who talks like a 1940s gumshoe, is the voice of reason, and the most interesting of the three. Only he speaks in the first person, which dilutes the other two narratives. Denn's voice is distant at best, and he never truly earns readers' empathy. Cattie is so unilaterally bitter and unfeeling that her mutiny from the dark side seems premature. The noir mood is clever, but it also keeps readers at arm's length. The descriptions of poker play are impressive, but guaranteed to confuse the uninitiated, despite the glossary. The dialogue is snappy and the plot, especially the ending, unfolds expertly and without cliché. All in all, All-in may only be of interest to older poker enthusiasts.
—Johanna LewisCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

When Denn first came to Vegas, he was a 16-year-old poker player with $100,000. Now he's all of 17 and a professional casino Texas holdem player. When Denn falls in love with the cynical casino dealer Cattie, he suddenly starts losing money. Denn has foolishly trusted Cattie, who's been bought off by Denn's old enemy Artie (No Limit, 1998). Within two weeks, Denn has lost everything. His only choices are to go home to suburbia or win everything back. If only he can get a $10,000 stake, Denn can compete in Artie's winner-take-all poker tournament-but why should he trust Artie to run a fair game now, when he cheated to bankrupt Denn in the first place? Besides, where can Denn get $10,000? Denn's story is told in alternating narratives by Denn, Cattie and Jimbo, a 22-year-old professional poker player with a taste for rhyming slang and a begrudging affection for Denn. Character progression takes a backseat to the details of poker and the quest to win, but the tournament's tension is top-notch. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

"Hautman nails the heady buzz of winning and the gut-shot numbness of losing it all on the last turn, calling the action with all the deftness of a dealer flipping cards: sharp, fast, and effortless....A quick, slick read for wannabe sharks."—Booklist

"Hautman again delivers a deliciously high-anxiety novel...Poker fans and mystery buffs alike will want to buy in."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Skillfully using the multiple-voice approach, Hautman brings to life the intircacies of poker, crafting a thrilling story of loss, good versus evil, and redemption"—VOYA

"The dialogue is snappy and the plot, especially the ending, unfolds expertly and without cliche."—School Library Journal

"The tournament's tension is top-notch."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher