I am going to start off this book review of “Check Raising the Devil” (CRD) by Mike Matusow and say it was plain fantastic. To be brutally honest with you I was not a big fan of Mike Matusow a few years ago. I thought he was loud and obnoxious for the sake of being loud and obnoxious. However, long before reading his book, I did hear him mention several times about having a mental disorder and almost instantly I had compassion for him the more I learned about his condition.

CRD takes you through the life and times of one Mike Matusow. From his humble beginnings in a trailer park to his fast rise to fame and fortune playing high stakes poker and living the high life. His entire poker career happened on a complete and utter fluke. Mike details his addiction to meth and other drugs and how he attempted to medicate  his condition on his own.

Eventually Mike lands in jail and has an epiphany and begins to piece his life back together again when he is released six months later. I won’t give you all of the juicy details but I will tell you that I could not put the book down. If you are looking for great poker stories form the high stakes and poker tournaments you will find a few. However, the book is not about poker at all. This book is about life and overcoming our shortcomings to make better choices and be better human beings. In my opinion, at least so far, Mike Matusow has done that. Just as he does at the poker table Mike lets it all hang out in his book. His “straight no chaser” approach works very well.

Love him or hate him this book is a great read. BUY IT!