Gaming Guru

Blackjack Autumn: A True Tale of Life, Death, and Splitting Tens in Winnemucca

Blackjack Autumn: A True Tale of Life, Death, and Splitting Tens in Winnemucca
by Barry Meadow, TR Publishing, $27.95

Rating: * * * * *

Over the years many writers have attempted to capture the "feel" of what it's like to gamble in casinos for extended periods of time. They have attempted to paint landscapes, if you will; internal landscapes as they struggle with their own hearts and minds in their contest with Lady Luck, and external landscapes, the sights, sounds, and people they encounter as they pursue their avocation. Most have failed miserably as their writing skills and their insights into themselves and the games came up short. A handful have succeeded, and a select few have succeeded brilliantly. Numbered among the select few are Ken Uston, blackjack icon, Mario Puzo, best-selling author of The Godfather, and now Barry Meadow, whose new book Blackjack Autumn, is a revelation.

Using a diary format, Meadow recounts his two months of play in every single Nevada casino. He chronicles his ups and downs at the games; he details the interesting, sad, and surprising people he sees and the equally interesting, sad, and surprising places he visits; but more importantly, he weaves a beautiful narrative of inner exploration -- of his relationships with his dying father, his loving mother, his girlfriend, his teenage son, his gambling buddies and acquaintances -- so that the gambling journey is integrated into the story of a man's quest for meaning in his life. Oh, yes, we learn what it is like to play expert blackjack (Meadow finishes over $20,000 ahead for the trip), but this is secondary to what we learn about a man in mid-life, sorting out the details of his past, ruminating on his future, grappling with his present -- all the while trying to get the edge.

This book is a masterpiece marred only -- and only slightly -- by an unfortunate overuse of simile. I recommend you set aside a few nights and enjoy Meadow's journey across Nevada and into himself. Blackjack Autumn retails for $27.95 and is available at bookstores or on the Internet.