For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair With Poker

The structure of this book is chronological throughout Coren’s life. It presents a transition of a woman poker player from a novice to a champion. A story of happiness and heartbreak, a memoir of friendship and belongingness, For Richer and For Poorer: A Love Affair With Poker by Victoria Coren could eventually make you fall in love with its story.

In this true story, Victoria Coren wonderfully expressed heartbreak, friendship, love, and loss. Holding back nothing, she has described her relationship to poker with great openness. Victoria has used beautiful phrases of literature in the book. In simpler terms, she has expressed the inner soul of the game through her book. Coren’s excellent style of writing and sense of humor adds more success.

SUMMARY 

Following Coren’s introduction to the game as a teenager, this book delivers all the juicy stories that even a none poker player would thoroughly enjoy. Victoria Coren’s memoir about becoming the first million-dollar female winner of the European Poker Tour will surely win many hearts. 

Dealing with school’s miserable days, the author starts with how she finds an escape in the mysterious world of poker, which welcomes her with all love. The excellent, insightful, and honest work always impresses a little more at the end of each chapter, where Coren details something or the other in her progress to the European Poker Championship. 

For Richer and For Poorer is an overall ride about the author’s highs-lows and love-betrayal in poker. Her life’s dramatic story troubles and pokers’ journey keep the readers engaged in the book. About traveling first time to Vegas, she writes:

” This might be a city of whores, guns, drug addiction and sick gambling, but it feels like we’re six years old and playing hopscotch in the garden all summer.

There is something almost unbearably happy about all of it. Pure pleasure, pure contentment, always curls around a small, sad centre because you known there is nothing permanent. Even as you look at a river, it flows on to something else. A shadow of cloud on the stream changes minute by minute. Even as you hold the water in your cupped palm it trickles out.” 

PRAISE AND CRITIQUE

The fluent and accessible writing style of the author will keep your interest connected with the story. A poker memoir through a female perspective in a male-dominant, sexist, and challenging poker environment makes it more visible. Additionally, the way Victoria Coren writes the story will almost take the readers to her world.

The author ends each chapter in a way that will make you more curious about the next one. Readers can feel accompanying her on the roller coaster ride of her emotions. The handy brief glossary at the back makes it easier for the readers to understand the story. It is overall a fascinating book by a beautiful author and an intelligent player. 

On the negative side, the book will probably not improve your game as there is not much strategy discussed. Therefore, if this is what you are looking for, then this book is not for you.

RECOMMENDATION 

The interesting stories in For Richer, for Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker kept me reading throughout the end. I never really expected that a book on poker could make me emotional about the aspects of life, but this one has all my heart. Even if you are not a poker player, I would recommend you to read this because it’s a fun read for both poker players and non-players alike.