Book

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 . . .

2014

Synopsis

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 by Ben Mezrich chronicles the meteoric rise and dramatic collapse of Absolute Poker, an online gambling empire founded by a group of University of Montana fraternity brothers. Led by charismatic student Scott Tom and his friends, the group launched their venture in the late 1990s from the sunny, regulation-light haven of Costa Rica. What began as a frat-house pipe dream rapidly evolved into a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut, capitalizing on the mid-2000s global poker craze and turning a handful of college grads into lavishly wealthy international operators.

The narrative explores how the founders navigated high-stakes technological hurdles, shifting federal legal environments, and relentless competition to build one of the internet's premier gambling platforms. However, as the cash flowed, the company became embroiled in scandal—most notably a massive insider cheating ring on the site that shattered player trust—and drew intense heat from the U.S. Department of Justice. The story culminates in the federal crackdown known as Black Friday in April 2011, when the government seized domain names, issued criminal indictments, and brought the multi-billion-dollar empire crashing down virtually overnight.

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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 . . .

Synopsis

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