Grotenstein, Jonathan 1970-

PERSONAL:

Born 1970.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Los Angeles, CA Agent—c/o Author Mail, Publicity Department, Thomas Dunne Books, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010.

CAREER:

Writer and professional poker player.

WRITINGS:

(With Phil Gordon) Poker: The Real Deal, Simon Spotlight Entertainment (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Storms Reback) All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker,Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Also the author of several screenplays.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jonathan Grotenstein is a Los Angeles-based writer and a professional poker player. He is the author of several screenplays, as well as books on the game of poker. His first effort, Poker: The Real Deal,which he wrote with Phil Gordon, the host ofCelebrity Poker Showdown, serves as a guide to the game for the beginning gambler. A reviewer at Launch Poker.com called the book "an excellent guide for those who are new at poker." All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker is Grotenstein's follow-up effort, written with former sports reporter Storms Reback. All In recounts the history of the World Series of Poker, which began in 1970 as a publicity stunt and offered the highest stakes on record at the time. The first match was hosted by Horseshoe owner Benny Binion, and the event continued in the same venue for decades. Grotenstein and Reback include tales of the more colorful participants in the annual matches, as well as of the series itself. According to a contributor for Publishers Weekly, they also "mine to good effect the lore surrounding old school legends."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2005, review of All In: The (Almost) Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker, p. 1011.

Publishers Weekly, August 29, 2005, review of All In,p. 49.

ONLINE

Jet Café.com,http://www.jetcafe.com/ (April 17, 2006), review of Poker: The Real Deal.

Launch Poker.com,http://www.launchpoker.com/(December 17, 2004), Nick Christenson, review ofPoker.