Award-winning journalist and author Anthony Holden from England passed away in early October. Holden is known in the gambling world for his two non-fiction books about his experiences playing poker in Las Vegas.
“Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player” was published in 1990, and it covered Holden’s attempt to play cards for a living which concluded with a trip to Las Vegas at the 1990 World Series of Poker.
Simon and Schuster published a sequel and long-awaited follow up by Holden, which takes place 15 years after his initial foray into poker. “Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit” was released in 2007 and followed Holden’s poker journey around the world and in Las Vegas during the height of the online poker boom.
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Award Winning Journalist with The Sunday Times
Holden was born in England in 1947. His grandfather, Ivan Sharpe, was a gold-medal winning soccer player and revered sportswriter.
The Oxford-educated Holden edited the student magazine “Isis” and developed a passion for writing and journalism. He also appeared on the TV quiz show University Challenge.
Holden was first recognized for his astute writing ability in 1972 when he won the Young Journalist of the Year. In 1973, he accepted a position with The Sunday Times, one of the most prestigious publications in the UK.
In 1974, Holden wrote “The St. Albans Poisoner: The Life and Crimes of Graham Young.” The book was based on a trial that he had covered, and it was later adapted into a film.
In the mid-1970s, Holden covered the Northern Ireland conflict. His coverage of “The Troubles” earned recognition by the British Press Awards. Holden won the News Reporter of the Year in 1976, and won Columnist of the Year in 1977 for his Northern Ireland coverage.
Holden headed to America in 1979 as a Washington, D.C. correspondent with The Observer. He was also the editor of their U.S. version. In 1981, Holden returned to London as an assistant editor of The Times.
During the 1980s, Holden penned numerous books on the Royal Family including the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, and Princess Diana. He also wrote a biography on legendary thespian Laurence Olivier.
Holden held a deep passion for classical music, and penned books on Tchaikovsky and Mozart. He also wrote several books on Shakespeare in the 1990s and 2000s.
Big Deal
Holden was friends with poet and writer Al Alvarez, who is most known for his stellar non-fiction book “The Biggest Game in Town.” Alvarez’s book was published in 1983, but it focused on his time in Las Vegas during the 1981 World Series of Poker.
Holden was inspired by Alavarez’s experiences in Sin City and wanted to write his own book about his newfound passion for poker.
In the late 1980s, Holden was stricken with a mid-life crisis and persuaded his wife to let him take a shot at playing poker for a living. More importantly, he also convinced his publisher that his adventures would make a great book. Poker was still considered a seedy activity in the 1980s. Holden initially took a fish out of water approach to the professional poker world. He quickly discovered he had a lot in common with the wacky characters he depicted in “The Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player.”
During his year on the poker circuit, Holden played poker in exotic locations like Malta and Morocco. His poker travels to the United States led him to games in Louisiana and Nevada. His book concludes with a trip to Sin City to play in the 1990 WSOP at Binion’s in downtown Las Vegas.
“The Big Deal” was a big deal at the time because there were not many books about poker aside from Doyle Brunson’s strategy tome “Super System” and Alavarez’s “The Biggest Game in Town.”
With their nonfiction books, Holden and Alvarez inspired a new wave of poker scribes, journalists, and bloggers who rode the online poker boom tidal wave in the early 2000s.
Bigger Deal
Poker had shadowy origins in the criminal underworld. It used to be hidden in the fringes of society for most of the 20th Century. Thanks to online poker in the digital era, poker reached the mainstream during the new millennium.
In the mid-2000s, poker was blowing up during a global boom. Online poker connected players all over the world and brought fresh blood into the game including an entire generation of younger internet poker players.
Poker had become entwined into pop culture as a big-business entity. Games were no longer limited to cramped, smoke-filled rooms in downtown Las Vegas. Tournaments were now played in some of the most elegant cities in Europe.
Holden returned to the poker world 15 years after “The Big Deal” ended. Holden played cards on the newly minted European Poker Tour and returned to Las Vegas for 2005 WSOP. He shared his experiences in a long-awaited sequel to “Big Deal.”
Holden was amazed at the seismic effects of the online poker boom. It drastically altered the entire gambling landscape in a short amount of time. His second poker book, “Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit,” was a fitting complement to his first book which captured two distinct eras of poker during the yesteryear of the 1980s and the gravy days of the 2000s.
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