James McManus
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" McManus is an American
poker
player, teacher and writer living in Kenilworth, Illinois
.
(ISBN 0-374-23648-8). The book is based on his trip to Las Vegas
to cover the progress of women in the 2000 World Series of Poker
(WSOP) and the death of Ted Binion
.
He used his advance to enter a satellite tournament for entry into the Main Event, defeating the likes of Hasan Habib
to qualify for the seat. He made the final table of the Main Event, finishing in 5th place and winning $247,760. He credited his success in the tournament to the book Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em (ISBN 1-58042-127-X) by T. J. Cloutier
and Tom McEvoy
. Cloutier, Habib and Chris Ferguson
were also at the same final table.
The book is dedicated to his son, James McManus (1979–2001).
McManus made the quarter-finals of the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship
, where he was eliminated by Ferguson. McManus continues to play live poker when not teaching and raising two young daughters with his second wife, Jennifer Arra.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $740,000.
, The Boston Globe
, Harper's Magazine, and The New Yorker
among others.
His Esquire
article on stem cell
research was featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2005
and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award.
He has been the poker columnist of the New York Times and currently writes the history column for Card Player. He has spoken about the game at Yale, Harvard, Google Inc., Goldman Sachs, and on numerous media outlets.
His work has also appeared in The Best American Poetry, Best American Magazine Writing, Best American Sports Writing, Best American Political Writing, Best Erotic Writing in Modern Fiction, The New Kings of Nonfiction, Richter 858, The Book of Irish American Poetry, and other anthologies. He has received the Carl Sandburg Prize, the Peter Lisagor
Award for Sports Journalism, fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations, and other awards.
and University of Illinois Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1974 and a Master of Arts
degree in 1977, both from UIC. He teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as the history section of Harvard's new online poker university.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, teacher and writer living in Kenilworth, Illinois
Kenilworth, Illinois
Kenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community...
.
Poker and Positively Fifth Street
McManus is best known as the author of the book Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of PokerPositively Fifth Street
Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker is a memoir by Chicago area author James McManus set during the 2000 World Series of Poker....
(ISBN 0-374-23648-8). The book is based on his trip to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to cover the progress of women in the 2000 World Series of Poker
2000 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...
(WSOP) and the death of Ted Binion
Ted Binion
Lonnie Theodore "Ted" Binion was a wealthy U.S. gambling executive and one of the sons of famed Las Vegas casino magnate Lester Ben "Benny" Binion, owner of Binion's Horseshoe...
.
He used his advance to enter a satellite tournament for entry into the Main Event, defeating the likes of Hasan Habib
Hasan Habib
Hasan Habib is a Pakistani American professional poker player.During his early years in Pakistan, Habib was the Pakistan 14-and-under National Tennis Champion. Habib went to America at the age of 18 to study business at the University of Redlands. He also once owned a nationwide chain of video...
to qualify for the seat. He made the final table of the Main Event, finishing in 5th place and winning $247,760. He credited his success in the tournament to the book Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em (ISBN 1-58042-127-X) by T. J. Cloutier
T. J. Cloutier
Thomas James "T.J." Cloutier is a professional poker player from Richardson, Texas. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early years:...
and Tom McEvoy
Tom McEvoy
Thomas K. McEvoy is a professional poker player and author. He is best known for his win in the 1983 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:...
. Cloutier, Habib and Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson
Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
were also at the same final table.
The book is dedicated to his son, James McManus (1979–2001).
McManus made the quarter-finals of the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...
, where he was eliminated by Ferguson. McManus continues to play live poker when not teaching and raising two young daughters with his second wife, Jennifer Arra.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $740,000.
Fiction
- Going to the Sun (winner of the Carl SandburgCarl SandburgCarl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
Award) - Ghost Waves
- Curtains
- Chin Music
- Out of the Blue
Non-fiction
- Physical: An American Checkup (2006)
- Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker (October 2009) serialized in Card Player magazine
Journalism
He has also written for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, Harper's Magazine, and The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
among others.
His Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
article on stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
research was featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2005
Best American series
The Best American Series is an annually-published collection of books, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, each of which features a different genre or theme. Each book selects from works published in North America during the previous year, selected by a guest editor who is an established writer...
and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award.
He has been the poker columnist of the New York Times and currently writes the history column for Card Player. He has spoken about the game at Yale, Harvard, Google Inc., Goldman Sachs, and on numerous media outlets.
His work has also appeared in The Best American Poetry, Best American Magazine Writing, Best American Sports Writing, Best American Political Writing, Best Erotic Writing in Modern Fiction, The New Kings of Nonfiction, Richter 858, The Book of Irish American Poetry, and other anthologies. He has received the Carl Sandburg Prize, the Peter Lisagor
Peter Lisagor
Peter Lisagor was Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Daily News from 1959 to 1976 and was one of the most respected and best-known journalists in the United States...
Award for Sports Journalism, fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations, and other awards.
Personal life
McManus pursued undergraduate degrees from Loyola University ChicagoLoyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
and University of Illinois Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1974 and a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in 1977, both from UIC. He teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as the history section of Harvard's new online poker university.