''Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker'' is a memoir published in 2003 by Chicago area author

James McManus } James "Jim" McManus (born March 22, 1951) is an Americans, American teacher, writer and poker player living in Kenilworth, Illinois. He is a professor in the Master of Fine Arts program for writers at the Art Institute of Chicago. Poker and ' ...

set during the

2000 World Series of Poker The 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Events There were 23 preliminary bracelet events at the 2000 World Series of Poker. Future Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey won his first career bracelet in Event #14. Main Ev ...

. On assignment from ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', McManus was sent to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

to cover the trial of Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy, who were accused of murdering

Binion's Horseshoe Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel, formerly Binion's Horseshoe, is a casino on Fremont Street along the Fremont Street Experience pedestrian mall in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is owned by TLC Casino Enterprises. The casino is n ...

casino executive

Ted Binion Lonnie Theodore "Ted" Binion (November 28, 1943 – September 17, 1998), was an American gambling executive and the son of Las Vegas casino magnate Benny Binion, owner of Binion's Horseshoe casino. Ted Binion was involved in multiple criminal cas ...

. The trial coincided with the 2000 WSOP, which McManus entered. He won a

satellite tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

into the Main Event, and reached the final table, placing fifth. The book is a two-track memoir of his coverage of the trial interspersed with and finally subsumed by the poker tournament. The book's title was inspired by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's 1965 single "

Positively 4th Street "Positively 4th Street" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, first recorded in New York City on July 29, 1965. It was released as a single by Columbia Records on September 7, 1965, reaching on Canada's ''RPM'' chart, on the U.S. ''Bi ...

References

External links

Official website
at Macmillan Poker books American memoirs {{game-book-stub