This week’s Poker in Print is no ordinary story. In fact, it’s an extraordinary tale even without knowing anything at all about the game we all love.

Released in 2004, Positively Fifth Street is a book written by Harper’s Magazine journalist James McManus, who was sent to Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker in particular to write about women playing in the WSOP.

That McManus never wrote that article is one thing, but the fact that he spent the money he was given to play the WSOP Main Event itself is quite another. Instead of reporting on women playing the Main Event, or at the World Series, McManus looked into the grisly murder of Ted Binion, the tournament’s host, who was allegedly killed by a couple in Sin City.

Uncovering the truth behind the killing is tough going and not an easy read for those looking into it as you can imagine it wasn’t for McManus, either. Before too long, however, McManus is wrapped up in the neon attractions of Las Vegas and the World Series himself.