Book Review: We Run Bad by John Curry

We Run Bad is a colourful depiction of how life can go wrong in post-credit crunch America for one keen gambler. Tim has seen all his dreams flushed away by the great recession after the housing market collapsed taking all his investments with it. 

At the beginning he didn’t see it as the end of the road because he still harboured one more dream: that of playing poker professionally in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Of course, this new ambition doesn’t quite go to plan either and before he knows it he has donked off more than $50,000 leaving him running on fumes.

This is really where the story begins. Tim realises that his luck is never likely to change and we join him on his journey into the depths of despair. His path though, is littered with comic events that those with a dark sense of humour will really appreciate. 

Tim’s encounters the usual shady characters you would expect to be hanging around the poker tables of Atlantic City. This gives the tale the realism that any of us poker players could expect find ourselves in just this spot in a different life. So many of us will at least recognise the characters from our own experiences.

After hitting rock bottom, Tim sinks into the pit of alcoholism and even ends up squatting in one of his former investment properties before deciding to go and chance his final $2,000 over the felt. Before we know it this drug-taking boozehound has us itching to see if he can pull a rabbit out of his hat, and,of course, yet another shady character arrives to save the day, or is that really what he did?

The final part of Tim’s story takes us into the murky world of underground poker games in New York City. He’s firmly on the road to recovery and making decent money with it, but trouble is never too far away from this loveable rogue whose life seems to have perfect comic timing. 

Those of you who are partial to a good story involving the gambling world will seriously enjoy this short book. You can also expect to come away thinking deeper about the conditions of today’s society in western nations. Alcohol, drugs, debt, sex; it’s all in between these pages - don’t miss out and join Tim on his eventful ride.