Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 8:13 a.m.
James McManus never met Ted Binion.
But McManus, author of the newly released "Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs and Binion's World Series of Poker," says he feels a sort of cosmic connection to the slain casino figure.
McManus and Binion were both Baby Boomers; both attended Catholic school in the Vatican II era.
Both, by most accounts, had an affinity for rock 'n' roll, partying, poker and beautiful women.
"The difference," McManus said, "was that Ted had $50 million with which he could indulge his tendencies."
The other big difference, McManus said, was that while he ended up with the right woman, Ted, quite obviously, did not.
The parallel between Ted, an admitted heroin user who was murdered by his girlfriend and her lover, and McManus, a writer, teacher and devoted family man, is one of several intriguing subplots in "Positively Fifth Street," which hit No. 7 on The New York Times best-seller list Sunday. The book is also out on audio this week, with McManus narrating an abridged version.
Although the book is primarily about the 2000 World Series of Poker, McManus uses that event as a springboard to riff on topics as disparate as Sylvia Plath, the history of poker, the eternal appeal of Las Vegas and his own psyche.
"I identified to a huge extent with Ted," McManus said over the phone last week. "Ted ended up going down a much different path in life, but I felt very much on his wavelength, even though we never met."
Occupying a spot at that weird vortex of high-stakes poker and ambitious literature, "Positively Fifth Street" is drawing favorable comparisons to the classics of the genre: Anthony Holden's "Big Deal: One Year as a Professional Poker Player," and A. Alvarez's "The Biggest Game in Town," which chronicled the 1981 World Series of Poker.
It doesn't hurt that "Positively Fifth Street" arrives during a period of exciting changes in poker.
More players enter and more fans attend the World Series of Poker at Binion's each year.
The "World Poker Tour," a new TV show about tournament poker, is pulling good ratings on the Travel Channel (Cox cable channel 66).
And a group of younger pro poker players, razor sharp and computer savvy, continues to steal the spotlight from the old-time road gamblers who have traditionally dominated the game.
"This is probably the most exciting time in the history of this country as far as high-stakes poker," said Howard Schwartz, marketing director at the Gambler's Book Shop on South 11th Street. "We're seeing new faces all the time, a new generation of players."
"Positively Fifth Street" has been among the store's top sellers since its release last month, Schwartz said.
"It proves that gamblers can write, and some writers do know how to gamble," he said.
"If you got talent, Las Vegas is the land of milk and honey. If you don't it's a burial ground." -- Benny Binion
While it has become a phenomenon, "Positively Fifth Street" had modest origins.
McManus, who lives in the Chicago area, was assigned by Harper's Magazine to write a 5,000-word story on women playing in the World Series of Poker.
Once in Las Vegas, against his better judgment McManus used a big chunk of his advance money from the magazine to enter a "satellite," or mini-tournament. He went on to win the satellite, earning a seat in the World Series of Poker championship event, or the "Big One," as it's called in the poker world.
McManus then defied the odds by advancing to the final table of the Big One and winning nearly $250,000.
He knew right away he had something special, McManus said.
"When I finished in fifth place, the Rocky-like aspect of the story emerged," McManus said. "My agent thought it could be a popular book, and as my editor, publisher and I worked on it, I knew fairly early on it had a good shot (at being a success)."
In the Big One, they play no-limit Texas hold 'em -- which Doyle Brunson famously called the "Cadillac of poker games" in his 1978 "Super/System," the groundbreaking guide to various forms of poker.
Although he had been playing poker for 40 years, McManus had never played in a tournament, and he had never played no-limit hold 'em before the 2000 World Series.
He was well prepared, though, having devoured "Super/System" and other poker manuals and having logged plenty of hours on simulated games on his computer.
"I'm living proof that people can read the books and use the computer programs and catch up to the pros," McManus said.
Being mentioned in "Positively Fifth Street" is already helping spur the sales of poker books distributed by Two Plus Two, the gambling-oriented publishing company based in Henderson.
"I'm not sure if it's mostly because of (McManus') book or because of the interest in the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, but we've seen our sales double (recently)," said Two Plus Two's David Sklansky, an author, gambling expert and poker pro.
The story of how McManus goes toe-to-toe with the pros in the World Series is the heart of "Positively Fifth Street."
In fact, McManus' original article in Harper's was selected to appear in "The Best American Sports Writing 2001" for its searing play-by-play coverage as he advanced to the final table of the world's most prestigious poker tournament.
Equally compelling, though, is McManus' analysis of what he calls his own "split personality." A recurring theme of the book is the struggle between "Good Jim" and "Bad Jim."
Good Jim is the guy who misses his wife and kids, who feels guilty for spending so much time in Vegas.
Bad Jim likes to drink top-shelf tequila, gamble and get lap dances. (Think Ted.)
Besides the parallel between Ted Binion and himself, McManus crafts some other analogies that appear unusual at first glance. In one section of the book, he has the audacity to draw an extended comparison between Plath, the sensitive poet, and Stu Ungar, the late three-time World Series of Poker champ.
Even more surprisingly, he makes it work.
"I think that many geniuses share common traits," McManus said. "I think the go-for-broke, extremely aggressive, almost suicidal tendencies that Plath exhibited in her poetry, Ungar also exhibited in his poker playing."
It shouldn't be surprising, however, given that McManus appears to relish offbeat comparisons. Among his all-time favorite books, for instance, McManus lists both "Super/System" and "The Divine Comedy."
And after all, for the title of his best-selling book on poker, McManus chose to play off a Bob Dylan song: Fifth street is slang for the final card dealt in Texas hold 'em, which usually breaks someone's heart if not his bankroll. "Positively Fourth Street" is an angry 1965 Dylan single about betrayal.
"The circus is in town." -- Bob Dylan
It's World Series of Poker time again in downtown Las Vegas.
The Big One doesn't begin until May 19, but for more than a month leading up to it, Binion's Horseshoe comes alive with poker glitterati and hangers-on alike.
Satellites and other tournaments go day and night. High-limit action is fast and furious in the side games.
They were even dealing $50-a-point Chinese poker the other night, seldom seen in Las Vegas. Of the five players at the table, four were clearly not Chinese.
"I love the Horseshoe," McManus said. "The Horseshoe was founded the same year I was born, 1951. And my life changed dramatically for the better there in May of 2000."
McManus, who has become close friends with some of the world's top tournament poker players, said early feedback about "Positively Fifth Street" from that notoriously tough crowd has been positive.
"I thought the description of the poker hands was very accurate, particularly for a nonprofessional player," Sklansky said.
Legendary poker player Amarillo Slim, who observed McManus' poker exploits in 2000 from the rail, told the Sun in an interview at the Horseshoe recently that he also has a lot of respect for McManus' attention to detail and tenacity as a journalist.
"You know who he reminded me of -- Tony Holden, the writer from England," Slim said, referring to the author of "Big Deal."
"That fella (Holden) followed me around (on the poker circuit) for almost two years, and I never knew he was there," said Slim, the 1972 World Series of Poker champ. "Turns out he was watching my every move."
(As an aside, here's Slim on his own newly released book of poker tales:
"I wouldn't buy it myself."
Beat. Two beats.
"Then again, I already know what's in it.")
The Los Angeles Times review of "Positively Fifth Street" caught McManus by surprise. The reviewer, Gerald Nicosia, called the book a fine example of modern-day Beat literature, a la Kerouac.
"I do not think of myself as a Beat writer -- unless you would include Hunter S. Thompson as a Beat," McManus said. "If Thompson was a Beat writer, then I did feel I was in that tradition, although I was actually covering the tournament, whereas he used his access to go off about drugs and politics.
"However, we are both interested in extreme forms of behavior, particularly in Las Vegas."
Later this month McManus will be back in Las Vegas, back at the Horseshoe, staying just a couple of floors away from the room Thompson used while covering the Mint 400 more than 30 years ago.
He'll be back, competing again in the World Series of Poker championship event.
"I won't miss the Big One as long as it's being played," McManus said.
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