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Hats & Eyeglasses: A Family Love Affair with Gambling | 
 enlarge | Author: Martha Frankel
Publisher: Tarcher
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $5.99
You Save: $17.96 (75%)
New (32) Used (15) Collectible (1) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 116664
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 1585425583
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.42092
EAN: 9781585425587
ASIN: 1585425583
Publication Date: February 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A gloriously written memoir of growing up in a family of hard- core gamblers-Martha Frankel thought the gambling gene had passed her by, until she found herself addicted to online poker and knee-deep in debt.
Most weekends when Martha Frankel was a kid, her mother had a mah-jongg game going in the kitchen with her girlfriends while their husbands were in the living room playing poker. Once Frankel reached adulthood, however, while her cousins were making their way in the world as bookies and drug dealers, gambling didn't much factor into her life.
In the tradition of Five-Finger Discount by Helene Stapinski and Dry by Augusten Burroughs, Hats & Eyeglasses traces Frankel's love affair with poker. It was a passion that bit her in her mid-forties and remained harmless enough when she stuck to real cards. But everything changed one evening in 1998 in Atlantic City, when Frankel overheard one dealer bemoan the fact that his tips that evening were going to be small what with the meager crowd assembled. Another dealer mentioned that everyone must be playing online-"Why leave the house when you can play in your pajamas?" the dealer said. Why indeed? thought Frankel, who couldn't wait to get back to her computer. The next morning she took a deep breath, typed in her credit card number, and entered the world of online gambling. It was the beginning of what one of her uncles called "hats and eyeglasses," a term used to describe those times when you're losing so bad you're drowning (so all one can see is the poker player's hat and eyeglasses floating on the surface of the water). By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Hats & Eyeglasses is a tale of passion, addiction-and those times in life when we almost lose our shirt.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
A new classic in the canon of great memoirs! May 17, 2008
Martha Frankel's book, Hats & Eyeglasses, is an instant classic in the modern day genre of memoirs pioneered by writers like Mary Carr with The Liar's Club and Jeannette Walls' in The Glass Castle. This is not a book about gambling. This is the story of a human being who happens to gamble. With a voice that continues to resonate long after I finished it in one sitting, Frankel's story, the story of her relatives is the story of the American family everywhere. This is a story that anyone can identify with......that it happens to provide some insights into the world of gambling and especially the allure of the internet is an added bonus.
This is a great book club book!
 I couldn't fold this book til the end May 15, 2008
Hats and Eyglasses is an emotional journey. Mesmorizing. You don't know what is around the corner. Funny,tender,thrilling and nerve wracking. I would have loved to sit in on a game, but I only play Fish!!! I will never forget two hundred and eight dollars in the red purse, beautiful. Bravo Martha
If you like online poker too much.... May 11, 2008
then this book is for you. And even if you are not a gambler this book is for you. I got this book after reading the description at the Gambler's Book Club website. The author's descent into gambling hell via internet poker was of particular interest to me. But I thought the parts leading up to that were quite engaging as well (going to the track with my father, aunt and uncle provide some of my fondest memories of my childhood). And when she finally does begin her downward spiral it is a harrowing ride. I read it during my lunch hours at work and cursed the clock when they were ending. Super book!!!
great Mother's Day gift May 9, 2008
As much a book about gambling as it is about families, this is fun from beginning to end. Martha draws us into her addiction to poker and online gambling every step of the way, starting with sitting on her father's lap as a young girl, while he plays cards with his friends. We learn about poker's role in her mother's life, as we watch it take a more important role in Martha's. This is a look back into a life well lived, with a left turn into obsession, all told with great humor. You'll feel like you're hearing this tale across the table from your old friend during a long lunch. It's impossible to put down until you find out how all this ends! Great gift for a sister, mother or father-- it's filled with love, warmth, nostalgia and laughter.
An Excellent Read! May 8, 2008
I usually start a book, and read chapter by chapter each night. However, once I picked up Hats & Eyeglasses, I couldn't stop. You don't need to be much of a poker player to see the beauty in this book. The Family Love affair was very powerful. Martha's narrative storytelling is extremely visual. Wonderful awesome read, cover to cover!
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