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Garrett Adelstein’s long-teased memoir, Beneath the Cards: A High-Stakes, High-Anxiety Poker Journey, released Tuesday and quickly climbed to the #1 New Release spot in both the Poker and Sports Biographies categories on Amazon. The book is available in paperback for $20.49, Kindle for $15.99, and as an audiobook narrated by Adelstein himself for $15.39.
Ahead of the release, Adelstein made the rounds on poker media, including an appearance on the PokerNews Podcast, building anticipation with several teaser videos in prior months.
While the infamous Jack-Four hand involving Robbi Jade Lew is expected to draw the most attention, Adelstein has said it accounts for only about 10 percent of the book’s content. The appendices reportedly include new arguments and circumstantial evidence supporting his side of the controversy, which could resonate strongly with readers already sympathetic to his position.
Beyond the controversy, the memoir provides an inside look at the secretive world of high-stakes cash games, a scene rarely accessible even to poker media outlets.
According to a PokerNews review, Adelstein also opens up about personal struggles, including a difficult family background, depression, perfectionism, and body dysmorphia, offering a more vulnerable portrait than some expected.
The book additionally touches on Adelstein’s appearance on Survivor: Cagayan in 2014, adding another dimension to his personal story. Published by Permuted Press, it marks one of the few poker memoirs released by a mainstream publisher since the Poker Boom era.
