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Beneath the Cards: A High-Stakes, High-Anxiety Poker Journey
One of poker’s most feared competitors reveals the triumph, scandal, and hidden cost of obsession.
Garrett Adelstein, widely recognized as the best high-stakes cash game player on earth—and the alleged mark in “Jack-Four,” the most controversial hand in poker history—flips the deck in Beneath the Cards.
This gripping memoir charts Garrett’s up-and-down journey to the pinnacle of poker—from online poker prodigy to livestream superstar—until one hand threatened to destroy everything he’d built. He pulls no punches, taking listeners through his turbulent career and offering a riveting insider account of underground games where compulsive gamblers, seasoned grifters, and millions of dollars collide in minutes. Garrett comes clean on drunken binges, death threats, financial ruin, and public backlash. Along the way, he shares accessible poker insights and delves into the mindset required to navigate this cutthroat, unforgiving arena.
Garrett also candidly discusses his life beyond the table. He exposes his deeply personal battles with perfectionism, depression, body dysmorphia, and even his demoralizing appearance on Survivor. Through these experiences, the book examines connection, identity, and what happens when winning is no longer enough—universal themes that resonate even with those who’ve never played a hand.
Powered by the perceptiveness and humor that endear Garrett to poker enthusiasts worldwide, Beneath the Cards is an unforgettable ride appealing to poker fans, business professionals, sports and true crime enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by the price of extreme competition.
Garrett Adelstein, widely recognized as the best high-stakes cash game player on earth—and the alleged mark in “Jack-Four,” the most controversial hand in poker history—flips the deck in Beneath the Cards.
This gripping memoir charts Garrett’s up-and-down journey to the pinnacle of poker—from online poker prodigy to livestream superstar—until one hand threatened to destroy everything he’d built. He pulls no punches, taking listeners through his turbulent career and offering a riveting insider account of underground games where compulsive gamblers, seasoned grifters, and millions of dollars collide in minutes. Garrett comes clean on drunken binges, death threats, financial ruin, and public backlash. Along the way, he shares accessible poker insights and delves into the mindset required to navigate this cutthroat, unforgiving arena.
Garrett also candidly discusses his life beyond the table. He exposes his deeply personal battles with perfectionism, depression, body dysmorphia, and even his demoralizing appearance on Survivor. Through these experiences, the book examines connection, identity, and what happens when winning is no longer enough—universal themes that resonate even with those who’ve never played a hand.
Powered by the perceptiveness and humor that endear Garrett to poker enthusiasts worldwide, Beneath the Cards is an unforgettable ride appealing to poker fans, business professionals, sports and true crime enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by the price of extreme competition.
Audible Audio
Published September 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 3, 2026
Against the backdrop of his legendary career as a cash-game poker player, Garrett Adelstein takes an unflinching and honest look at his development not just as a player, but as a human being.
As a very young man, he accumulated nearly a million dollars playing online poker, went broke, and then rebuilt an even larger fortune. His career eventually took him into nosebleed-stakes cash games and to the pinnacle of livestream poker, where he became one of the game's most recognizable personalities. Along the way, he also chronicles his evolution into a more mature man, husband, and ultimately, father.
There are many intriguing glimpses into the perilous world of high-stakes cash-game poker, including his account of the infamous J4 cheating scandal. But Adelstein frames these experiences primarily through what they taught him about himself and how he learned to confront and overcome his emotional and mental challenges.
This is an intriguing and inspiring memoir, and Garrett's narration of his own story is a perfect fit.
Garrett:
I thoroughly enjoyed the content and your narration. I was impressed with the rare honesty with which you laid bare your challenges and your past.
This book is an epic accomplishment. Congratulations!
As a very young man, he accumulated nearly a million dollars playing online poker, went broke, and then rebuilt an even larger fortune. His career eventually took him into nosebleed-stakes cash games and to the pinnacle of livestream poker, where he became one of the game's most recognizable personalities. Along the way, he also chronicles his evolution into a more mature man, husband, and ultimately, father.
There are many intriguing glimpses into the perilous world of high-stakes cash-game poker, including his account of the infamous J4 cheating scandal. But Adelstein frames these experiences primarily through what they taught him about himself and how he learned to confront and overcome his emotional and mental challenges.
This is an intriguing and inspiring memoir, and Garrett's narration of his own story is a perfect fit.
Garrett:
I thoroughly enjoyed the content and your narration. I was impressed with the rare honesty with which you laid bare your challenges and your past.
This book is an epic accomplishment. Congratulations!
September 4, 2026
First: what a great read.
Garrett’s particular success with this memoir is that he made me feel like he was just like me when I was coming up in the poker world: an awkward, anxious kid trying to navigate, with integrity, a shady underworld full of bad actors. The same kinds of people I’ve had to battle.
The way Garrett dealt with bad beats, online criticism, and even praise echoed in my chest. The CBT, the trauma responses, the panic attacks… all of it.
There’s one particular passage where Garrett knows he’s going to be robbed and suddenly gets a flat tire. He braces for the attack on the side of the road, but it never comes.
Yes. Yes.
I’ve been in this EXACT situation, on this same stretch of highway, with a tenth of what Garrett had to lose.
The book made me feel validated in all the best, healthy ways.
That’s success.
The audiobook performance was great, as well — Garrett tells the story in his own voice, which is refreshing and raw.
Garrett’s particular success with this memoir is that he made me feel like he was just like me when I was coming up in the poker world: an awkward, anxious kid trying to navigate, with integrity, a shady underworld full of bad actors. The same kinds of people I’ve had to battle.
The way Garrett dealt with bad beats, online criticism, and even praise echoed in my chest. The CBT, the trauma responses, the panic attacks… all of it.
There’s one particular passage where Garrett knows he’s going to be robbed and suddenly gets a flat tire. He braces for the attack on the side of the road, but it never comes.
Yes. Yes.
I’ve been in this EXACT situation, on this same stretch of highway, with a tenth of what Garrett had to lose.
The book made me feel validated in all the best, healthy ways.
That’s success.
The audiobook performance was great, as well — Garrett tells the story in his own voice, which is refreshing and raw.
September 5, 2026
I've been a fan of watching Garrett Adelstein play poker for years, so I came into this book with high expectations — and it delivered. What impressed me most was his honesty. He bares his soul throughout, including plenty of moments that don't show him in the best light, and that kind of vulnerability is what makes this more than just a collection of poker stories.
The poker and gambling stories themselves are outrageous and entertaining, but the personal battles running underneath them are what really stayed with me. Some of it hit close to home, and honestly, I finished the book wishing I had a fraction of his determination and work ethic for getting through my own stuff.
As an added layer for anyone who followed the Robbie/J4 situation, Garrett shares additional facts and circumstantial evidence that I found genuinely enlightening — it's clear a lot of digging went into it.
My highest recommendation, especially if you're a poker fan or just want a real, unvarnished look at who Garrett is beyond the table.
Rating: 5/5
The poker and gambling stories themselves are outrageous and entertaining, but the personal battles running underneath them are what really stayed with me. Some of it hit close to home, and honestly, I finished the book wishing I had a fraction of his determination and work ethic for getting through my own stuff.
As an added layer for anyone who followed the Robbie/J4 situation, Garrett shares additional facts and circumstantial evidence that I found genuinely enlightening — it's clear a lot of digging went into it.
My highest recommendation, especially if you're a poker fan or just want a real, unvarnished look at who Garrett is beyond the table.
Rating: 5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advance copy from the author to review on the Cardplayer Lifestyle website, and it will be published there on September 1st, when the book goes on sale.
But I'd like to say upfront that it's undoubtedly the best poker book of 2026 and one of the best player biographies/memoirs I've ever read. The controversy surrounding the J-4 takes up the last 30% of the book, but I think the best part is the first 70%, where he recounts his poker story from the beginning. We also read about the conflicts he had with his family, especially his mother, how he suffered bullying, and how he had to deal with depression. It's a fascinating story, and I highly recommend reading it.
But I'd like to say upfront that it's undoubtedly the best poker book of 2026 and one of the best player biographies/memoirs I've ever read. The controversy surrounding the J-4 takes up the last 30% of the book, but I think the best part is the first 70%, where he recounts his poker story from the beginning. We also read about the conflicts he had with his family, especially his mother, how he suffered bullying, and how he had to deal with depression. It's a fascinating story, and I highly recommend reading it.
September 4, 2026
Garrett Adelstein’s honesty is what makes this book so good. He is incredibly open about his life, his mistakes, his thinking, and the parts of himself that would have been much easier to leave out.
I found that rare and genuinely encouraging. There were several times while listening that I thought, “I needed to hear that.” Not because our lives are the same, but because there is something powerful about another person being willing to look at himself clearly and tell the truth about what he sees.
I expected to enjoy the poker parts. I didn’t expect the book to make me think this much about my own life.
I’m really glad he chose to hold nothing back.
I found that rare and genuinely encouraging. There were several times while listening that I thought, “I needed to hear that.” Not because our lives are the same, but because there is something powerful about another person being willing to look at himself clearly and tell the truth about what he sees.
I expected to enjoy the poker parts. I didn’t expect the book to make me think this much about my own life.
I’m really glad he chose to hold nothing back.
September 6, 2026
The G Man opens up about the good, bad and the ugly associated with the world of high stakes poker. He shares his vulnerable side and the struggles that come with the high risk high reward lifestyle. Very introspective and deep he dissects the events in his life that shaped him and inevitably guided him on his journey. It was very well written and carefully executed as he navigates controversy in his life/career. I would recommend and can’t wait to see what he has in the works next.
September 5, 2026
Beneath The Cards is a page turner, a book I couldn't put down.
Garrett Adelstein is a true wordsmith, an engaging writer, a book I will be sad to finish. Reading this account of his life changing process with such insight might be a chance for the reader to have a beautiful, insightful experience of a life changing book. At least, it's the case for me.
Thank you, Garrett!
Garrett Adelstein is a true wordsmith, an engaging writer, a book I will be sad to finish. Reading this account of his life changing process with such insight might be a chance for the reader to have a beautiful, insightful experience of a life changing book. At least, it's the case for me.
Thank you, Garrett!
September 7, 2026
To be honest I really don’t read much but this book is so raw and authentic and helped me jump start a more positive outlook on life. Bought it because of Garrett’s skill on the felt but turned into something so much more deep. This is a must read and thank you to Garrett for taking a leap and putting out something so vulnerable.
September 5, 2026
High praise to the author for his superb writing skill. A thoroughly enjoyable read, with the satisfaction of absorbing the perfectly crafted passages, indeed rivaling the feeling of raking in a big pot.
September 6, 2026
Fantastic book. Extremely well written that flowed effortlessly. I simply could not put it down once I started . I really appreciate Garrett’s honestly and vulnerability. I could identity and relate to so much of his story. Impossible not to like and root for this guy . Authentic as it gets.
September 6, 2026
Started off reading like an autobiography written by a high school kid, ended up as a wild ride through the highs and lows of a poker career.
Relatable, emotional, and fascinating to see the journey of one of the game’s most successful players from the inside.
Relatable, emotional, and fascinating to see the journey of one of the game’s most successful players from the inside.
September 5, 2026
An amazing poker story. If anyone wants to know what it takes to be elite and the toll it can take then here you go. Buckle up it’s quite a ride.
Congrats Garret.
Congrats Garret.
September 6, 2026
Really enjoyed the book! I had known about the controversial hand but was interested in learning more details and the background on his life. Nice work Garrett!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews