Make Me Even and I'll Never Gamble Again

by Jerrold Fine

Drawing from his own experiences in the turbulent ‘70s and ‘80s, hedge fund pioneer Jerrold Fine blends a heartfelt story of a young man fiercely intent on achieving independence with a fascinating insider’s look at the perks and pitfalls of a high-stakes life in the world of financial markets. 

Rogers Stout has the gambler’s gifts—a titanic brain, an uncanny ability to read people, and a risk-taker’s daring. As an apathetic high school student who loves baseball but lacks a 90-mph fastball, he knows that the game does not begin until the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. But his life needs direction.

Everything changes the summer he is invited into the boisterous environment of an investment bank’s trading room, and to a gambling hall dive where he immediately wins big at poker, capturing the attention of his co-workers with his card-playing skills. Intrigued by trading markets, Rogers’ intellectual curiosity takes him to Wharton and then Wall Street, where he faces challenges as an outsider who thinks and acts differently from the white-shoe establishment. With his intuition and prowess, he’s ready to rewrite the rules and tackle markets with a flair that leaves his employers flabbergasted. Rogers leans heavily on his gut instincts and the unusual cadre of friendships he cultivates, but learns the hard way to be alert to the perils that await him. As Rogers plays his career hand, life plays another. Should he follow the temptress Elsbeth and her ravishing beauty, or Charlotte, his high-spirited first love?

An intriguing look at human aspiration and the interplay of honor, greed, fear, and individuality, the novel Make Me Even and I’ll Never Gamble Again reveals a time when a new generation upended the status quo on Wall Street and forever changed investing.

Along with two Wharton colleagues Jerrold Fine, at age 24, started one of the first hedge funds in 1967. Nine years later he founded a private investment firm which he managed until he converted it into a family office in 2014. That was the year Rogers Stout entered his consciousness and refused to leave.

Genres: Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2018

About the author

Jerrold Fine is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and has served multiple terms on its Undergraduate Executive Board and Board of Overseers. He has been a founding managing partner of a hedge fund since he was 24 years old. He continues to run his family’s investments while he works diligently on his next novel. Jerry has conveniently forgotten his baseball batting averages but still relishes memories of winning poker hands. He lives in Connecticut with his artist wife and a ridiculously spoiled Portuguese Water Dog.

Learn more at makemeevenbook.com

Reviews

[Mike McAdam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dislikes first:
Title and cover are misleading! I thought this was going to be a memoir about a gambling addict. Poker is a very very minor part of this book.
It is a fictional "memoir" - meaning there is no plot with a beginning, middle and end. And that is too bad.
The non-linear aspects were a little confusing. There is some timeline jumping that isn't very definitive. I thought things happened at a different time and didn't realize that I was wrong until after the fact. Confusing.
Finance market talk was boring at times. The first half of the book contains some finance talk that bored me. But it seems like the author watched "The Big Short" half way through writing this and realized finance stuff needs to be finessed to be understood and enjoyed. It improved vastly at the halfway point (except for one spot at the end)
Likes:
The writing gets very engaging and it became quite a page turner for about half the time (thus 3 stars instead of 5).
The author does manage to make finance stuff understandable and interesting a good portion of the time.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. A marginal thumbs up - especially if you like the finance market.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make Me Even is very positive and quite unlike the fiction I normally read. Discovering it was really a refresher of my MBA, especially in investments, I grew to like the book and was glad I had the background to understand what the author was talking about. Jerrold Fine clearly defines and illustrates the vagaries of Wall Street investing (going "short" etc.) but the subject may leave the novice in a fog. History of the period covered, the 70s and early 80s, added depth to the subject, but it's not an easy read. Characters are almost too good to be believable, but there are some success stories out there, so why not read about one once in a while. Fine has certainly created a "golden" world. This book is an exercise in positive outcomes - personally, professionally and especially financially. A good description of how hedge funds, derivatives, came about on Wall Street. Protagonist's development from high school through Wharton and his first two years of employment was interesting.

[Donna Wetzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Goodreads for my copy of Make Me Even and I'll Never Gamble Again by Jerrold Fine. This story is a fine read, nothing wrong with it but not exceptional. I liked the main character and enjoyed reading about his journey but at some points , the book seemed repetitious. The book seemed to lack real conflict. I enjoyed reading this book but I did assume based on the title, that it was about a casino gambler who was losing everything(which this book is definitely not about). I am interested in the stock market( which this book is about to some extent) so it held my interest.

[Denine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 2/3 of this book was interesting and I enjoyed following Rogers' story as he worked to get into university and how he did in business school. It was humorous at times and I found it an easy read...until the last 1/3. I did not find it as compelling and at times I even thought that I no longer cared what happened to Rogers and that was disappointing. Full disclosure: I did received this book for free.

[Joann · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you have the uncanny skills of reading people, card playing expertise and a flair for the markets you can go far. Baseball, gambling and love all are in the mix in this entertaining novel. In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive this book for free. It was well conceived and an entertaining read.

[Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Make Me Even and I'll Never Gamble Again" is a novel that seems more a memoir. I loved the coming of age aspect with funny situations that remind me of us. You'll laugh while learning the "ins and outs" of poker and Wall Street. I'm brain dead when it comes to money, but I liked his risk taking and thinking outside the lines...that's me! I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make Me Even and I'll Never Gamble Again is the best book that I've read in at least two years.

For those who are interested in business and the machinations of Wall Street, it is a must read.

The writing and character development are superb, and the author spins a brilliant yarn. For me, it was unputdownable and became a one session read. Cannot recommend highly enough.

[Carol Daigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the life of someone in the financial world.He goes to the top doing what was right and I think his colleagues were jealous on his success.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book off Goodreads. Highly recommend. A must read.

[Vera Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won a copy of this. More of a book for young adults. Not sure which way his life is leading him, personal or job??? Decisions sometimes hard to make.

[D Sibilant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it a novel or a memoir? Neither. It's just Mary Sue fiction.

It's really rather tedious to read 300+ pages where the protagonist has all the gifts and everything goes his way.

[Dottie Resnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of the book and the writing style. So many people make statements about the stock market that it is “just gambling”. Jerrold Fine writes about how being able to read people, pay attention to details, manage risk and being true to yourself, all with honesty and humility contribute to success in business and life. This is a coming of age novel, seemingly based on his own experiences, of a young man, who through skill, luck and fortitude grows from a mediocre high school student to a Wall Street success. It includes the follies and insecurities of the young, along with how perseverance, guidance, passion and looking at opportunities from all angles can lead to fulfillment. This book is funny, sometimes hilarious, insightful and meaningful.

[Lynae · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was given a free copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was only okay. I was disappointed because, based on the title, I thought the book was going to be about gambling of some kind, maybe a gambling addiction. But it’s not about gambling at all! There’s a little bit of poker played in the beginning part of the book when the protagonist was a teenager, but the book is mainly about a young man’s journey through business school and then making it big on Wall Street. There were some interesting parts and the text was easy enough to read, but the author used characters initials throughout the book which made it a bit confusing, and financial jargon that maybe not everyone is familiar with. And I just didn’t think it was an interesting enough plot line to keep the reader invested. My biggest complaint is that the author did a terrible job setting up the timeline. I was halfway through the book before I realized the events were happening back in the 70s! I thought the setting was modern day. Maybe he mentioned it somewhere in the first few chapters but I totally missed it. It should’ve played a much bigger part in his explaining what was going on. It made a huge difference in how I envisioned the market trading going on being current day versus back in the 70s and 80s. So this book was only okay, definitely not a must-read.

[Stephen Cherner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply wonderful

From beginning to end( I wish it didn’t end ) you see and feel the life of a success story whether Wall Street or any street. The thought process of Roger is beautiful to behold. A life worth living

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In full disclosure I received an advanced copy of this book but my honest opinion is that this was a refreshing story unique in its own way. The narrator had a strong realistic voice and the story, though I thought would have more male appeal actually was very engaging for all readers. The book focuses on a young male and his rise to success with the stock market through his keen knowledge of poker and gambling. We experience his coming of age journey along the way with a bit of romance thrown in. Definitely a good read!