Nick the Greek

by Harry Mark Petrakis

In 1919 Nick Dandolos arrived in Chicago from Greece, pursuing the American dream. Instead, tempted into a high-stakes game of cards, he is driven to humiliation and defeat. From these depths he begins his painstaking mastery of the skills of gambling under the tutelage of the crafty old gambler, Nestor, who says, "If God wished to learn to gamble, he would come to me."Wreaking vengeance on the powerful gangsters who had beaten him, Nick begins a meteoric ascent that carries him through no-limit games with kings and tycoons, and, finally, gains for himself legendary status as "Nick the Greek."

316 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably one of the first books by Harry Mark Petrakis. I purchased the book at Doubleday Bookstore,across from Trump Tower in 1980

[Jakob Wasserhoevel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great exciting novel about gambling and the immigrant experience