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The Only Way To Play It: A Novel
Nate Fischer has been grinding out a living in New York's underground poker clubs. A decade ago, as a young painter, it seemed like the perfect way to pay the bills. Now he's hit a cold streak. His once-promising art career is in freefall. His wife's flirting with a dashing book editor. And his ex-con father's problems are becoming his own. On any given night, a bad beat could mean the collapse of his house-of-cards life.
Just as it looks like he's about to turn it all around, his buddy is shot and killed right in front of him, and the cops padlock every poker club in the city. For Nate's wife, this is the last straw. She wants him out. Forced to move into his tiny painting studio, Nate struggles to rebuild from the ashes. Ironically, it is his deadbeat dad who shows him the way and is there for Nate when he puts everything on the line and takes the biggest gamble of his life.
Just as it looks like he's about to turn it all around, his buddy is shot and killed right in front of him, and the cops padlock every poker club in the city. For Nate's wife, this is the last straw. She wants him out. Forced to move into his tiny painting studio, Nate struggles to rebuild from the ashes. Ironically, it is his deadbeat dad who shows him the way and is there for Nate when he puts everything on the line and takes the biggest gamble of his life.
- GenresFiction
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2020
5 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Peter Alson
9 books10 followersPeter Alson is a writer, editor and publisher. He has published 7 books, both with legacy publishers and under the banner of his indie imprint Arbitrary Press. In addition to his own titles, Arbitrary has published a wide array of authors in various genres, from memoir to YA to literary fiction.
Peter received his BA from Harvard, has written for Esquire, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many others, and has also written screenplays for Paramount Pictures and various independent producers. He's married to the screen and television writer Alice O'Neill, and they have a college-bound daughter, Eden, who has published two novels of her own.
Peter received his BA from Harvard, has written for Esquire, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many others, and has also written screenplays for Paramount Pictures and various independent producers. He's married to the screen and television writer Alice O'Neill, and they have a college-bound daughter, Eden, who has published two novels of her own.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 4, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Peter Alson's Arbitrary Press for giving me an advanced copy of The Only Way To Play It.
Peter Alson begins his publishing venture with an absolute winner.
The novel follows Nate Fischer, a struggling painter who supports his family by playing poker at seedy locations around New York. Nate's marriage is falling apart, his loser-father is having money troubles, and Nate's on a losing streak playing poker; the source of his income.
What attracted me to the novel was the struggling artist doing whatever he can to keep his dream alive. I've read many novels about writers and artists, but I found the angle of Nate being a poker player highly original and exciting. Will he win money? Lose money? Be able to pay the bills? Be able to feed his daughter? Typically in fiction about struggling artists - whether it be a writer, painter, actor - the characters will work odd-jobs before 'making it'. However, in The Only Way To Play It, Alson has shown there are fresh ways to tell stories about those with creative ambitions.
The book was fast-paced and constantly moved forward, but there was also a fantastic balance of self-evaluation from Nate, especially when he questions his career and the downward spiral of his relationship with his wife, Laura.
It was a beautiful read and surprising throughout. I will, without a doubt, read any other fiction Peter Alson releases.
I found the novel universally relatable, and I highly recommend it (especially if you're in a creative field, trying to achieve your passions). The novel gave me hope, and made me remember this: We dream, the journey is tough, but we can find a way to make things work.
Readers of this novel may also enjoy:
The Fuck-Up - Arthur Nersesian
Chinese Takeout - Arthur Nersesian
The Comedy Writer - Peter Farrelly
Sam the Cat - Matthew Klam
Who Is Rich - Matthew Klam
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
Peter Alson begins his publishing venture with an absolute winner.
The novel follows Nate Fischer, a struggling painter who supports his family by playing poker at seedy locations around New York. Nate's marriage is falling apart, his loser-father is having money troubles, and Nate's on a losing streak playing poker; the source of his income.
What attracted me to the novel was the struggling artist doing whatever he can to keep his dream alive. I've read many novels about writers and artists, but I found the angle of Nate being a poker player highly original and exciting. Will he win money? Lose money? Be able to pay the bills? Be able to feed his daughter? Typically in fiction about struggling artists - whether it be a writer, painter, actor - the characters will work odd-jobs before 'making it'. However, in The Only Way To Play It, Alson has shown there are fresh ways to tell stories about those with creative ambitions.
The book was fast-paced and constantly moved forward, but there was also a fantastic balance of self-evaluation from Nate, especially when he questions his career and the downward spiral of his relationship with his wife, Laura.
It was a beautiful read and surprising throughout. I will, without a doubt, read any other fiction Peter Alson releases.
I found the novel universally relatable, and I highly recommend it (especially if you're in a creative field, trying to achieve your passions). The novel gave me hope, and made me remember this: We dream, the journey is tough, but we can find a way to make things work.
Readers of this novel may also enjoy:
The Fuck-Up - Arthur Nersesian
Chinese Takeout - Arthur Nersesian
The Comedy Writer - Peter Farrelly
Sam the Cat - Matthew Klam
Who Is Rich - Matthew Klam
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
November 12, 2020
A romp- narratively propulsive, highly entertaining and, maybe most potently, a reminder that New York still has a seamy side. I think the last book I read this quickly was Where'd You Go, Bernadette? though this novel, despite my general avoidance of card games, is far more relatable.
December 29, 2021
Wow. What a ride. Imagine the movie “Rounders” in book form. That’s what I felt reading this gripping tale of a man trying to figure out how to get by in poker, love and life. Reading this book made me want to find the nearest underground poker club I could and start playing. But it’s also about just trying to figure out the next good decision you can make, and whether you’re a gambler or not, everybody can relate to that.
September 17, 2020
The Only Way To Play It initially caught my eye with the soft, neutral colours of the cover, with the bolder colours of cards that make up the silhouette of a man. The cover intrigued me, so I decided to find out more.
The synopsis gave a good overview of the book, giving just enough information to make you want to find out more about Nate Fischer, his relationships and job. The book sounded interesting and quite different to what I usually read, so I decided to give it a go.
The Only Way To Play It focuses on the main character Nate Fischer who is a struggling painter with a side job of gambling, something he is doing to simply try and support his family. I thought this was an interesting concept that I personally hadn’t come across before; the idea of a struggling artist taking part in something of higher stakes to provide. I had conflicting views throughout this book over Nate’s choice to gamble. In one sense I felt it was admirable that he was trying to provide for and support his family, even if not in the most conventional way, but then I also found myself feeling frustrated with him on occasion, especially when I could see the negative effects this was having upon his family and relationships.
The relationships were written perfectly, with interest and multiple layers that ran deeper than just the surface deep relationships you often find in books. This was something I found to be particularly enjoyable and helped me to feel as though I was reading about an actual person rather than a character. Nate’s reflections upon these relationships, alongside his self-reflection throughout were relatable and appeared genuine, especially when he reflected on his career, the risks he took and the impact this had, especially on his marriage to Laura.
Overall, the book was well written, with a strong narrative and was fast paced, helping to provide an excellent flow throughout from start to finish. I rate this book 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5), as it was really enjoyable and a book I would thoroughly recommend, but it is not the genres I usually enjoy reading and felt like I didn’t connect with the story fully. However, hopefully further works from the author will encourage me to branch out more from my usual genres into something a little more fast paced and new. I know I will certainly be looking out for more from Peter Alson in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley & Peter Alson for the ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review!
The synopsis gave a good overview of the book, giving just enough information to make you want to find out more about Nate Fischer, his relationships and job. The book sounded interesting and quite different to what I usually read, so I decided to give it a go.
The Only Way To Play It focuses on the main character Nate Fischer who is a struggling painter with a side job of gambling, something he is doing to simply try and support his family. I thought this was an interesting concept that I personally hadn’t come across before; the idea of a struggling artist taking part in something of higher stakes to provide. I had conflicting views throughout this book over Nate’s choice to gamble. In one sense I felt it was admirable that he was trying to provide for and support his family, even if not in the most conventional way, but then I also found myself feeling frustrated with him on occasion, especially when I could see the negative effects this was having upon his family and relationships.
The relationships were written perfectly, with interest and multiple layers that ran deeper than just the surface deep relationships you often find in books. This was something I found to be particularly enjoyable and helped me to feel as though I was reading about an actual person rather than a character. Nate’s reflections upon these relationships, alongside his self-reflection throughout were relatable and appeared genuine, especially when he reflected on his career, the risks he took and the impact this had, especially on his marriage to Laura.
Overall, the book was well written, with a strong narrative and was fast paced, helping to provide an excellent flow throughout from start to finish. I rate this book 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5), as it was really enjoyable and a book I would thoroughly recommend, but it is not the genres I usually enjoy reading and felt like I didn’t connect with the story fully. However, hopefully further works from the author will encourage me to branch out more from my usual genres into something a little more fast paced and new. I know I will certainly be looking out for more from Peter Alson in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley & Peter Alson for the ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review!
October 4, 2020
Finally a good poker novel!
In his first novel, the author show us the underground poker clubs in New York that can be seen in the movie “Rounders”.
We can read about Nate struggling with cards, parenthood, his wife y his father with gambling problems.
One of the best poker novels with “Shut up and Deal” and “King of a small world”.
The author has two other poker books: “Take Me To The River” (personal experience in Las Vegas) and “One Of a Kind”, Stu Ungar’s bio.
In his first novel, the author show us the underground poker clubs in New York that can be seen in the movie “Rounders”.
We can read about Nate struggling with cards, parenthood, his wife y his father with gambling problems.
One of the best poker novels with “Shut up and Deal” and “King of a small world”.
The author has two other poker books: “Take Me To The River” (personal experience in Las Vegas) and “One Of a Kind”, Stu Ungar’s bio.
September 24, 2020
"The Only Way to Play It" follows Nate, a struggling painter in NYC, hustling to make ends meet and support his family by playing a series of underground poker nights. While I know very little about the game – making some of the specific card-playing jargon incomprehensible – I found the book to be an exciting exploration of the financial precariousness of creative pursuits... which turn out to be just as subject to luck and timing and access ("who you know") as gambling! Nate's constant self-reflection was appreciated, and tonally I think the novel does a good job balancing a pretty dark and dire subject with some levity. I think my only quibble is that some of the plot threads regarding the Russian mob and/or robberies were too quickly resolved or dropped entirely in favor of the satisfying, slightly preposterous ending. I liked this book's intersection with the art world and ultimately wished for more of that.
August 10, 2020
The Only Way To Play It is a fast paced book which revolves around Nate Fischer who supports his family by gambling. The story has many intricate layers- Nate's self evaluation from his career to his relationships,his father's money troubles.
The book is well written and engaging. It has a very interesting and creative premise that is constantly paced.The book is enjoyable.
Thank you netgalley. he author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review #The OnlyWayToPlayIt.
The book is well written and engaging. It has a very interesting and creative premise that is constantly paced.The book is enjoyable.
Thank you netgalley. he author and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review #The OnlyWayToPlayIt.
September 23, 2020
If you’re interested in the underground poker scene in NY this is for you. Bizarrely, I found the poker writing cringe but the personal story of the protagonist intriguing and raced through this in a couple of sittings. Not great literature but I hate to admit I enjoyed it.
October 7, 2025
~2023 - Played against the author and either bought this book or won a hand and he gave it to me. Really fun and engaging, simple story, ripped through it in a day. I couldnt put it down!
October 26, 2020
Couldn't put it down.
Loved Brooklyn, the Dad, and the run, even though I stayed up all night to read. Couldn't put it down. Happens every time I read Peter Alson. But all his books.
Loved Brooklyn, the Dad, and the run, even though I stayed up all night to read. Couldn't put it down. Happens every time I read Peter Alson. But all his books.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews