Johnny Magic and the Card Shark Kids

[Ming]

Since around 1996, I (as well as some others here) have been entralled with the game Magic: the Gathering. Considered amongst the most timeless of games such as poker, chess, Go, and Scrabble, millions upon millions around the globe play it, and yet, it still remains a somewhat undergroud phenomenon, despite Wizards of the Coast's attempt to televise high level tournaments on ESPN2 occasionally. But finally, I think there may be something that brings it more into the mainstream.

Johnny Magic and the Card Shark kids is a book about Jon Finkel, or better known today as Johnny Magic...a figure that every serious player either knows of or SHOULD know of, because he is considered by many to be the best player in the world. The story is about Jon's coming of age, and transformation from a nerdy loser and social outcast on the brink of suicide, to a cool and confident tournament champion, and ultimately to a world class poker and black-jack player and self-made millionaire.

While I'm only on the 4th chapter, I'm already completely absorbed in this book, and I would highly reccomend it to anyone. That's right...ANYONE. Not just Magic fans, as the book is also about Jon's poker career, and is written as if the reader knows absolutley nothing about Magic. It's a great book for anyone who is even remotely into any sort of gaming, and it's an inspiring story of how a seemingly insignificant activity tranformed this guys life and turned him into a huge success.