Beneath the Cards

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

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 readers 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 readers, and anyone intrigued by the price of extreme competition.

About the Author

Garrett Adelstein is one of the world’s most respected and feared poker players. For nearly twenty-five years, he has dominated the tables, catapulted into poker superstardom, and won millions of dollars along the way. After becoming embroiled in the “Jack-Four” cheating controversy—the most debated hand in poker history—he stepped away from the spotlight to write Beneath the Cards, a memoir chronicling his successes and setbacks on and off the table. Garrett graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona and lives in Manhattan Beach, California, with his wife Jennifer, two children, and two AmStaff Terriers. Away from the family or the felt, he trains for marathons, hikes all around the world, and cheers for the Arizona Wildcats.