What other books about poker or gamblers would be similar to The Wager?

1. Why narrative nonfiction about gamblers can feel like The Wager

The Wager’s appeal rests on long-form reporting and cinematic reconstruction of events, a template other readers want in gambling books, and curators of “books like” lists and recommendation sites explicitly connect Grann’s style to other gripping nonfiction narratives ^{[1] [3]}.

2. Memoirs and inside stories that replicate the human drama

First-person accounts of poker life offer the intimacy and moral texture that fans of The Wager often seek: James McManus’s Positively Fifth Street blends reportage with the author’s own tournament experience and is repeatedly recommended on gambling forums as a standout memoiral account of the World Series of Poker era ^[2], while Molly Bloom’s Molly’s Game—invoked by forum commenters as a window onto underground high-stakes poker—similarly provides a page-turning, insider chronicle of criminality and character ^[4].

3. Biographies of legendary players — character studies as narrative engine

Readers who want the psychological portraiture that made The Wager compelling should consider biographies like One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey Ungar, singled out on curated lists of poker-focused books and user-generated lists as an essential tragic life of a genius gambler ^{[5] [6]}, and Doyle Brunson’s autobiography, named on community threads as part of the foundational literature of poker lore ^[4].

4. Investigative and cultural histories that widen the lens

Some of the best gambling books adopt Grann’s investigative posture and examine broader systems: Casino by Nicholas Pileggi is recommended by players for its deep dive into organized gambling and the forces surrounding casinos ^[4], while longform compilations and “best of” lists collect histories and true-crime narratives of gambling culture that appeal to readers who want context as well as drama ^{[7] [6]}.

5. Books that teach strategy but read like character pieces

A different but related strand—books that mix practical thinking with memoiral lessons—are often recommended to readers seeking insight into the gambler’s mind: Annie Duke’s Thinking in Bets and Mark Paul’s The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told appear on modern recommendation lists as titles that explore decision-making, psychology, and the high-stakes morality play that gamblers inhabit ^[6]. These books shift the focus from shipwreck-style external peril to the internal calculus of risk and reward, a different shade of the same narrative intensity ^[6].

6. Community-curated lists and forums as a guide — strengths and caveats

Extensive user-driven lists and forums—Goodreads lists, two-plus-two and Wizard of Vegas threads, and curated “books like” pages—are valuable because they surface both classics (e.g., Amarillo Slim, The Knights of the Green Cloth) and contemporary memoirs, but they reflect taste-driven sampling and sometimes conflate fiction, strategy manuals, and true-crime, so readers should treat them as starting points rather than definitive critical anthologies ^{[8] [4] [9]}.

7. How to pick the next read depending on what in The Wager hooked the reader

If the draw was Grann’s atmospheric reconstruction and moral ambiguity, prioritize well-researched biographies and investigative books like Casino or One of a Kind; if it was the human-survival drama, consider visceral first-person accounts such as Positively Fifth Street or Molly’s Game; and if it was the intellectual appetite for risk and decision-making, books like Thinking in Bets and The Biggest Bluff merge personal narrative with behavioral and strategic insight ^{[4] [2] [6] [7]}.