The Gambler’s Game by James Darnborough is a fascinating study of William Darnborough’s life as a professional roulette gambler in the early 1900’s. He actually broke the bank at Monte Carlo. Bill began in Bloomington, IN where he disappointed his mother and stepfather by leaving home to play professional baseball. He discovered roulette and studied it beyond what anyone else could have managed. He went to work for a casino owner, married his daughter, took over the casino when his father-in-law died and then lost the casino. He divorced his wife and eventually arrived in Monte Carlo where he spent seven years amassing a fortune playing roulette. He got into motor cars, traveled back and forth to London, mixed with society and realized he wanted more out of life than perpetual roulette. The book is written in the present tense and you feel that you are living through all those years with Bill. It’s a very detailed story of his life with all its twists and turns and there are times when his obsession with roulette and material possessions gets annoying. However, he is basically a decent man and that comes through in the book. It’s well written and held my interest despite the nimber and complexity of characters and details. I learned a lot about the era, life in Monte Carlo and London and about baseball and roulette - a worthwhile book! ( )