Reading Level: Young Adult

Denn Doyle isn't your typical 17-year-old.  He doesn't go to high school, live at home, or even in the small town he's always known anymore.  He has no friends, no ties and no job.  But he does have a profession of sorts—he's a gambler—specifically, a poker player, and he's very very good at that, maybe the best poker player in the country.

Pete Hautman writes mystery novels for adults, as well as novels for young adults, and he delivers consistently excellent work.  He's been nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, and has won the National Book Award for his young adult novel Godless.  He first introduced readers to Denn Doyle in No Limit, a book the School Library Journal called "fast-paced and relentless, as taut as a high-stakes game", and the stand-alone All-In is just as suspenseful. 

Not every teenager who leaves home ends up wandering aimlessly, destined to become a statistic in the police files.  Denn has left the Midwest and headed for Las Vegas, and he has ambitions, fueled by winnings of over $200,000.  From the time he sits down at his first card game at the Bellagio, wearing his sunglasses and listening to his I-pod, the other gamblers know there's a new shark in town, and no one suspects just how young he is.

But, even though he's really good at one thing, Denn has the same problems many 17-year-olds face, and then some. He hasn't had time to develop other things he needs—emotional maturity, communication skills, and the experience to make good choices.  His relationship with Cattie, a young dealer with a similar background, is conflicted. 

— Kay Morris