A life as a thief, a foray into professional boxing that aided his abilities outside the ring, and living the high life in casinos around the world… this isn’t the plot for the next James Bond film or a new television series coming this fall. It is the true life story of one of the poker community’s most complex personalities, David “Devilfish” Ulliott.
It was announced on Friday that the autobiography of Ulliott’s life will hit the bookshelves and Amazon.com U.K. on September 9th. Entitled “Devilfish – The Life and Times of a Poker Legend” and published in the United Kingdom by Penguin Press, the story is told by the only gentleman who could give credence to what his life has entailed, Ulliott himself. The book is now available for pre-order through Amazon U.K. for £9.09 with free shipping. The retail price of the book, according to Amazon U.K., is £12.99.
Over the span of 384 pages, Ulliott recounts his life prior to becoming one of the preeminent stars in the European poker community and international arena. “Devilfish” uses his personal flamboyant style to tell the tales of his youth, yet doesn‘t shy away from the rougher parts of that story. From running the streets as a youngster in his hometown of Hull, England to his eventual trips to jail and his development as a safecracker, Ulliott tells unflinchingly real stories about what his life was like prior to entering into the world of poker.
Of course, the story of Ulliott is well known once he stepped into poker. In 1997, he vanquished Men “The Master” Nguyen in a tournament at the Four Queens Poker Classic, where the birth of the “Devilfish” occurred. Later that year, he went on to win his only World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet over fellow countryman Chris Truby and has since moved on to become one of the most feared players in the world in any discipline of the game.
Ulliott has also earned a title on the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2003 and has been a part of one of the seminal poker shows in England, “Late Night Poker.” Overall, “Devilfish” is the all-time leading money winner among British poker players with over $5.9 million in career earnings and unknown amounts from cash games worldwide.
Ulliott’s autobiography comes at a time when the poker literary world is under a seismic shift. For much of the last decade, most poker books dwelled on the intricacies of the game, from both of Doyle Brunson’s “Super/System” efforts to the series of works from Dan Harrington that helped to revolutionize tournament poker play. Over the past few years, however, these books have dwindled to a scant few as readers look to new subjects to read about poker.
The most popular outlet for poker books over the last couple of years has been players telling their own stories, warts and all, in autobiographical tell-alls. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow was one of the first subjects for this type of storytelling with his book, “Check Raising The Devil,” which he co-wrote with noted poker writers Tim Lavalli and Amy Calistri. In that book, Matusow detailed his story from his usage of drugs and alcohol to his jail stint in 2005. The penultimate climax of his story is his triumphant return after emerging from jail to finish ninth in the 2005 WSOP Main Event and winning the WSOP Tournament of Champions later that year.
Brunson himself is one of the players who has added to the trend towards the autobiographical stories of top pros. Brunson penned his own stark story in “The Godfather of Poker,” which was also released last year. In that volume, Brunson told the stories of busted poker games, robberies, and the pitfalls of a life lived on the edge when poker wasn’t the “sanitized” game it has become today.
Ulliott’s story in “The Life and Times of a Poker Legend” should be even more of a revelation to poker fans because, as he details in the book, he was on his way to a life of crime, jail, or even death before coming into the world of poker.
Although he has now achieved tremendous laurels for his poker success, “Devilfish” still has some of his “old style” life left inside him when he says, “You only win big when you risk big… Life is a blast. It don’t last. Live it long and live it f***ing fast.” The story of David “Devilfish” Ulliott as told by the man himself in “The Life and Times of a Poker Legend” should hold true to his motto.
