In the winter of 1982 Jake Jacobs went from the icy streets of Chicago to Las Vegas, where, he'd heard, the streets were paved with gold. That was the beginning of his career as a professional gambler. He worked with some of the best players ever to separate casinos from their chips.

But he'd also learn that the life of a gambler didn't stop when he got up from the table. His travels took him from Tokyo banks to Manila shanty towns. He walked down dark alleys, and drove up and down mountains, using the "most dangerous road in Malaysia". He sailed the world's most pirate infested waters.

Would Jake survive hoodlums demanding money, riding an elephant, or Thai massage parlors? See what the inside of a gambler's life is like in this revealing memoir.