Born on March 21, 1951, James McManus is a professor, writer, poet, and true American poker player. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three daughters.
James McManus is best known as the author of his book, “Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker”. The plot is set during the 2000 World Series Of Poker which details his trip to Las Vegas to cover the trial of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish. The two conspirators were charged with murder of Binion's Horseshoe casino executive Ted Binion and consequently put on trial. Back then, James McManus was working for Harper’s Magazine as a reporter. After the trial, James McManus entered the 2000 WSOP. He went on to win for himself a place in the main event, the Annual $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em tourney, after beating his rivals in the satellite event. The event concluded with James McManus clinching fifth spot at the final table. The book covers his story from the time he landed in Las Vegas to cover the trial and how he went on to win $247,760 at the WSOP tournament.
Apart from his final showdown at the 2000 WSOP against poker kings James Habib, Steve Kaufman and Chris Ferguson, McManus has also finished in the quarter finals of the 2006 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, where he was eliminated again by Chris Ferguson. This year he took part in the World Series of Poker 2008 where he placed 71st and took home $96,500.
James McManus writes for popular newspapers such as The New Yorker, The New York Times and The Boston Globe. He has won the Peter Lisagor Award for Sports Journalism and fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations. Some of his works have featured in Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Poetry, Best American Magazine Writing, and Best American Political Writing. He was the finalist at the National Magazine Award for his article on Stem Cell Research featured in the men’s magazine Esquire.
Recent Tournaments:
2008 WSOP, Event 54, Main Event No-Limit Hold'em
Winnings - $96,500
Rank - 71st
2006 WSOP, Event 18, Pot-Limit Hold'em
Winings - $53,690
Rank – 6th
2006 WSOP, Event 16, Pot-Limit Omaha
Winnings - $20,492
Rank - 14th