Like everything else in life, the face of British poker changed when it went mainstream. You can still fi nd underground clubs and illegal cardrooms, but the leading players are now basking in the limelight, making headlines and sack-loads of cash.

The route to the top isn’t always an easy one though and Swimming with the Devilfish chronicles this through profiles and anecdotes from the leading UK poker players, including a warts-and-all look at the rise of Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, from petty street criminal to multi-million tourney winner.

Familiar names like The Hendon Mob, John Shipley, Dave Colclough and Lucy Rokach all get the Wilson treatment, but it’s the Runyonesque characters that sit in the periphery that make the book such a fascinating read – it’s like lifting a rock and finding a teeming ant’s nest underneath.

As an antidote to the endless run of American publications we’ve had to suffer over the last few years, it’s a book that finally puts Britain on the literary poker map and to say that you should order a copy immediately is less a request, more a demand.

If you’re still not convinced, check out the July issue of the magazine and the exclusive extract about the 2002 World Series of Poker Main Event with British player John Shipley on the verge of winning the Big One. That should do the job.