Switching Suits: The Year I Became A Poker Shark

Synopsis

It could be me. It could be you. But in this case it′s Julie Braithwaite: fifty-something, a psychologist, divorced, two sons almost grown, a house (with a renovated garden), good friends, a dog and a tendency to become obsessed with projects. One night when watching TV (yet again) she stumbles on Celebrity Poker. And her life changes. She finds a game in a pub near where she lives, jumps in the car and heads off. For the next year she plays hundreds of games of poker in the backrooms of Sydney pubs and almost wins the championship. Along the way you′ll be transported from the middle-class suburbs of Sydney′s northern beaches to exotic-dancer venues and dive bars littered around the outer suburbs. And you′ll meet a whole new cast of characters in Julie′s life, including Macedonian Zoran, Bluffer Bill, Loose Canon Mike, Stockbroker Matt and Hitman Rick. This is not quite what you expect from a middle-class psychologist living on the north shore - a wonderful narrator taking us (and her loved ones) on a collision course between two vastly different worlds. Switching Suits: The Year I Became a Poker Shark by Julie Braithwaite It′s not often a 50-something suburban mother of two and clinical psychologist has a Gluck pistol pointed at her head during a robbery of poker bar, but author Julie Braithwaite takes it in her stride. Its par for the course on her hunt to become the poker champ of NSW, which involves attending some less than salubrious venues with some unexpected new friends. It′s a short but hair-raising trip for Julie from a casual bout of online poker to a full-blown obsession. Empty-nesters wondering what′s next in life′s journey will doubtless find a whole lot of inspiration and laughter from Julie′s story, although the publisher disclaims liability for any misadventures arising from reading this book!