Nonfiction

Liar's Poker

Liar's Poker

  • Downloads：1667
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-03 08:55:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Lewis
  • ISBN：039333869X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The time was the 1980s。 The place was Wall Street。 The game was called Liar’s Poker。

Michael Lewis was fresh out of Princeton and the London School of Economics when he landed a job at Salomon Brothers， one of Wall Street’s premier investment firms。 During the next three years， Lewis rose from callow trainee to bond salesman， raking in millions for the firm and cashing in on a modern-day gold rush。 Liar’s Poker is the culmination of those heady， frenzied years—a behind-the-scenes look at a unique and turbulent time in American business。 From the frat-boy camaraderie of the forty-first-floor trading room to the killer instinct that made ambitious young men gamble everything on a high-stakes game of bluffing and deception， here is Michael Lewis’s knowing and hilarious insider’s account of an unprecedented era of greed， gluttony， and outrageous fortune。 。

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Reviews

Ben Fawkes ，

It’s a bit dated now - at more than 30 years old， but I found this to be a fascinating description of the US investment banking system during the 80s。 This was quite illuminating given the 2009 financial crisis and it makes the reader understand how some of those structural issues developed。 Lewis is a very engaging writer， who has the ability to make dry issues interesting and clearly explains complex topics。

Tommy Turner ，

This book is a throwback。 It was written in the 1980s and you can tell。 It drips with the same kind of moral condemnation of the emergence of modern capitalism as one can see in the movie Wall Street。 And that condemnation is well placed and at times even prescient。 On top of that the story is fun and engaging。 Lewis is a masterful explainer and story teller so while the reader is enraptured with the characters and the stories， the reader is also learning about finance， the global bond market an This book is a throwback。 It was written in the 1980s and you can tell。 It drips with the same kind of moral condemnation of the emergence of modern capitalism as one can see in the movie Wall Street。 And that condemnation is well placed and at times even prescient。 On top of that the story is fun and engaging。 Lewis is a masterful explainer and story teller so while the reader is enraptured with the characters and the stories， the reader is also learning about finance， the global bond market and office politics。 Totally enjoyable and worthwhile， even all these years on。 。。。more

Danyal ，

Fantastic audiobook。 Very captivating personal tale。

Li ，

Loved the book！ Wish I had read it earlier cause there were so many workplace situations that apply to working at bigger law firms too。 The good part is that I could listen to the unabridged audiobook that came out in 2021 as well and it was excellent。 Can’t wait to devour the companion podcasts too。

Benedikte Justesen ，

Interesting book， that offers a fun insight into a world that is otherwise inaccessible。 I enjoyed the description of the characters， but it lacked an overall storyline to keep me interested for longer reading-strides， and often gets lost in explaining complicated financial stuff - it took me quite a while longer than usual to finish a book this size。 But im happy I did， as it made me laugh out loud several times， and I feel like I have a much better understanding of Wall Street and the people t Interesting book， that offers a fun insight into a world that is otherwise inaccessible。 I enjoyed the description of the characters， but it lacked an overall storyline to keep me interested for longer reading-strides， and often gets lost in explaining complicated financial stuff - it took me quite a while longer than usual to finish a book this size。 But im happy I did， as it made me laugh out loud several times， and I feel like I have a much better understanding of Wall Street and the people that inhabit it。 。。。more

Edward Strand ，

Very engaging book。 Folgers straight to the point of Wall Street financial extravagance and corporate greed

Katherine Rupley ，

Wow！ Tell the lies that someone wants to hear and make huge profits at the expense of the customer。 To think this still goes on。 Amazing。

Annie Wallace ，

I really enjoyed this book。 That being said， I know nothing about Wall Street and the innerworkings。 This book delved into some of it and I found it very entertaining。 Michael Lewis's writing style is smart and thorough。 There are lots of anecdotal stories of 'big swinging dicks' making financial decisions and goofs。 I really enjoyed this book。 That being said， I know nothing about Wall Street and the innerworkings。 This book delved into some of it and I found it very entertaining。 Michael Lewis's writing style is smart and thorough。 There are lots of anecdotal stories of 'big swinging dicks' making financial decisions and goofs。 。。。more

Helen ，

Simultaneously shocking and decidedly unsurprising。。。interesting to read after a couple years in the business， just to see where the industry has changed dramatically and where it definitely has not。 Also the fact that Lewis published Liar's Poker within 2 years of leaving Salomon Bros。 makes this account more of an artifact rather than a piece of historical non-fiction （which is to its benefit）。 The lack of knowledge the Michael Lewis of '89 has allows the book to create an in-depth， fairly hon Simultaneously shocking and decidedly unsurprising。。。interesting to read after a couple years in the business， just to see where the industry has changed dramatically and where it definitely has not。 Also the fact that Lewis published Liar's Poker within 2 years of leaving Salomon Bros。 makes this account more of an artifact rather than a piece of historical non-fiction （which is to its benefit）。 The lack of knowledge the Michael Lewis of '89 has allows the book to create an in-depth， fairly honest chronicle w/o getting too big picture about what the events of the late '70s-'80s would mean for the next 20-odd years of finance/the worldwide economy。 Really enjoyed。 。。。more

RJTK ，

Kind of mediocre。 Similarly to Barbarians at the Gate， it has a lot of neat stories， but there is not a lot of valuable or striking insight。

Brian Han ，

Michael Lewis depicts 1980's Wall Street with careful detail， which combined with his sense of humor， makes for an informative and entertaining read。 Michael Lewis depicts 1980's Wall Street with careful detail， which combined with his sense of humor， makes for an informative and entertaining read。 。。。more

Krishnan ，

Hilarious situations 🤣。 One of the best books about the market frenzy leading up to 87 crash

Elizabeth ，

2

Philip Butler ，

I enjoyed The Big Short by the same author so thought I would try this title。It sheds light on the inner workings of an investment bank in the golden age of greed。 Some of the revelations do raise the eyebrows， but the tale is told through the eyes of the author。 His style is easy to read and more than a little humorous。The truly scary thing for me is， since this was written， history has repeated itself several times。 Great read， thoroughly recommend if you are interested in the subject matter

Matthew Kowalishin ，

- About Micheal Lewis’ time at Solomon Brothers investment bank in the 1980s - Description of the work environment - High stress， vulgar， barbaric - 41st floor in NYC: The Trading Desk - Released the book when he was 27/28 right after leaving - Inadvertently relevant for understanding the 2008 financial crisis

Andrew Tollemache ，

I first read "Liars Poker" 25 years ago when I was an intern at a downtown Austin boiler room。 I would devour the book as I road the 'Dillo back to UT， fresh from a morning of cold calling。 I read LP a second time as I waited through my now 20 year old daughter's delivery。 This was a very formative book in my professional career and I was stoked when I learned that the audio rights to LP had reverted back to Michael Lewis。 Lewis personally reads this book that made him as one of the top long for I first read "Liars Poker" 25 years ago when I was an intern at a downtown Austin boiler room。 I would devour the book as I road the 'Dillo back to UT， fresh from a morning of cold calling。 I read LP a second time as I waited through my now 20 year old daughter's delivery。 This was a very formative book in my professional career and I was stoked when I learned that the audio rights to LP had reverted back to Michael Lewis。 Lewis personally reads this book that made him as one of the top long form journalists in America for over 30 years。 To top it off， Lewis pairs the Audible book with some podcasts that revist the book 32 years after it was written and even IDs some of the now famous alias clad characters such as the 'Human Piranha" and "Dash Rip-Rock"。 It is remarkable how well the book holds up after all these years and even more remarkable is how LP gives us a premonition of the very mortgage bonds invented and popularized while Lewis was at Salomon Bros in the 1980s and would be at the heart of the the Great Financial Crisis in 2008。 I would recommend reading "Liars Poker" and then reading "The Big Short" right after to see how amazing these two works bookend a pivotal 25 year period in finance history。 。。。more

David Petersen ，

I really enjoyed this book。 Warning there is a lot of swearing。 It is the inside look on Wallstreet in the 1980s。 I didn't realize that this was the first book written by Michael Lewis （Moneyball， The Big Short）。 The book is a fascinating story on how many people made such crazy money in bond trading in the 1980's。 As technology increased so did the arbitrage opportunities and the loss of the Efficient Market Hypothesis。 This book tells the story of the creation of mortgage backed securities， wh I really enjoyed this book。 Warning there is a lot of swearing。 It is the inside look on Wallstreet in the 1980s。 I didn't realize that this was the first book written by Michael Lewis （Moneyball， The Big Short）。 The book is a fascinating story on how many people made such crazy money in bond trading in the 1980's。 As technology increased so did the arbitrage opportunities and the loss of the Efficient Market Hypothesis。 This book tells the story of the creation of mortgage backed securities， which lead to the implosion of the world economy in 2008。 That is what the Big short is about and is on the shortlist for me to read。 。。。more

Izah ，

3。5？ I rounded up to 4 as I like most everything he writes; however， his early writing style was uneven and the amoral nature the street was sickening。

Anthony Fiedler ，

Fun insights into the development of Salomon Brothers in the late 70s and 80s as the firm took over the bond industry。

Wes ，

Maybe 3。5 stars。 It does give some good insight into the bond markets and an inside look at the industry。 However， I really didn't enjoy the cheesy audio production with all the sound effects。 Maybe 3。5 stars。 It does give some good insight into the bond markets and an inside look at the industry。 However， I really didn't enjoy the cheesy audio production with all the sound effects。 。。。more

Kartik Lalit ，

A laughathon， and an awesome way to describe a non fiction how to！ Loved the book and love the podcast！

Blake ，

This was a pretty fun account of life inside a Wall Street bank in the 80's， although I understand it is still somewhat applicable today。 The storytelling is good， but I lost some interest in many of the characters and details as the book went on。 I also didn't care for the crudeness （heavy amounts of swearing）。I first heard about this book in the early 2000's in an Economics class， so I've wanted to read it for quite some time。 It's the 3rd Michael Lewis book I've finished。Michael Lewis has a p This was a pretty fun account of life inside a Wall Street bank in the 80's， although I understand it is still somewhat applicable today。 The storytelling is good， but I lost some interest in many of the characters and details as the book went on。 I also didn't care for the crudeness （heavy amounts of swearing）。I first heard about this book in the early 2000's in an Economics class， so I've wanted to read it for quite some time。 It's the 3rd Michael Lewis book I've finished。Michael Lewis has a podcast， Against the Rules， in which he revisits Liar's Poker。 It makes for a great epilogue。 。。。more

Denis Passarella ，

Had to go back and read Michael Lewis’ first book detailing his experience on Wall Street。 The first third of the book was really slow， and i wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with it。 I then was hooked when he started detailing some of the bond history on Wall Street in the 1980s， and Salomon Brothers’ role in shaping the bond market。 I really enjoyed learning about his own personal growth as a trader， and how he eventually learned that the Wall Street lifestyle wasn’t for him。 There was a lo Had to go back and read Michael Lewis’ first book detailing his experience on Wall Street。 The first third of the book was really slow， and i wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with it。 I then was hooked when he started detailing some of the bond history on Wall Street in the 1980s， and Salomon Brothers’ role in shaping the bond market。 I really enjoyed learning about his own personal growth as a trader， and how he eventually learned that the Wall Street lifestyle wasn’t for him。 There was a lot of underlying lessons to be learned about how to （or not to） run a success company， and what you need to do as a leader to motivate your employees。 It’s clear to see why Michael Lewis’ Flash Boys and The Big Short are two of my favorite books。 He learned complex financial dealings during this time on Wall Street。 Not his best literature， but worth the read！ 。。。more

LiamThompson ，

Though my prior knowledge of the market was not adequete enough to understand the significance of most of the terminology used， the writing was nearly perfect with bits of casual humor which brought me to laughter a couple times。

Erik Espinoza ，

This was Michael Lewis' first book and also my first book by Lewis。 It's a great start because it's a touch autobiographical and tells you how he ended up where he is， as a legendary non-fiction writer that started at Wall Street firm Solomon Bros。 A great book for it's meta appeal and a solid book on it's own detailing the greed within wall street and his naive belief that that era would come to an end。 This was Michael Lewis' first book and also my first book by Lewis。 It's a great start because it's a touch autobiographical and tells you how he ended up where he is， as a legendary non-fiction writer that started at Wall Street firm Solomon Bros。 A great book for it's meta appeal and a solid book on it's own detailing the greed within wall street and his naive belief that that era would come to an end。 。。。more

Cory Thomason ，

This book was a hybrid of two books I would’ve been interested in reading:1: A Malcolm Gladwell style explainer of an economic world that I was interested to learn about。2: A memoir of a person in an economic world I would’ve been interested to hear their experience in。Sadly， the book already assumed knowledge about finance and the stock market that I did not have， so I always felt like my head was barely above water。 I learned some， but I’m not sure I’ll remember any。And every time the book got This book was a hybrid of two books I would’ve been interested in reading:1: A Malcolm Gladwell style explainer of an economic world that I was interested to learn about。2: A memoir of a person in an economic world I would’ve been interested to hear their experience in。Sadly， the book already assumed knowledge about finance and the stock market that I did not have， so I always felt like my head was barely above water。 I learned some， but I’m not sure I’ll remember any。And every time the book got interesting and started talking about the experience of the author， it eventually pivoted back to the financial elements that I couldn’t clearly understand。A different， more invested， more high-finance literate person probably really enjoys this book。 Not sure any of those things really describe me， so I can’t say I really enjoyed it。 。。。more

MM Suarez ，

Downloaded from Audible and aptly narrated by the author this is a very interesting look at Salomon Brothers and the Wall Street of the 1980's brought back some memories for me， informative and entertaining if you're into this kind of reading。 Downloaded from Audible and aptly narrated by the author this is a very interesting look at Salomon Brothers and the Wall Street of the 1980's brought back some memories for me， informative and entertaining if you're into this kind of reading。 。。。more

Thang ，

A story about Salomon Brothers' success and failure， not many things can learn for personal finances。 A story about Salomon Brothers' success and failure， not many things can learn for personal finances。 。。。more

Larkkonen ，

Book feels both whiny and complacent。 The fact that the writer went on record recently saying that finance just isn’t exciting anymore like it used to doesn’t make you enjoy the book any better。 I guess there are funny snippets inbetween but this really reads like a guy who spent few years at a firm and wrote a wikipedia article about it。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Liar's Poker

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Liar's Poker&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Liar's Poker&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0