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Play It Right: The Remarkable Story of a Gambler Who Beat the Odds on Wall Street Hardcover – May 10 2022

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 55 ratings
4.1 on Goodreads
78 ratings

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A real-life underdog tale of one man turning the tables on the casinos and Wall Street without selling his soul to the devil

All around the world, the words “Wall Street” conjure up a powerful image. For some, it is the center of America’s capitalist system and the engine of its economic growth. For others, it is the home of rapacious bankers and reckless traders whose greed would lead to a global financial crisis. For an Indian-born blackjack player, Wall Street represented something else entirely ― a chance for him to play in the largest casino in the world.

Kamal Gupta’s improbable journey, from a wide-eyed Indian immigrant to an ultimate insider in the rarefied world of investment banks and hedge funds, is a uniquely American story. Nowhere else would it have been possible for a scrawny computer scientist to enter the world of high finance solely on the basis of his gambling abilities. After spending seven years creating an investment methodology, Gupta went on an incredible run, generating an unprecedented 103 consecutive months of positive returns while managing money at large hedge funds. His success did not go unnoticed, and he found himself under constant pressure to take bigger risks to make even more money. He refused and always played it right, knowing that there was such a thing as “enough” money, something very few, if any, of his Wall Street peers understood.

Much like Maria Konnikova’s bestseller, The Biggest Bluff, Play It Right isn’t so much about money as it is about the human condition and beating the odds, whether at a casino, on Wall Street, or in life itself.


From the Publisher

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Review

“Kamal Gupta’s Play It Right proves once again that life writes the best stories in this highly entertaining and humorous memoir that offers a peek behind the scenes of Wall Street.” ― 24Symbols

“Mr. Gupta is a raconteur par excellence. His autobiographical account could give any good work of fiction a run for its money. Those keen on blackjack and bond trading may even pick up a handy trick or two and have a jolly good time devouring this utterly enjoyable read.”― The Business Standard

About the Author

Kamal Gupta earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi ― entering the elite institution after only completing eleventh grade ― and received a master’s in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in just 11 months. Bored in the tech world, he turned himself into a professional blackjack player. An unexpected turn of events brought him to Wall Street, where for over two decades he beat the odds in every imaginable way. Gupta lives in the greater New York City area with his family.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ECW Press (May 10 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770416609
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770416604
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 kg
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 55 ratings

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Kamal Gupta
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Kamal Gupta is a professional gambler turned hedge fund manager. He is the author of Play It Right (ECW Press & Bloomsbury India, 2022), a memoir that chronicles his journey from India to America, from computers to gambling, culminating in a quarter-century on Wall Street.

From New Delhi to Las Vegas to New York, Play It Right is a real-life account of the author’s darkly comic struggle for survival in an industry where fear and greed rule the day.

Kamal lives in the New York City area with his family. He is a passionate cook on a quest to make the perfect dosa.

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4.1 out of 5 stars
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  • Chris
    5.0 out of 5 stars ** Riveting **
    Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This remarkable tale proves, once again, that truth is better than fiction. I was captivated along the journey from India to the casinos in Las Vegas to the biggest casino of them all -- Wall Street. Part business book, part memoir, I was reminded the whole way through about the importance of following your passion regardless of what anyone thinks, such as when Gupta gave up a promising career in software to become a card-counting professional blackjack player. Even though I expected to enjoy the finance chapters the most, it was the childhood stories from India that were so gripping, like being caught up in the middle of the 1984 riots after Indira Ghandi's assassination. Nevertheless, the finance parts are filled with pearls that could only be gleaned from entering the Wall Street meat grinder and coming out unscathed on the other side, like "short-term irrationality creates opportunity and long-term rationality creates profits." Anyone who has touched the business world should read this, and it's a must-read for anyone considering a career in finance. But it's more than that too. It's a splendid and skillfully told story, full of wit and wisdom, about a regular guy from humble beginnings who led an extraordinary life, and it epitomizes something even larger--the pursuit of the American dream. Truly inspiring.
  • S
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kamal Gupta
    Reviewed in India on July 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The man who very few people know ..
    But everyone should know
    Terrific story of someone who kept away from the noise and carved away meticulously, safely , successfully
  • Anindo Majumdar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining and riveting memoir of a professional hedge fund manager.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I found Kamal's memoir from his humble beginnings in India to the glitzy casinos as a pro blackjack player and finally to the canyons of wall street to be very engrossing and entertaining.
    From driving a friend through the streets of Delhi during the 1984 communal riots in Delhi which could be taken right out of a Robert Ludlum thriller to bieng ejected out of a casino as a card counter Kamal manages to tell a riveting account of his life in this memoir.
    As a stock market trader I found the account of his becoming a professional blackjack player as well as devising his system of trading mortgage back securities highly relatable. His account of finding and mastering a card counting system through months of devoted deliberate practice to give him the edge against the casinos is an inspiring tale for people who want to excel in any field. This has direct applications in the area of stock trading where most retail traders want to make money but are unwilling to put in the hours required to develop an edge.
    On the whole I found this book very enjoyable and inspiring. I am actually hoping that
    the success of this book inspires Kamal to write a book on speculating with details of money management, how to devise a positive expectancy system etc in the vien of Ed Thorpe's classic Beat the Dealer.
  • VIVEK SHIVDASANI
    3.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story about Gambling and Investing
    Reviewed in India on January 18, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    It’s a great book, but the problem is that there are too many great books on investing. This one is different because it is written by an Indian of the Bania caste. Baniyas are timid people and are mostly found running shops all over India. A Baniya playing blackjack and counting cards in Las Vegas is as rare as the Hope Diamond. There is no doubting the author’s brilliance, after all he is from IIT. There are plenty of insights about how Wall Street thinks and functions. Here is the story of an Indian who lived the classic American dream.
  • PElak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic, eye-opening and inspirational narrative of true events
    Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Extremely well written, fast paced and courageous portrayal of unfairness that exist in the world we live in. The author does a great job in simplifying some of the hardest concepts in finance using easy to understand language, anecdotes and analogies. Every chapter is based on true facts, some of which gives an insider view of what actually happens in Wall Street firms. The sequence of events that led to the 2008 housing crisis cannot be portrayed any better - a combination of being in the midst of all and the authentic/audacious exposure of it makes the narrative extremely compelling. A must read to learn how one can be successful even when constantly going against the grain and sticking to unpopular opinions.