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Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling Audiobook
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(3.07) - 320 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
An eye-popping and hilarious joyride through the underworld of sports betting Beth Raymer arrived in Las Vegas in 2001, hoping to land a job as a cocktail waitress at one of the big casinos. In the meantime, she lived in a $17-a-night motel with her dog, Otis, and waited tables at a low-rent Thai restaurant. One day, one of her regular customers told her about a job she thought Beth would be perfect for and sent her to see Dink, of Dink Inc. Dink was a professional sports gambler—one of the biggest in Vegas. He was looking for a right-hand man—someone who would show up on time, who had a head for numbers, and who didn’t steal. She got the job. Lay the Favorite is the story of Beth Raymer’s years in the high-stakes, high-anxiety world of sports betting—a period that saw the fall of the local bookie and the rise of the freewheeling, unregulated offshore sports book, and with it the elevation of sports betting in popular culture. As the business explodes, Beth rises—from assistant to expert, trusted and seasoned enough to open an offshore booking office in the Caribbean with a few associates, men who leave their families up north to make a quick killing, while donning new tropical personas fueled by abundant drugs and local girlfriends, and who one by one succumb to their vices. They lie, cheat, steal, and run, until Beth is the last man standing. Beth Raymer is a natural storyteller: funny, charming, and fully awake to the ironies around her. But she is also a keen and compassionate observer of the adrenaline-addicted, rougish types who become her mentors, her enemies, her family. Raymer brings to life a world that teems with pathos and ecstasy in this wild picaresque that also tells the story of a young woman’s crazy, sexy, most unlikely coming-of-age.
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"Fun read and I ended up with a bit of a crush on the author, to be portrayed by Rebecca Hall in the movie adaptation, which is fitting since I have a soft spot for her as well from Vicky Christina Barcelona. I just wished there were more explication of the betting argot. "
— Eric (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Beth Raymer’s prose is like a virgin in a sandy bikini festooned with C-notes. From Vegas to Rio, from the boxing ring to the stripper’s pole, she rubs shoulders and other things with the sickest crew of action junkies since Roulettenburg. Her ear for sports bettors’ patois, for the ins and outs of pleasure, self-pleasure, and getting the best of it, makes Lay the Favorite a kaleidoscope of high-test debauchery.”
— James McManus, New York Times bestselling author of Positively Fifth Street -
“Strange as hell, wildly affectionate and very, very funny. It is a world filled with scoundrels, thieves, and gamblers. It is a world we all recognize, where everyone is looking to somehow come out on top while doing what they love. The book is wise and has a relish for life that is a treat.”
— Stephen Frears, director of High Fidelity -
“Lay the Favorite reads more like a novel than a memoir. The rich characters are drawn in depth, yet simply and honestly.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“[A] very funny and smart book.”
— NPR -
“Seduced by her stories, we long for this strange, sleazy and alluring landscape, even as the stakes get higher.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Raymer’s crackling, hilarious memoir ricochets through the gambling underwold in Las Vegas, and is peopled with all manner of lovable wack-jobs, none of whom is quite as wacky—or lovable—as Raymer herself.”
— Marie Claire -
“Candid, smart, funny, wild, and crazy.”
— Elle -
“It’s hard not to like the breezy, ingenuous voice of this plucky protagonist who proves she’s game for any kind of new experience.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Beth Raymer possesses one of the most original voices I’ve encountered in years of teaching, reading, and reviewing young writers. And she puts that voice to ideal use in depicting the demimonde of sports gambling, the place where she finds an unlikely but uncanny surrogate family. Lay the Favorite is a coming-of-age saga like no other you’re ever likely to read.”
— Samuel G. Freedman, author of Letters to a Young Journalist
Lay the Favorite Listener Reviews
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" Don't make fun--I heard about this book on Cosmo Radio. It sounding interesting. I liked the first half of it. About this girl's journey in gambling and working for a bookie. Apparently, it's being made into a movie, and I think the movie will be better than the book. Easy, quick read, but I got the book for free and probably wouldn't waste money on buying...so ask to borrow if you want to read it. "
— Parker, 2/18/2014 -
" Fun stories of depravity. I would have liked more detail about the gambling and a more coherent structure. "
— Dave, 2/8/2014 -
" Beth Raymer is an excellent storyteller with an intriguing story to tell. "Lay the Favorite" offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the world of professional sports gambling (from the perspectives of both the gamblers & the illicit bookmakers). Raymer writes in a direct style that eschews sensationalism & instead provides an honest look at a shadowy world that is most often portrayed with hyperbolic scorn or mythmaking. "
— Hugh, 1/31/2014 -
" really not much to like about beth raymer...dug deeper into dink and Bernard who I actually liked more. kept wondering if any of this really even happened the way she described it... "
— Kjones, 1/28/2014 -
" I'm a sucker for gambling memoirs, but I couldn't recommend this book to anyone who doesn't share that particular proclivity. "
— Rebecca, 1/28/2014 -
" Perfect reading for airport layovers...the pages just flew right on by. "
— Adara, 1/27/2014 -
" Spending 240 pages with the lively narrator, Beth Raymer, is kind of like falling in love with a tornado. Lay the Favorite made me want to quit my job, stop paying child support, and move to Vegas. "
— Rod, 1/21/2014 -
" I loved this book. A very quick read, but that was because it was hard to put down. Very well written with likable characters. Funny and fascinating at the same time. Pick it up in June when it is released, you won't regret it. Will make a great film someday. "
— Steph, 1/15/2014 -
" This book was well written. I thought I wouldnt enjoy it but I really did! It was a memoir but it wasnt boring it was actually very engaging and I think I will read this novel again and I would recomend it too. Im glad I won this book! "
— Autumn, 1/10/2014 -
" I found the writing style fresh and easy to read, yet the story was shocking in the author's glib and seemingly endless cataloging of bad choices. I'm sure it's hard to be objective when writing about your own life, but a little self-evaluation wouldn't have hurt her...or the story. "
— Kristen, 1/3/2014 -
" I won this book! Can't wait to read it! "
— Lauren, 12/7/2013 -
" It was interesting but not as much as I thought it would be. and it ends abruptly which is disappointing. "
— Marty, 12/3/2013 -
" Pretty interesting. Wasn't sure how much was fiction versus non. Still pretty good read "
— Guy, 9/15/2013 -
" Reading this book was a complete laugh out load joyride. Wonderfully written, interesting, amusing, and real. Raymer brings the story to life with insight and humor without talking down to the characters or the reader. "
— Katharine, 4/24/2013 -
" For non fiction, this is as good as it gets. "
— Glen, 12/15/2012 -
" She mostly just talks about how much sex she has.. Kinda gets old "
— Mike, 12/13/2011 -
" Great book about the the business of sports betting. A little slow in some places, but overall an interesting book if you like non fiction. "
— Ginger, 10/27/2011 -
" I found the writing style fresh and easy to read, yet the story was shocking in the author's glib and seemingly endless cataloging of bad choices. I'm sure it's hard to be objective when writing about your own life, but a little self-evaluation wouldn't have hurt her...or the story. "
— Kristen, 1/4/2011 -
" Fun stories of depravity. I would have liked more detail about the gambling and a more coherent structure. "
— Dave, 12/16/2010 -
" Pretty interesting. Wasn't sure how much was fiction versus non. Still pretty good read "
— Guy, 10/31/2010 -
" It was interesting but not as much as I thought it would be. and it ends abruptly which is disappointing. "
— Marty, 9/11/2010 -
" It started out strong but faded down the stretch. Not enough of the author's personality came through to make it interesting. As with many memoirs, I also doubted the validity of many events. I thought it could have been much better. "
— James, 9/2/2010 -
" A well written story of a crazy, chaotic, risky, exciting adventure. From a stripper to a gambler's Girl Friday (and dream interpreter) to a Golden Gloves contender, Beth Raymer has done what Auntie Mame told her nephew to do: LIVED. "
— Elizabeth, 8/20/2010 -
" made me want to pack my bags, move to Vegas and become a cocktail waitress or bookmaker's assistant. Fabulously written. "
— Elizabeth, 8/12/2010 -
" Perfect reading for airport layovers...the pages just flew right on by. "
— Adara, 8/11/2010 -
" Great book to read on a hot night with a beer. "
— Jessica, 7/15/2010 -
" For non fiction, this is as good as it gets. "
— Glen, 7/14/2010
About Beth Raymer
Beth Raymer has an MFA from Columbia University. In 2007 she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship. She lives in New York City.