Short stories by a gathering of contemporary writers for teens reveals how a simple game of Texas Hold ’Em can illuminate the best and worst of human nature, and a lot that comes in between. K. L. Going’s “Poker for the Complete Idiot” is a stellar examination of classism and stereotyping as a teenage boy is outsmarted at the poker table by his country girlfriend’s “redneck” father and brothers, whose restraint makes his humiliation all the more complete. “Positively Cheat Street” by Francine Pascal features a teenage girl going up against the boys, one of whom can’t handle being beaten by a woman, but she may have lost more than she gains when she succumbs to the temptation of cheating to put him in his place. “Up the River” by Will Weaver examines the addictive lure of high-stakes gambling to a teen in over his head. These and seven other stories comprise an anthology that reveals more than one straight flush among its hands. (Ages 12–16)