Dueling with Kings
High Stakes, Killer Sharks, and the Get-Rich Promise of Daily Fantasy Sports
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Todd Ross
About this listen
As Bringing Down the House did for card counters and Positively Fifth Street did for poker players, Daniel Barbarisi does for Daily Fantasy Sports fans in this leap down the rabbit hole of America's latest obsession.
Daniel Barbarisi quits his job as the New York Yankees beat writer for The Wall Street Journal and begins a quest: to join the top 1 percent of Daily Fantasy Sports ("DFS") players, the so-called "sharks", and figure out whether DFS is on the level - while maybe cashing in along the way.
DFS is fantasy sports on steroids. It's the domain of bitter rivals FanDuel and DraftKings, online juggernauts who turned a legal loophole into a billion-dollar industry by allowing sports fans to bet piles of cash constructing fantasy teams.
Yet as Barbarisi quickly realized, what should have been a fun companion to casual sports viewing was instead a ferocious environment infested with sharks, a top tier of pros wielding complex algorithms, drafting hundreds of lineups, and wagering six figures daily as they bludgeon unsuspecting amateur "fish". Barbarisi embeds himself inside the world of DFS, befriending and joining its rogues' gallery as he tries to beat them at their own game.
In a work equal parts adventure and rigorously reported investigation, Barbarisi wades into this chaotic industry at the very moment its existence is threatened by lawmakers sick of its Wild West atmosphere and pushy advertising. All their money made FanDuel and DraftKings seem invincible; but, as Barbarisi reports, they made plenty of dubious - perhaps even scandalous - moves as they vied for market supremacy.
In Dueling with Kings, Barbarisi uncovers the tumultuous inside story of DFS, all while capturing its peculiar cast of characters, from wide-eyed newly minted millionaires to sun-starved math geeks to bros living an endless frat party of keggers and Playboy bunnies. Can he outwit them all and make it to the top?
©2017 Daniel Barbarisi. All rights reserved. (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Too much swearing
- By Rebecca Sheldon on 01-23-20
By: Caitlin Murray
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Football for a Buck
- The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The United States Football League was the last football league to not merely challenge the mighty NFL but also to cause it to collectively shudder. It spanned three seasons, featured as many as 18 teams, secured multiple television deals, drew millions of fans, and launched the careers of legends - but then it died beneath the weight of a particularly egotistical and bombastic owner, a New York businessman named Donald Trump. Jeff Pearlman draws on more than 400 interviews to unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America.
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Ahhh the USFL
- By Film Lover on 10-11-18
By: Jeff Pearlman
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Fantasy Life
- The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who's Lived It
- By: Matthew Berry
- Narrated by: Matthew Berry
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In Fantasy Life, Berry celebrates every aspect of the fantasy sports world. Brilliant trash talk. Unbelievable trophies. Insane draft day locations. Shake-your-head-in-disbelief punishments. Ingenious attempts at cheating. And surprisingly uplifting stories that remind us why we play these games in the first place.
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Fun but repetitive
- By T. Myers on 01-09-14
By: Matthew Berry
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The System
- The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
- By: Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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College football has never been more popular - or more chaotic. Millions fill 100,000-seat stadiums every Saturday; tens of millions more watch on television every weekend. The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama had a viewership of 26.4 million people, second only to the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars from television deals now flow into the game; the average budget for a top-ten team is $80 million; top coaches make more than $3 million a year; the highest paid, more than $5 million.
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Gripping Inside Look at an Industry to Itself
- By W Perry Hall on 01-23-14
By: Jeff Benedict, and others
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Double or Nothing
- How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas' Legendary Casinos
- By: Tom Breitling, Cal Fussman
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn had come of age at the end of the 20th century looking for an all-American adventure, they probably would've headed for Vegas. However, they'd have been hard-pressed to go on a wilder ride than the one taken by Tom Breitling and Tim Poster to the top of the famed Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. Call them the Odds Couple.
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A look at lives of 2 guys who bought casino
- By Eric A, on 01-05-21
By: Tom Breitling, and others
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War Room
- The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team
- By: Michael Holley
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Bill Belichick is one of the titans of today's game of football. Now, sports commentator and best-selling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams - the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons - from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick's influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to the head coaches, scouts, trainers, and players.
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Narrator choice - HUH?
- By Ryan Mullaney on 03-25-18
By: Michael Holley
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You Herd Me!
- I'll Say It If Nobody Else Will
- By: Colin Cowherd
- Narrated by: Colin Cowherd
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In this age of billion dollar athletic marketing campaigns, “feel good” philosophy with no connection to reality, and a Sports Media echo chamber that’s all too eager swallow whatever idiotic notion happens to be in vogue at the moment, it’s tough to find people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re really thinking.
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Great book, Repeats majority of themes from radio
- By Troy on 01-20-14
By: Colin Cowherd
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Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids
- How a Gang of Geeks Beat the Odds and Stormed Las Vegas
- By: David Kushner
- Narrated by: David Kushner
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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If you think a gang of real-life geeks can't take on the world and win big...think again. And whatever you do, don't sit down across a gaming table from Jon Finkel, better known as Jonny Magic. Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids is his amazing true story: the jaw-dropping, zero-to-hero chronicle of a fat, friendless boy from New Jersey who found his edge in a game of cards and turned it into a fortune!
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Liberal storytelling at it's worst
- By B. Riddick on 11-30-05
By: David Kushner
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Golden Days
- West's Lakers, Steph's Warriors, and the California Dreamers Who Reinvented Basketball
- By: Jack McCallum
- Narrated by: Jack McCallum
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In Golden Days, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum uses these two teams - the Jerry West/Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor Lakers and the Stephen Curry/Kevin Durant/Draymond Green Warriors - to trace the dynamic history of the National Basketball Association, which for much of the last half century has marched memorably through the state of California. Tying together the two strands of McCallum's story is Hall of Famer West, the ferociously competitive Laker guard who later became one of the key architects of the Warriors.
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Very interesting and fun to read
- By Joe on 06-12-18
By: Jack McCallum
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Play by Play
- Calling the Wildest Games in Sports - From SEC Football to College Basketball, the Masters and More
- By: Verne Lundquist
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner, Verne Lundquist
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Verne Lundquist's remarkable broadcasting career has placed him at the center of major sporting events in America for more than 50 years, from Jack Nicklaus' final victory at the 1986 Masters to Tonya Harding's attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympics to the Auburn-Alabama shocker of 2013. In his first memoir, he replays highlights from his career, taking sports fans behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic moments in modern sports history.
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Decent Sorry, Bit Boring
- By Allena on 08-20-24
By: Verne Lundquist
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Illegal Procedure
- A Sports Agent Comes Clean on the Dirty Business of College Football
- By: Josh Luchs, James Dale
- Narrated by: David Ledoux
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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For 15 years, sports agent Josh Luchs made illegal deals with numerous college athletes, from top-tier, nationally recognized phenoms to late-round draft picks. Then, in October 2010, Luchs wrote a confessional article in Sports Illustrated, telling the truth about what he did and didn't do. Since then, he has taken on a new role: whistle-blowing, truth-telling reformer. In telling his own story, Luchs here pulls back the curtain on the real economy - and the broken system - of college football.
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Very cool!
- By Phil on 01-24-13
By: Josh Luchs, and others
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Billion-Dollar Ball
- A Journey Through the Big-Money Culture of College Football
- By: Gilbert M. Gaul
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 2013, a study showed that despite huge economic problems, 27 states were awarding their highest salaries to college football coaches. College football has doubled in size in the last decade thanks to generous tax breaks, lavish TV deals, and corporate sponsors eager to slap their logos on everything from scoreboards to footballs and uniforms. In one recent year, the 10 biggest programs took in $800 million from football, with profit margins far surpassing those of Fortune 500 companies.
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Much Better Books Out There On This Subject
- By Andrew N Dobson on 01-19-16
By: Gilbert M. Gaul
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Calling the Shots
- How to Win in Football and Life
- By: David Dein
- Narrated by: Arsène Wenger, David Dein
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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There's no doubt that Dein has been one of the most significant and influential figures in British football for over three decades—operating at club and international level. He was a prime mover in the creation of the Premier League, hugely influential within the England set-up and, of course, was the mastermind—along with Arsène Wenger—in creating the glory days of Arsenal Football Club, leading the team for almost a quarter of a century.
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Modern Day Herbert Chapman
- By Will on 02-10-23
By: David Dein
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Got to Give the People What They Want
- True Stories and Flagrant Opinions from Center Court
- By: Jalen Rose
- Narrated by: Jalen Rose
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Jalen Rose has never been quiet. Not as a kid growing up in Detroit in the '70s and '80s. Not as the brash, trash-talking leader of the legendary "Fab Five" at the University of Michigan. Not as the player under the stewardship of Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and others throughout his 13-year NBA career. And certainly not as a commentator and analyst on ABC/ESPN and Grantland.
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Amazing book - a MUST download / read
- By Terry on 10-08-15
By: Jalen Rose
What listeners say about Dueling with Kings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jason R
- 06-17-17
Great view of the DFS industry
What did you love best about Dueling with Kings?
The performance and the story was compelling. A lot of books on DFS tend to be a little dry. Although was not heavily strategy focused, the story and performance kept me interested. Great ending too.
What did you like best about this story?
That the writer goes through a lot of the same feelings that every DFS player that started off in this industry has felt, and gives great insight to some of the personalities and the DFS scene and community.
Which scene was your favorite?
Not to spoil it, but the ending is great. It is very well written.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Either "Beep, Beep, I'm a Jeep", "The story behind the Draftkings commercial that annoys everyone so much", or "Your average sucker can win in DFS if they have the right connections"
Any additional comments?
Just a very entertaining book with great story telling, a little light on the strategy portion, but gives good background and insight on DFS.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Super Mike
- 12-06-22
Great Fantasy Sports Story!
Loved the book! I like how it told the history of Fantasy Sports as well as the authors journey of playing in the events.
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- OzRams
- 03-10-17
Reality check to high hopes - correlation
Saw Mr. Seige tweet about how instead of playing a 3 game NBA slate, invest the time and money into reading this book. Learned a tremendous amount and now want to read all DFS related books. If this guy (author Barbarisi) can do it, why can't I. Correlation and stacking, Excel skills, statistics and mathematics. Sweat the games. it can be done. And no Mr. Barbarisi, if you're good at it then it's not a gambling problem.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-19-20
Great history and overview of the birth of DFS!
The story told gives you great insight to the life of a DFS player and where the industry was born.
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- William C Scott
- 10-28-20
A fun listen!
I enjoyed this history of DFS success stories. It was entertaining and inspiring to listen to these people getting rich playing a game.
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- Royal
- 04-11-17
A one day listen!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
YES YES YES
What did you like best about this story?
wow how it broke down the whole Fan Duel daily fantasy sports world.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
#littleguygoespro
Any additional comments?
the fact that vegas made him the favorite in the NHL contest at the end was incredible I loved this book
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- Anonymous User
- 05-12-17
Informative and entertaining
Daniel is a great story tale had a great time listenning to his adventure, also, gives you an insight into pro gamplers world which is interesting.
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- Michael G
- 09-23-19
A Tale of Two Stories
I listened to this book start to finish at work in one night.
Story one: The battle to keep DFS legalized in crucial sports markets around the country. The backstory of DFS and many of its key players and founders. The personality that revolves around DFS.
Story two (my favorite): The author’s journey from being a DFS “Fish” to becoming a DFS “Shark”.
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Overall
- christopher verdon
- 11-24-17
Loved this book.
I didn't realize how entertaining a book about dfs could be but I couldn't stop reading.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-17-18
Entertaining
My time and ears and brain were raped (for lack of a better term) with all the parts about the legal history of the industry but everything else was interesting. Almost nobody would choose to read a book about that but it was forced in anyway.
Also it seems disingenuous to imply Dan went from beginners luck to very bad to very good and continually winning and successful and then just quit to not have a gambling problem. There was obviously a lot of losing near the end as well. If food was categorized as a drug, he wouldnt stop using it just because it was a drug. It doesn't have the same negative aspects as drugs. Just like strategically utilizing some gamble advantage to win consistently isnt the same as losing a lot by problem gambling negative ev games with poor money management.
Still a good book though and it is great to hear all the familiar names from twitter, youtube and elsewhere be name-dropped and used as characters. Very entertaining.
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