James "Jim" McManus (born March 22, 1951) is an American teacher, writer and poker player living in Kenilworth, Illinois.

The book is based on his trip to Las Vegas to cover the progress of women in the 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the death of Ted Binion.

He used his advance to enter a satellite tournament for entry into the main event, defeating the likes of Hasan Habib to qualify for the seat.

[1] McManus continues to play live poker when not teaching and raising two young daughters with his second wife, Jennifer Arra.

His Esquire article on stem cell research [4] was featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2005 and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award.