Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt?

Who hasn't at some point been seduced by the adrenalin rush of gambling? Not so long ago I found myself in the James Bondian surrounds of the Casino de Monte Carlo, playing a little roulette. I quadrupled my modest stake by going with Red, then, flushed with success, proceeded to lose it all again on black. Once you've won once, you think you're going to keep on winning, but of course it doesn't really work like that.

Victoria Coren is a little more successful than most at games of 'chance', having won £500,000 when she became the first woman to win a major European tournament. Her memoir 'For Richer, For Poorer' is ostensibly a book about poker, but really I think it's a book about what it means to belong. Coren, shy and insecure as a child, found friendship, meaning, acceptance at the Vic poker club and quickly became hooked on the game.

Although the descriptions of poker games are interesting and will inspire many to have a go, I felt the personal aspects of the book were the most intriguing. Poker is the hook on which Coren's thoughts on friendship, family and love are hung and they are beautifully written, with her relationship with her late father being particularly touchingly described. I felt I knew her by the end of the book, and wanted to know her better, though she'd probably not believe it.