The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler is an autobiography by Marty Reisman, a legendary figure in the world of table tennis. The book delves into Reisman’s life from his perspective, his experience as a competitive ping-pong player, and adventures beyond the sport. Marty began playing ping-pong as a young child only 12 years old. He learned to bet and play for cash in the streets of Manhattan with an older man, “a bookmaker,” who would call Marty his nephew. He would bring him along to bars, YMCAs, and pool halls to play and bet against older competitors for cash. It was all a form of “hustling,” which is what really took the sport to new heights at a time when gambling was illegal. The comedic side of Marty’s hustle was how he would initiate bets with other opponents by faking he was a bad player. He would let his opponent defeat him in the first round, then double or nothing the following bet, which he would always win.
This book captures the vibrant culture of table tennis during its heyday in the 1950s, which was based around gambling and competition. Reisman’s writing style is very engaging and conversational, making it an easy read for avid ping-pong fans and general readers. It also has much vivid humor to recount his story, which added a layer of entertainment for me.
One central theme in The Money Player is Marty’s motivations, as both a fierce ping-pong champion and a swindling hustler. The book also captures the psychological aspects of betting with high stakes which results in intense anxiety, comparing table tennis to chess in terms of strategy and execution.
Overall, The Money Player is an entertaining, fast-paced story with deep insights into the champion known as “Marty Reisman” or “the Needle.” I recommend it to both casual ping-pong players and avid readers of biographies. And look out for a fictionalized film adaptation of Reisman’s story, which will be released later in 2025 with Timothée Chalamet as Marty.
Get the book! A few CUNY libraries have a copy of The Money Player: The Confessions of America’s Greatest Table Tennis Champion and Hustler by Marty Reisman. You can check out the book from one of those libraries, or you can put in a request for it to be sent to BMCC’s library or to another CUNY library near you.
About the author Joseph is a BMCC student who enjoys reading historical fiction, science fiction, and biographies.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
