High Stakes |
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Summary:
Gus McDonald has been playing online poker every night for hours—and winning. But when he gets an invitation to play for higher stakes, he loses big, and has to take desperate measures to get back in the game. But the price he has to pay may be too high. |
Before You Read — Pre-Reading
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Chapter One—Get in the Game
Summary:
Gus McDonald sits in the rec room listening to the hockey game and watching his dad and his buddies play cards. Saturday is poker night at the McDonald house. Gus has learned to play by watching closely. Frank, one of his dad’s buddies, invites him to join the game. |
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Chapter Two—Jackpot
Summary:
Gus wins $100.00 and is excited. His mom notices his big grin but suggests that he should be hanging out with his own friends instead of playing cards with his dad. Gus calls his friend Matt to tell him about his win. Matt tells him about online poker. Gus decides to open an account and play online. |
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Chapter Three—Too Cool
Summary:
On Monday morning, Gus sees Jamie-Lynn while he is searching in his messy locker for his chemistry notes. She notices the logo on his backpack. They talk about Gus’s job at the animal hospital. Aleksi comes by after hockey practice and thinks Gus should ask her out before someone else does. |
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Chapter Four—Food for Thought
Summary:
Gus meets his friends at the cafeteria for lunch. He tells them about his online wins. Aleksi is concerned about Gus giving out personal information online. After school, Gus sees his dad driving erratically; sliding on ice, knocking down garbage cans and hitting the garage door. |
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Chapter Five—Smashed
Summary:
Gus and his mom rush to see if his dad is OK. They smell alcohol and know he is drunk. Mrs. McDonald gets him into the house and Gus picks up the knocked over garbage cans. His dad crashes on the couch but tells Gus he played a great poker game. Gus gets on his computer and plays more online poker. He gets involved in a chat room conversation with another player. |
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Chapter Six—Playing Games
Summary:
In the morning, everyone expects Gus’s dad to be in a nasty mood with a hangover. Instead, he tells Mrs. McDonald to use the emergency credit card to fix the garage door and invites Gus to play poker again on Saturday night. Gus’s mom is worried about the gambling. At school, Aleksi and Gus put up flyers for the hockey playoffs to help out Jamie-Lynn. She tells Gus she hopes to see him at a game. Aleksi urges Gus to ask her out. |
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Chapter Seven—The Wee Hours
Summary:
Gus plays poker late into the night. His mom asks him what he is doing and tells him to get to bed. Gus asks his mom about his dad. She tells him he is worried about losing his job. She tells Gus to call home for a ride if he has ever been drinking. |
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Chapter Eight—You Snooze, You Lose
Summary:
Gus has a hard time getting up for school after playing online poker for most of the night. He asks his sister for a ride to school but she is not cooperative. He walks the thirteen blocks and just makes the first bell. He is exhausted. Matt tells him about a poker tournament on a TV show with famous people. He tells him to win big you need to bet big. |
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Chapter Nine—Like Father, Like Son
Summary:
Gus plays cards with his dad and his buddies on Saturday night. He watches Frank carefully and raises his bet. By the end of the night, he has $150.00 and has figured out how Frank plays. His dad compliments him on his play. |
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Chapter Ten—Double or Nothing
Summary:
Gus is spending more and more time playing online poker. He is showing up late for work and neglecting his studies. He loves winning and buys an MP3 player. After school he decides to have a nap before dinner. Then he goes back to DealMaker to play a few games before doing his homework. While he is playing he is contacted by another player and invited to a high stakes game at a real table. Gus wants to win big so he agrees. |
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Chapter Eleven—Raising the Stakes
Summary:
Gus needs more money to play a high-stakes game with his online buddy James. He remembers his parents’ emergency credit card and sneaks downstairs to get it. He transfers $1000 to his account. He plays with $1500 and is soon down to $500. Then he remembers that James said they would split the winnings. But James does not answer his e-mails to transfer the $500. Gus has been scammed! |
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Chapter Twelve—Last Chance
Summary:
Gus waits all night for a message from James. At six in the morning, he gets an e-mail. James can’t give Gus $500 because he is in debt to others. He invites Gus to a game at the Rusty Nail at 11:00 p.m. on Friday night and tells him to bring money. Gus is in trouble so he feels that he has no choice. |
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Chapter Thirteen—Just My Luck
Summary:
Gus goes to school without his homework or studying for a test. He plans to get answers from Matt and Aleksi. He starts reading the novel on the bus. The bus blows a tire so he thinks he has a little more time to read. But Jamie-Lynn is on the bus and she asks him about going to the hockey game. He wants to ask her out but has to go to the Rusty Nail. He calls Aleksi to get his homework answers but Aleksi is sick. |
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Chapter Fourteen—Zombie
Summary:
Gus is a wreck by the end of the week—barely sleeping, not getting his schoolwork done, and trying to work a few extra hours at the animal hospital. He needs $500 fast. When he falls asleep in class Aleksi questions him and offers to loan him $500 to pay off the credit card. |
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Chapter Fifteen—Family Fun
Summary:
Aleksi gets Gus $500 from his bank account. Gus goes to work, but is exhausted. His mom asks him about school when he gets home. His sister tells his mom he has been up late. Gus’s mom warns him to stop gambling or she will take away his computer. Matt comes to pick him up for the hockey game. After the game everyone goes to Lee’s for food. Gus’s mind is racing—how can he keep his promise and get to the Rusty Nail by 11:00 and still go with his friends? |
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Chapter Sixteen—Little White Lies
Summary:
Gus gets ready for the hockey but has time for one quick online poker game. He thinks he should borrow some more money and transfers $350.00 from the credit card. When Matt comes to get him, Gus loses his concentration and gets mad at Matt. At the game they look for seats. Jamie-Lynn has saved seats for them. Gus is anxious throughout the game and constantly checks his watch. |
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Chapter Seventeen—Ditched
Summary:
When they get to Lee’s Restaurant, it is busy. Gus is anxious to order but Matt wants to wait until everyone else comes. It is 10:00 pm when they order. Gus tries to relax and have fun with Jamie-Lynn but he needs to get away and be on time for the game at the Rusty Nail. He needs to win his money back. He wolfs down his food, goes to the men’s room, and then tells everyone he is sick. Jamie-Lynn follows him to the door, but he leaves. Jamie-Lynn is hurt and his friends are concerned. |
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Chapter Eighteen—Cool Hand James
Summary:
Gus brushes the snow off the truck, jumps in and drives through the snowstorm to Fourth Avenue. He slips Matt’s cell phone into his pocket. Gus parks in the dark, looking for someone who could be James. A thin guy with a goatee knocks on the window of the truck and leads him, into the bar and down the basement through a metal door to a storage room. They join four men who are playing Texas Hold ‘Em. James does not give Gus his money. He says they will need it. |
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Chapter Nineteen—Bust Out
Summary:
Gus studies the men as they play. Gus is up about $500 after an hour. James is acting strange and Stan is watching his every move. Cliff accuses James of cheating and grabs him by the neck. The table tips over and Gus tries to leave. Someone grabs him from behind and he lands face first on the concrete step. Cliff beats up James but they do not touch Gus because of his age. They throw them both out the back door. Gus runs and hides behind some bushes till the coast is clear. He jumps into the truck and roars away. He has lost everything! |
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Chapter Twenty—Game Over
Summary:
Gus wakes up late Saturday morning and looks at himself in the mirror. His face is a mess from falling on the concrete stairs at the Rusty Nail. His mom calls him because Matt and Aleksi have come over. Gus puts on a hoodie and goes downstairs. Everyone is shocked when they see him. He tells everyone he slipped on the ice getting out of the truck. Matt asks for his cell phone and they invite him to the Mall. On the way out the door Matt confronts Gus about his addiction to gambling. Gus’s mother overhears the conversation. |
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Chapter Twenty-one—A New Deal
Summary:
Gus’s mother makes him confess everything. They agree to pay off the credit card and re-pay Aleksi if Gus goes to addiction counselling. He will have to pay them back. Gus’s computer has been taken away and he has no access to gambling sites at school. Gus’s dad picks him up after his own session—he is going to Alcoholics Anonymous. They decide to hang out and watch a hockey game instead of playing cards. |
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After Reading — Post-Reading Reflection
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