Book · 1989 · Salomon Brothers
Liar's Poker
#137 of 16,869 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- mentions
- 39
- people
- 17
- podcasts
- 14
- episodes
- 19
- recommendations
- 2
Liars Poker is an amazing book. It's still poker has not yet been made a movie. Has not been made a movie, but it's his first book. It was a breakout book.
Megyn Kelly · The Megyn Kelly Show · Dec 2025 Listen at 1:43:54 What they say about it
- Reread the book“rereading Liar's Poker”4
- Intended as cautionary tale2
The best things said about it
You know it was that was Liar's poker the Liar's poker at least I've read was intended to be a cautionary tale of sorts it's not how everybody took it I mean it's a very exciting book.
Tim Ferriss The Tim Ferriss Show · Jun 2024 I recently went back and reread your book Liar's Poker; 30 years must have passed since I first read it, and I have to say it has aged amazingly well.
Steve Levitt People I (Mostly) Admire · Feb 2022 So, however, the one, one thing I can say again, liars poker, having worked on a trading floor for eight years, not during that time in the eighties with Solomon brothers is feels and is as real as it can get about, uh, about capturing an industry and an environment.
I I enjoyed Liars Poker, but it inspired a generation of people to like work on Wall Street to do the opposite of what he was trying to say. Yes, that's that's it's less character- driven, but all the other guys are these weird maniacs.
James Altucher The Daily Stoic · Jul 2025 Liar's Poker is part memoir and part expose of the money harvesting industry.
Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
17 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis is a semi-autobiographical financial book detailing the author's chaotic experiences as a bond salesman at Salomon Brothers during the explosive Wall Street culture of the 1980s. On Acquired, Brian Koppelman recommended the newly released unabridged audiobook and its companion podcast. Steve Levitt similarly suggested the audiobook on People I (Mostly) Admire, pointing listeners to the author's accompanying audio series. Megyn Kelly discussed the title on The Megyn Kelly Show, praising it as an amazing breakout book that remains unadapted for film. Robert Evans examined the work on Behind the Bastards, detailing how the semi-autobiographical narrative recounts scenes such as a London banquet hosted by the Queen Mother. Jimmy Soni spoke about the book on How I Write to illustrate how Lewis avoided being pigeonholed into finance writing after such a massive initial success. Finally, James Altucher reflected on the title on The Daily Stoic, noting that while he enjoyed the reading experience, the book inadvertently inspired a generation of people to work on Wall Street, achieving the opposite of what the author originally intended by highlighting the bizarre behavior of the traders.
Every mention
Steve Levitt if you're interested in more on liars poker check out the new audiobook read by Michael and the accompanyin… 8
Discussed
“I read liars poker Michael Lewis's first book just after I graduated college”
Discussed
“I read Liar's Poker, Michael Lewis's first book, just after I graduated college.”
Discussed
“I recently went back and reread your book Liar's Poker; 30 years must have passed since I first read it, and I have to say it has aged amazingly well.”
Discussed
“so the other thing that shocked me rereading Liar's Poker is exactly what you just said”
Discussed
“The other thing that shocked me rereading Liar's Poker is exactly what you just said.”
Discussed
“let's go back to Lara's poker because another thing that struck me looking back was just how awfully the people in the book behave”
Discussed
“Let's go back to Liar's Poker, because another thing that struck me looking back was just how awful the people in the book behaved.”
Recommended
“if you're interested in more on liars poker check out the new audiobook read by Michael and the accompanying audio series called other people's money available on Michael's podcast against the rules with Michael Lewis”
Brian Koppelman Well, you brought up Liar's Poker before, and Michael Lewis has just released for the first time an audiobo… 1
Recommended
“Well, you brought up Liar's Poker before, and Michael Lewis has just released for the first time an audiobook, an unabridged audiobook of Liar's Poker. But, he also put out a companion podcast, and the companion podcast is spectacular.”
Robert Evans he writes a book called Liars Poker about the investment you know bang the stock broker that like that kind… 5
Discussed
“he writes a book called Liars Poker about the investment you know bang the stock broker that like that kind of life that makes a shitload of money right...”
Discussed
“Liars Poker, which is semi-autobiographical, revolves around a scene where Michael Lewis is invited to a banquet hosted by the Queen Mother while he's working in London.”
Discussed
“and he writes a book called liars poker about the investment you know B the stock broker that like that kind of life”
Discussed
“Liar's poker which is semi-autobiographical revolves around a scene where Michael Lewis is invited to a banquet hosted by the queen mother”
Discussed
“and to extend the Michael kryon comparison it is liars poker is generally agreed to have had a similar impact on its industry”
Ranjan Roy So, for me, I am so saddened by this just because having worked on a trading floor, I remember when I start… 3
Discussed
“So, for me, I am so saddened by this just because having worked on a trading floor, I remember when I started in 2002, Liar's Poker was like the first thing circulated around the floor when you join.”
Critiqued
“So, I can see how he ended up taking, but still, he wrote a book on exchanges, knowing the actual business of how an exchange works out of everything else. And he wrote a book about bank trading floors.”
Discussed
“So, however, the one, one thing I can say again, liars poker, having worked on a trading floor for eight years, not during that time in the eighties with Solomon brothers is feels and is as real as it can get about, uh, about capturing an industry and an environment.”
Tim Ferriss you know it was that was Liar's poker the Liar's poker at least I've read was intended to be a cautionary t… 3
Discussed
“you know it was that was Liar's poker the Liar's poker at least I've read was intended to be a cautionary tale of sorts it's not how everybody took it I mean it's a very exciting book”
Discussed
“And it makes me think of this section in Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis. It's the book that made Michael Lewis famous. It's a great book.”
Discussed
“it's kind of like liars poker yeah instead of purely bonds it's yeah it's all sorts of different characters and types of investing”
Antonio Garcia Martinez and then i read a book that funnily enough the New York Times is comparing my book to which i find extraord… 2
Discussed
“and then i read a book that funnily enough the New York Times is comparing my book to which i find extraordinarily flattering i don't know if i quite believe it but i read michael lewis's liars poker which uh was sort of the gateway drug for finance”
Discussed
“and i think the other thing is also going to be michael lewis wrote lius poker as a cautionary tale right this is why you shouldn't go into finance”
Megyn Kelly And you had a very interesting interview the other day with Michael Lewis, famed author, author of Moneybal… 2
Discussed
“And you had a very interesting interview the other day with Michael Lewis, famed author, author of Moneyball and Blind Side and Liars Poker.”
Discussed
“Liars Poker is an amazing book. It's still poker has not yet been made a movie. Has not been made a movie, but it's his first book. It was a breakout book.”
Michael Lewis if you look back at Larry's poker lately about six months ago the audio rights reverted to me and I had not… 2
Discussed
“if you look back at Larry's poker lately about six months ago the audio rights reverted to me and I had not read it since I wrote it”
Discussed
“and then I go on my Merry way with my forty thousand dollar book contract and write Liar's poker”
Bryan Callen he wrote liars poker it's called read called The Big Short that down um I need to really for anybody that'l… 1
Discussed
“he wrote liars poker it's called read called The Big Short that down um I need to really for anybody that'll explain the Genesis and and this guy is is not he doesn't have a grind a here he's a he is a journalist who is an outstanding first class writer I read liar poker he's a great writer”
David Rosenthal Like, you know, there's Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker, there's The Social Network which we've talked about,… 1
Discussed
“Like, you know, there's Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker, there's The Social Network which we've talked about, were maybe written or created intending one thing and then get received, Joe, you know, they're responding to confidence and your thought that like people will like Travis more than you might think.”
James Altucher I I enjoyed Liars Poker, but it inspired a generation of people to like work on Wall Street to do the oppos… 1
Discussed
“I I enjoyed Liars Poker, but it inspired a generation of people to like work on Wall Street to do the opposite of what he was trying to say. Yes, that's that's it's less character- driven, but all the other guys are these weird maniacs.”
Jimmy Soni Michael Lewis is he he could have followed up Liars Poker with probably like 10 more books about finance, r… 1
Discussed
“Michael Lewis is he he could have followed up Liars Poker with probably like 10 more books about finance, right?”
Jon Lovett And I was think about how much the ability to report on powerful figures has changed since you wrote say Li… 1
Discussed
“And I was think about how much the ability to report on powerful figures has changed since you wrote say Liars Poker, right?”
Kimbal Musk This is in late 80s, I'm in high school, and there was a lot of these books, "Liar's Poker", and others tha… 1
Discussed
“This is in late 80s, I'm in high school, and there was a lot of these books, "Liar's Poker", and others that came out. And I was like, "Ah, man, this is awesome. These people must be amazing."”
Ryan Holiday Yeah and there's there's something about writing too like I'm I'm a huge fan of Michael Lewis and I what I… 1
Discussed
“Yeah and there's there's something about writing too like I'm I'm a huge fan of Michael Lewis and I what I think about when I think about his career is he writes all these you know he writes his first book Liar's Poker which is his sort of young memoir does these other books all very successful”
Stephen Dubner this began with his first book Liar's poker my first job was in the very best place to tell the story about… 1
Discussed
“this began with his first book Liar's poker my first job was in the very best place to tell the story about Wall Street in the 1980s”
Tyler Cowen And you know, in 1989, the book Liars Poker comes out. Yes. And and you read the book and you love it, righ… 1
Discussed
“And you know, in 1989, the book Liars Poker comes out. Yes. And and you read the book and you love it, right? And I read the book and I love it.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker4
Discussed
“This began with his first book, 'Liar's Poker.' My first job was in the very best place to tell the story about Wall Street in the 1980s.”
Discussed
“'Liar's Poker' is part memoir and part expose of the money harvesting industry.”
Discussed
“Lewis did recently have occasion to go back and reread 'Liar's Poker,' and what did he think?”
Discussed
“'Liar's Poker' was set at the beginning of what turned out to be a movement to monetize and financialize everything.”
Often mentioned with
Other mentions (15: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, Liars Poker, The Blind Side, The Undoing Project, Going Infinite, on and on and on.”
Passing
“One aspect of trust in a society is journalism. And I was think about how much the ability to report on powerful figures has changed since you wrote say Liars Poker, right?”
Passing
“his books include liars poker Moneyball The Big Short Flash Boys and now going infinite the rise and fall of a new Tycoon”
Passing
“His books include Liars Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short, Flash Boys, and now, Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”
Passing
“He read 'Liar's Poker.' Yes, he had read it, and I think that's why he let me through his door in the first place when I got there and started asking him questions that sounded like the kind of questions you'd ask a Wall Street trader.”
Passing
“Now you're talking about Liar's Poker here, not Moneyball, correct? Liar's Poker: pure accident.”
Passing
“He's like you know, this is the heyday of of of where you know, you've ever read this book like Liar's Poker and things like that.”
Passing
“The book was marketed and framed as like like a Michael Lewis, like an early Michael Lewis Liar's Poker type romp through a field and it was written as such”
Plugged
“i mean my first book was liars called liar's pokemon it was this little memoir of me working on wall street which is by the way being made into a film”
Plugged
“My first book was called 'Liar's Poker'; it was this little memoir of me working on Wall Street, which, by the way, is being made into a film now.”
Passing
“so that was kind of the that was the environment that i was coming into like liars poker totally”
Passing
“And I think also Michael Lewis, the author of The Big Short and Liar's Poker, I love his work. I'm also a big fan of Richard Thaler, the Nobel Laureate economist.”
Passing
“I have read my books before for audio books not in the last few but you know in the liars poker that kind of thing”
Passing
“we managed to have this whole conversation without mentioning one of the also great auth great writers in the world that that do this for Micha Lewis Michael Lewis yeah liars poker is that's such a cliche at this point”
Passing
“this is Michael Lewis author of The Blindside and Moneyball and liars poker and a number of best sellers and he sold more than 10 million copies of his books”