The Trading Game: A Confession Hardcover – March 5, 2024

Brilliantly written expose that reads like diary and cautionary guidebook to understanding what is becoming an increasingly unevenly distributed share of worldwide future prosperity.If you want to know how it all goes down inside the belly of the beast and see all of its entrails- read this book. And do understand the author's message. If enough people realize how unsustainable the current trajectory of inequality is, we can still reclaim a better future for the maximum amount of people.(And a much more dignified and higher floor for the least privileged and "gainful employability-ness"- least fortunate among us).In the same way that there are many different kinds of wisdom... There are many different kinds of abilities. I've never met someone who I could not either learn something from or be impressed by an ability that person possessed.We all have something to offer. We should all make sure that we are all properly rewarded and by ensuring meaning and utility of value for even the least fortunate among us, the world will be a much more prosperous place for all of us.None of us should feel anywhere near as aimless and disconnected from our former friends and even current community neighbors as so many of us do right now... It's a game, this life. But the rules need big updates.This book makes all of this perfectly clear and is a massively important inspirational call to arms for the next generation to demand a more equal world. Where people are not made rich at the expense of others necessarily having to go without.Believe in a better way. Buy and read this book.

This book is quite entertaining and relatively informative. It doesn't actually teach you how to trade or get rich, but it's worth the read. I now have a better understanding of money and how the super rich operate.

Amazing story telling about the inequality form a relatable successful orator in the face or Gary Stevenson. Each chapter excited me, wanting to know how Frog would be disgustingly acting or how JB transformed throughout the story. The thoughts and pondering of Gary are very relatable to my personal journey and I hope this isn't the last book he writes. I was not born or have ever been to East London, but this book persuaded me that I was right there whenever Gary viewed or thought about anything. I felt the emotion, the clarity, the concern for the mates and the rush from winning. Hope this will become a movie some day.

An outstanding page turner. A true story of the hero's journey.

A jumbled bio no glossary no footnotes no explanation of key terms seems to be off the cuff

Gary Stevenson’s Trading Game isn’t just another finance memoir—it’s a gripping, brutally honest look at what it really means to make it in high finance. Stevenson’s journey from an East London kid to Citibank’s top trader is wild, but what sets this book apart is his willingness to tell the truth: the game is rigged, and the house always wins.The writing is sharp, darkly funny, and pulls no punches. He makes the financial world accessible without dumbing it down, showing exactly how traders profit off economic misery while regular people get squeezed. And I know the system he’s talking about—having worked as a financial advisor at UBS, I’ve seen firsthand how wealth doesn’t just accumulate at the top; it’s designed to stay there.But this isn’t just a “rise and fall” story—it’s about disillusionment. Stevenson lays bare the psychological toll of playing a game where making millions means believing in nothing. He doesn’t sugarcoat the loneliness, the ethical dilemmas, or the realization that success in this world might not be worth it. His account perfectly captures the contradictions of modern finance: the illusion of meritocracy, the widening wealth gap, and the deepening inequality that traders exploit but can’t reconcile.What makes Trading Game so compelling is that it’s not just about finance—it’s about power. About how markets aren’t neutral forces, but engines of inequality. It’s a rare book that entertains, educates, and makes you think about who really pays the price in our economy.Five stars, no hesitation. If you want the real story behind trading—without the Hollywood sheen—this is it.

The Big Short is my favorite movie so of course I loved this. It’s not as well written as a Michael Lewis tome but is hugely readable. It would be 5 stars except I wish Gary Stevenson had spent more time hitting the real climax of the story, which is when he realizes the secret to crushing the trading game and the implications thereof. His personal drama / relationship with the banks was less compelling to me than the omg moment of finding the key to macro (and micro) economics in the early 21st Century! But anyway, couldn’t put it down regardless. Love this book.

This is good insiders view of high level financial trading. It is a similar to the book "Liar's Poker" from a modern viewpoint.