Anthony Holden is a British journalist, broadcaster and writer, particularly known as a biographer of the British Royal family and of artists including Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, Lorenzo da Ponte and Laurence Olivier. Holden is a keen poker player, and spent a year playing professionally while researching his 1990 book Big Deal. The book covers his experiences between the WSOP tournaments in 1988 and 1989. The sequel titled Bigger Deal which was released in May covers his second stint as a professional player, between the 2005 and 2006 WSOP events.