Since I’ve lived in Las Vegas, it’s probably no surprise to you that visiting the casinos on the weekends with my friends is a common occurrence. We love the buzz and excitement on the casino floor and it’s a great experience regardless if you win or lose money. But needless to say, it’s even better when we walk away with some extra cash in our purses. Therefore, over the years of living here, I’ve read many gambling books to give myself the best possible chance of winning. Incidentally, I like to practice new techniques I read about without risking my money! You can do this yourself by playing demo versions of games online. But in the meantime; back to the books. If you love gambling too, check them out….
1. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
This book presents the magnificent true story of how six MIT students essentially beat Las Vegas. They combined their brainpower and worked hard to study many popular casino games before walking away from Vegas with millions. So lucky for you, these smart students share many tips and tricks of how they did this. It contains many secrets of professional gambling. Such as card counting techniques, statistic indexes, ace cutting and many others that casinos definitely wouldn’t want you to know!
2. The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova
Konnikova herself is a professional poker player that has won over $200k from her top-notch gameplay. So, you can certainly trust her poker advice! This is a fantastic book for beginner players or the ones who aren’t doing so well at the poker table. She tells her compelling story from a poker-naive to a professional in just under a year. You’re probably thinking, how?! well she explains all of the steps she took to train in this book. She’s brutally honest with the struggles and hurt that this process sometimes inflicted on her too. And gives insights into how she stayed patient through trial and error.
3. Fortune’s Formula by William Poundstone
This book gives many different betting strategies for all of the popular casino games but predominately focuses on Claude Shannon and John L. Kelly Jr iconic formulas. It gives a fascinating account of the history of gambling strategies and how they have developed to today. He presents many different stories of the people that have attempted to beat the system in the past. And many did! Therefore, the casino would have to change the rules of the game once again. It will help you to understand the mathematics of gambling in a simple and straightforward way.
4. A Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp
It’s no secret that Edward O. Thorp is a remarkable genius. He’s an expert in science, computer, mathematics and finance, and has blessed us by putting these skills together to apply them to gambling. He gives many insights into his techniques for gambling and his favourite strategies for different casino games. And effectively how to attempt to beat the dealer. He takes you on his journey of discovery through the gambling world and it’s written in a very entertaining and memorable way.
5. The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
This book is perfect for the poker players out there that are looking to learn new strategies and improve or change their current techniques. As we all know, there are many different variations of poker now and new ones are constantly being added. It discusses theories and concepts applicable to almost every variation of the game. Including Texas Hold’em, Omaha High, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud, Razz, Five Card Draw, Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, Badugi and more!
6. Sharp Sports Betting by Stanford Wong
This book is for sports betting lovers. It covers pretty much all sports including football, tennis, cricket, rugby, boxing, MMA/UFC, horse racing and Esports. It gives an overview of all sports but predominately focuses on football. You’ll find many useful data tables and statistics. It will definitely give you a better understanding of sports betting before placing your next bet.