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Beyond
Counting (Exhibit CAA) (James Grosjean): This is the second edition of Beyond Counting. The "Exhibit CAA" is an inside joke that is explained on page iv. The first edition was 223 pages, and this one triples that to 669. Not only is this likely the biggest gambling book ever written, but the most expensive, at $250. Just about every page breaks fresh ground, excluding the first edition. Some of it very esoteric, like how to count the Royal Match side bet, which even the author admits is a weak advantage play. Many pages are directed towards hole card readers, especially those who play unusual games. There is also some good practical information, like how to sneak into terminal C at the Las Vegas airport, which at times has enormous lines at security. In some of the driest parts, just as your eyes are starting to glaze over, Grosjean surprises you with some very witty humor, often in the footnotes. He also goes after some of the biggest names in the world of gambling writers with irreverence, including my own. I would recommend this book for only the most serious advantage players, mainly those exploiting unusual games or hole carders, as well as those with college-level interest in gambling mathematics. If this book were for you, chances are that you already have it. |
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Fortune's Formula (William Poundstone):
This book is about the story, emphasis story, behind the Kelly Criterion. Most of the book is devoted to the biographies behind the Kelly Criterion's greatest believers and skeptics. Only about 5% of the book is devoted to the mathematics of the Kelly Criterion itself, and that math is introductory. Although I skimmed large chunks of the book, I found it to be very well written, balanced, and researched. |
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The Frugal Gambler (Jean Scott): This book is all about milking the casinos for all the free means, rooms, and other freebies for all they are worth. It isn't difficult to have an entire Vegas trip paid for by getting the most out of coupons and slot clubs. Jean Scott shows you how to do it. Nobody knows the topic better than her, for she is the Queen of Comps.
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Gambling 102 (Michael Shackleford): (Review by M. Bluejay) The Wizard was too embarrassed to review his own book so he asked me to do it. Gambling 102 offers the mathematically-correct strategies for a whole host of casino games. It assumes the reader already knows how to play the games, which is why it's called Gambling 102 instead of Gambling 101. Besides standard casino games the Wizard also covers sports betting on the NFL, and that's where some of the most interesting stuff is. The best thing about it is that it's written by an expert you can trust -- so many gambling books are written by hacks who don't know what they're talking about. Of course the burning question is: Why should I buy this book when most of the info is available on this website for free? The answer is that you can't hold the website in your hands. A real books is nice because you can quickly flip through it, throw it in your suitcase for your next trip to Vegas, or even read it on the plane.
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Gambling Wizards (Richard W. Munchkin): This book is a collection of interviews of some of the most successful gamblers in the world. It probably isn't what you expect. From golf to backgammon there are plenty of great stories to keep you turning the pages. I read the whole thing in a week, which is very unusual for me.
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How
to Gamble in a Casino (Tom Ainslie): This book is
another combination of decent edge cutting advice and
betting systems.
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How to Win at Gambling (Avery Cardoza): This is a
fine, to the point, book covering fifteen games and a
chapter on money management. The style is much like my
own, skipping the chit chat and getting right to the
facts. For the gambler with some experience who just
wants to cut down the house edge I would recommend this
one over all others. The only error I have seen is that
he falsely suggests you raise on an unsuited (10,J,Q) or
(J,Q,K) in let it ride,
these plays have an expected return of 97.7 and 89.5
cents on the dollar respectively.
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The Man with the $100,000 Breasts and Other Gambling
Stories (Michael Konik): This book is an easy to read
and hard to put down collection of stories about various
gamblers and gambling topics. One chapter on the new
casino games was quite well done. However the author
incorrectly states that the difference in house edge in
Caribbean Stud Poker between optimal strategy and raising
on ace-king-jack-8-3 or better is .00000025%. Actually
the house edge using optimal strategy is 5.224% and using
ace-king-jack-8-3 is 5.316%, for a difference of 0.092%.
The author also claims the house edge in Spanish 21 to be
0.8%. According to my analysis the house edge is closer
to 0.7%. He also neglects to say that the player should
opt for double down surrender on 17 against an ace.
However don't let my nit picking keep you from reading
this book. It is a real page turner and you will probably
learn a lot about gambling without realizing it.
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More Frugal Gambling (Jean Scott): This is a follow up to Scott's 'The Frugal Gambler.' Both books contain great advice on how to get the most out of Vegas on a tight budget.
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Scarne's
New complete Guide to Gambling (John Scarne): Scarne
is one of the pioneers in modern gaming analysis. Most
authors have a 'get to the point' philosophy yet Scarne
devotes much more time than most to discussing the odds.
Unfortunately his advice is still incorrect sometimes,
for example of the poor blackjack advice the author
advises hitting a 12 vs. a dealer's 4 and never splitting
4s, 6s, or 9s.
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Optimal Play (Edited by Stewart N. Ethier and William R. Eadington): This 550-page book is comprised of academic-level articles on a host of gambling topics. My favorite was "Are Casinos Paranoid? Can Players Get an Edge by Sharing Information" by James Grosjean. Many of the other articles are rather esoteric in nature, and are extremely math heavy. College-level math is required to appreciate most of them. Personally I skimmed most of it. It will be a good resource to have on my bookshelf. |
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Secrets
of the New Casino Games (Marten Jensen): This is a
very good idea for a book covering games difficult to
find in most other books. The author covers in detail Let
it Ride, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three-Card Poker, Pai Gow
Poker, Spanish 21, Red Dog, Sic Bo, and Casino War.
Unfortunately too much of the advice is wrong for me to
award the book with a star. For example the author
recommends raising on Carribean Stud Poker on a
ace-king-jack-9-5 or better. Ignorring the dealer's card
the correct breakeven hand is ace-king-jack-8-3. The Let
it Ride strategy advises letting it ride on any three to
a straight flush which is not always a good bet. Although
these are minor mistake the entire chapter on Casino War
is seriously flawed by the assumption that "your chances
of getting a tie are only 1 in 17" (page 130). With 13
ranks in the deck the correct odds are just under 1 in
13. This is probably why the author incorrectly advises
surrendering on a tie when it is actually better to raise
and go to war. However if you tear out the Casino War
pages the other problems are minor enough to merit buying
and using.
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Silberstang's Encyclopedia of Games & Gambling (Edwin
Silberstang): In this book the author covers both
casino and non-casino games, from chess to strip poker.
This book is an enjoyable read and with one exception
seems mathematically sound. The one exception is when he
states on page 110 about video poker jackpots, "But the
longer it doesn't hit, the mover overdue it is." The fact
is that a royal is equally likely to hit, assuming no
changes in strategy, regardless of when the last royal
was.
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The Unofficial Guide to Casino Gambling (Basil
Nestor): This is a very fine and carefully prepared
piece of work. The book's 321 pages cover 9 games in
depth, 3 briefly, and has five chapters of advice and
information on gambling in general. Game by game the
author explains the rules and protocol, identifies the
best and worst bets, and gives advice on how to cut down
the house edge as much as possible. The first two
chapters state the mathematical truths that apply to all
games in an easy to understand manner. Visit the
author's website for more information.
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Whale Hunt in the Desert (Deke Castleman): For those unfamiliar with the terminology, gamblers range from fleas to whales. The Las Vegas casinos are very competitive to get the business to the whales. This book is all about the whales and the hosts who persue them. The book revolves around superhost Steve Cyr but often strays away from his story. I found the book very well written and interesting. It took me only about two weeks to read it, which for me is very good time. |
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The Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling (Edwin
Silberstang): Definitely one of the better books in
its class. The book covers seven games in depth and has
four chapters on broader topics. Silberstang obviously
knows what he is talking about and doesn't oversimplify
his explanations as many other books do. The writing is
very rich and laced with lots of stories and lessons from
the author's own experiences. My only criticism is that
he incorrectly states that slot machines are on a
repeating cycle.
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Casino-ology (Bill Zender): This is a unique book by casino management consultant Bill Zender. He goes through many common practices casinos make that depress profits. A common theme is that casino management over-react to the fear of advantage play, while they should be focused on maximizing profits from legitimate players. |
Book Reviews
