Can anyone reccomend a good gambling book?

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Not a how to book, but maybe gambing stories or real stories of people who are or try to gamble. Thanks, ROCKO11
 

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Look around here....

http://www.gamblersbook.com/

ps- I find the best TRUE stories right here at THERX.
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The Odds and How to Beat Web casino's. Both are excellent reads and I endorse both books if you are looking.
 

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When roxy was at lvsc, he had a pink spiral bound book, titled something like 'Sportsbook Management'. Not sure exaclty, but it was an interesting read on the old-style balance-your-book principals of bookmaking. Its more of a text book than entertainment, but its nice to get a look at the other side sometimes. I suspect many failed bookmakers wish they had taken the time to read this one.

-lab
 

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That book would be SPORTSBOOK MANAGEMENT by Mike Rhoden.

Very good book that any bookmaker should not be without.

Some of the stuff is outdated now, but I still highly recommend the book.

Been part of my gambling library for darn near 20 years now.

For those that like FICTION and COLLEGE BASKETBALL, I would recommend THE HANDICAPPER by Robert Kalich.
 

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Bring down the house was the name of that book not 5 against the house very good read
 

A Separate Reality
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The book The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky author of Crime and Punishment is a good read. Dostoevsky was forced to write the semibiographical piece by the risk of financial ruin brought on by his obsession with roulette. The book captures the joy, angst and rushes familiar to us all here. He captured the feelings brought on by gambling and turned it into a good book and was able to replenish his bankroll from proceeds from the sale of the book. Hey there's a good way to make some cash I'm sure all us gamblers have a good story to tell and a book dieing to get out
 

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I had a copy of Sportsbook Management, the orange cover and the ring binding copy, but loaned to a friend, and have lost track of him and by default, my copy of the book. I remember Roxy being mentioned in the book several times.
Sportsbet Management


wil.
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1. The Odds
2. Bringing Down the House (The MIT 21 team)
3. Burning the Tables in Las Vegas
4. Blackjack Autumn

Read em all. Liked them all. But the decription of Alan Boston in The Odds is priceless....to parphrase"

Las Vegas is locked in gridlock traffic. The others drivers have no idea the pressure that is on Alan. You see the Mirage has U Mass PLUS 26 vs. St. Joes and the game tips in 20 minutes. "Trafffic not good.......traffic not good" Alan thinks as he cuts off a housewife who has never seen a driver with such a sense of urgency. Alan gets to the book with 3 minutes to spare. The +26 is still there. "It's free money" Alan thinks! Why isn't EVER driver headed to the Mirage? Alan unload 3 dimes on the Minuteman plus 26, 3 more on plus 25.5. He feels the pressure easing on him, almost as if a pressure release valve has been hit. 30 minutes later he looks at his pager Umass 4. StJoes 23. "That's funny. That's just too funny Alan thinks".

2 hours later Alan has the last laugh as a disinterested St. Joes team lets up allowing the minutemen to live up to their name scoring 8 points in the final minute to engineer an amazing 92-67 backdoor cover.
 

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Books published over the years about bookmaking and bookies:
Shirley Abbott, THE BOOKMAKER'S DAUGHTER--A MEMORY UNBOUND, NY: Ticknor & Fields, 1991, 290pp.
Peter Alson, CONFESSIONS OF AN IVY LEAGUE BOOKIE, New York: Crown, 1996, 228pp.

Cathal Bellingham, CONFESSIONS OF A TURF CROOK--TOLD BY HIMSELF [biography], London: Philip Allan & Co., 1924, 179pp.

Tony Betts, AC**** THE BOARD, New York, Citadel Press, 1956, 320pp, glossary, illus.

Joe Brinton, HOW TO MURDER YOUR BOOKMAKER, Chicago, Henry Regnery Company, 1972, 220pp., index

Alex Bird, ALEX BIRD, THE LIFE AND SECRETS OF A PROFESSIONAL PUNTER, London: Queen Anne Press, 1985, 255pp., illus., index.

Harry Brolaski, EASY MONEY OR FISHING FOR SUCKERS, [emphasis on racetrack gambling scams] Cleveland, Ohio: Searchlight Press, 1911, 328pp., illus.

Kier Boyd, GAMBLING TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC: FBI Laboratory, 1981, 62pp., illus.

Fred Buck, HORSE RACE BETTING, NY: Greenberg, 1946 (1st Ed.), 149pp. illus. (2nd Ed: 1962, 236pp.)(4th ed., 1978, 236pp.)

Phil Bull, HOW TO MAKE A BOOK, London: Morrison & Gibb Ltd., 1948, 160pp.

Christopher Bush, THE CASE OF THE BENEVOLENT BOOKIE [novel], New York: Macmillan Company, 1956, 222pp.

J.T. Chenery, THE LAW AND PRACTICE OF BOOKMAKING, BETTING, GAMING & LOTTERIES, London: Street & Maxwell, 1961, (2nd. ed: 1963 390pp., index.)

Donald Clarke, IN THE REIGN OF ROTHSTEIN, New York: Vanguard Press, 1929, 306pp.

Tony "Sonny" Daniels, THE WISE-GUY'S BIBLE, North Shore Press, 1993, 326pp., glossary, illus.

Richard O. Davies and Richard G. Abram, BETTING THE LINE -- SPORTS WAGERING IN AMERICAN LIFE, OH: Ohio State University Press, 2001, 212pp, footnotes, biblio., index

Elizabeth Dawson, MOTHER MADE A BOOK, London, Geoffrey Bles, 1962, 182pp.

Thomas Henry Dey, LEAVES FROM A BOOKMAKER'S BOOK, London: Hutchinson & Co., c.1931, 384pp., index, illus.

Druid (or Dixon) THE POST AND THE PADDOCK WITH RECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE IV, SAM CHIFNEY, AND OTHER TURF CELEBRITIES [especially: Chap. 3: "The Betting Ring"], London: Rogerson & Tuxford, 1856 (3rd ed: The Hunting Edition, 1857, 376pp.)

John Drzazga, WHEELS OF FORTUNE [especially: Chaps 3 & 4: Bookmaking & Pari-Mutuel Betting], 1963, Ill: Charles C. Thomas Pub., 369pp., notes, biblio. index.

Capt. Frederick W. Egen, NYCPD (retired), PLAINSLOTHESMAN--A HANDBOOK OF VICE AND GAMBLING INVESTIGATION, 1952, 1959 (rev.), NY: Arco Publishing Co., Inc., 230pp., illus., glossary, index

Richard Epstein, THE THEORY OF GAMBLING AND STATISTICAL LOGIC, San Diego: Academic Press, 1967, index, (2nd ed: 1997, 449pp., index)

Bob and Barbara Freeman, WANTA BET, A STUDY OF PARI-MUTUAL SYSTEM, Freeman Mutuels Management, 1982, 302pp., illus., glossary, index.

Milt Gaines,THE TOTE BOARD IS ALIVE AND WELL, Las Vegas: Gaines, 1981, 182pp, glossary.

Arthur Hagan, THE DAY THE BOOKIES TOOK A BATH [novel], Los Angeles: Sherbourne Press, 1971, 288pp.

Christopher Hill, HORSE POWER: THE POLITICS OF THE TURF, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988, 283pp., index.

Joe Ward Hill, THE BETTING MAN -- A RACING BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM HILL, THE KING OF THE BOOKIES, Wilshire: Elcott Books, 1993, 136pp., illus.

James Jeffries, Charles Oliver, THE BOOK ON BOOKIES--AN INSIDE LOOK AT A SUCCESSFUL SPORTS GAMBLING OPERATION, Colorado: Paladin Press, 2000, Glossary, 152pp.

Leo Katcher, THE BIG BANKROLL: LIFE & TIMES OF ARNOLD ROTHSTEIN, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959, 369pp., illus., biblio., index

Richard Kaye, THE LADBROKES STORY, London: Pelham, 1969, 304pp., illus., index.

Kevin Kinnee, PRACTICAL GAMBLING INVESTIGATION TECHNIQUES, Indianapolis: Elseiver Science Publishing Co., 1992, 228pp., illus., Graphs/Charts, biblio., index.

Arne Lang, SPORTS BETTING 101, MAKING SENSE OF THE BOOKIE BUSINESS AND THE BUSINESS OF BEATING THE BOOKIE, Las Vegas: GBC Press, 1992, 193pp. biblio.

Bob Litwin & Chip Silverman, THE LAST BOOKMAKER [novel], New Hampshire: Borderlands Press, 2000, 267pp.

Bernard Livingston, THEIR TURF, New York: Arbor House, 1973, 302pp., illus., index

Art Manteris, SUPERBOOKIE, INSIDE LAS VEGAS SPORTS GAMBLING, Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1991, 234pp.

Gary Mayer, BOOKIE: MY LIFE IN DISORGANIZED CRIME, Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher, 1974, 258pp., glossary

John McCririck, WORLD OF BETTING, DOUBLE CARPET AND ALL THAT!, London: Stanley Paul, 1991, 192pp., illus., index

Paul Meskil, CHEESEBOX [life of Gerard Callahan], New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1974, 281pp.

Chad Millman, THE ODDS -- ONE SEASON, THREE GAMBLERS, AND THE DEATH OF THEIR LAS VEGAS, NY: Public Affairs, 2001, 260pp., index

Dan Moldea, INTERFERENCE--HOW ORGANIZED CRIME INFLUENCES PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, NY: William Morrow & Co., 512pp., notes, index.

Ralph Nevill, SPORT OF KINGS [especially: Chap. 3: "Bookmaking and Bookmakers"], London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1926, 247pp., illus., index

W.H. Norris, THE BOOKMAKER'S CLERK'S GUIDE. BETTING SIMPLIFIED OR THE ART OF BOOKMAKING, London: Edmund Seale, 1896 (2nd ed: 64pp.)

Sidney Offit, MEMOIR OF THE BOOKIE'S SON, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1996, 165pp.

James O'Hara, THE "SURE THING" BOYS OR WHAT YOUR BOOKIE DOESN'T KNOW WILL HURT HIM [novel about past-posting scam], New York: Vantage Press, 1972, 173pp.

Mort Olshan, WINNING THEORIES OF SPORTS HANDICAPPING, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1975, 253pp., Graphs/Charts

Joe E. Palmer, LOVE ME, LOVE MY BOOKIE [novel], Beverly Hills, Remlap Publishing Co., 1989, 257pp.

Herb Phipps, BILL KYNE OF BAY MEADOWS, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes, 1978, 174pp., illus., index

John Philip Quinn, FOOLS OF FORTUNE OR GAMBLING AND GAMBLERS..., [especially: Part III, Chap. 1: "The Turf"], Chicago: The Anti-Gambling Association, 1895, 640pp. illus.

Jamie Reid, A LICENCE TO PRINT MONEY--A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GAMBLING AND BOOKMAKING WORLD, London: Macmillan Ltd., 1992, 294pp., glossary, index

Sonny Reizner, SPORTS BETTING WITH SONNY REIZNER, Las Vegas: GBC Press, 1983, 166pp., illus., glossary, biblio.

Harry Robinson, THE BOOKIE BOOK, Australia: John Fairfax Marketing, 1984, 1985 (rev. ed.), 176pp., illus.

Frede Rombola, THE BOOK ON BOOKMAKING, California: Romford Press, 1984, 147pp.

Charley Rosen, SCANDALS OF '51 -- HOW GAMBLERS ALMOST KILLED COLLEGE BASKETBALL, NY: Seven Stories Press, 1978, (reprint: 1999), 263pp, illus.

Hon. Admiral Rous, ON THE LAWS AND PRACTICE OF HORSE RACING, ETC., ETC. [perhaps the first book on bookmaking--especially: Chap. 5: "On the Rules of Betting," and in the appendix: "Betting Cases"], London: A. H. Baily & Co., 1866, 166pp., Charts.

Michael Roxborough, RACE & SPORTS BOOK MANAGEMENT, Las Vegas: Roxborough, 1991, 128pp, glossary.

Richard Sasuly, BOOKIES & BETTORS: 200 YEARS OF GAMBLING, 1982, 266pp., biblio., index

John C. Schmidt, WIN PLACE SHOW, A BIOGRAPHY OF HARRY STRAUS, THE MAN WHO GAVE AMERICA THE TOTE, Maryland: Schmidt, 1988, 137pp.

Charles Sidney, THE ART OF LEGGING, London: Maxline International, 1976, 227pp., illus., biblio., index

Jimmy Snyder, JIMMY THE GREEK BY HIMSELF, Chicago: Playboy Press, 1975, 247pp., illus.

Joe Ullman, WHAT'S THE ODDS--STORIES OF THE TURF, NY:Metropolitan Printing Co., 1903, 155p., illus.
 

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I have heard of a good gambling book- Pinnacle, they book, and even more so they gamble.
 

The Miracle Worker
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I bought a book a couple weeks ago from the
GBC called "The Best Of Sonny Reizner". It was a collection of articles he wrote. Very cool.
 

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"Balling The Jack" by Frank Baldwin. Fiction, but one of the best reads of my life.
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The Great Govenor of California
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Great post Fezzik,


I like Alan, very opinionated, first time I heard him on the radio I thought I was listening to myself. I try not to miss John Kellys show if I know he is going to be on.
I have found that it is better to take 20+ dogs at halftime for more value, it usually gets you an extra 3-6 points, it seems like coaches dont run up scores anymore with a few exceptions.
 

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