Reading is crucial, not just in any specific area of life. Rather it plays a significant role in every domain. Daniel Negreanu does it, as does Maria Konnikova. All of the rebels that made up the iconic M.I.T. squad did it. It’s a method to both feed your spirit and destroy the house. The top 10 best gambling books about casinos and various other types of games are included in the list below.
Regardless of whether they were looking for motivation, anecdotal stories, or a way to trick fortune, the men and women who engage in gambling have long turned to literature. Literature and books have always been the cornerstone of any individual’s success.
However, this is beside the point. We have compiled the most comprehensive list of the best gambling books that will expose a few fascinating tales and motivate you to succeed in your own endeavours.
This list of best gambling books discusses topics including whether gambling on sports is just dumb luck, if casinos can be defeated, and whether the house always wins. Our top 10 best gambling books list includes all of this and more.
Let’s dive directly into the best gambling books of all time without further ado.
Table of Contents
Titanic Thomson: The true story of the men who bet on everything
Topic: Poker
Author: Kevin Cook
Pages: 288
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2011
What a book to start of the best gambling books list and deservedly at first spot.
This book is a “raucous retelling of the life of a consummate gambler, grifter, and quintessential American character.” Moreover, it describes Alvin “Titanic” Thompson (1892–1974), who travelled with a bag full of cash, a. 45-calibre pistol, and golf equipment.
Titanic Thompson is a fantastic read for anybody who has ever placed a wager and recalls the exciting times of a unique individual.
This book is based on the real-life story of Alvin Clarence Thomas. The tale of a guy who literally won and lost millions in the most intriguing ways imaginable is the subject of Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything.
Thompson flourished in a time far different from our own, and because of his allure, Damon Runyon modelled Sky Masterson, the protagonist of Guys and Dolls, after him.
Alvin Clarence Thomas, a.k.a. Titanic Thompson, was born in 1892. He was known by the moniker “Titanic” because he would destroy everyone who made the mistake of betting against him.
From Titanic’s birth in the Ozarks to his final days in Dallas, Cook spent a whole year retracing his steps in the book.
He spoke with a large number of Titanic’s allies, rivals, relatives, and even some well-known poker players, including Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim Preston, and Jack Binion.
The end product was a versatile book that can be used to discuss a variety of subjects, including poker, organized crime, golf, and prop betting.
Bringing Down The House
Topic: Casino
Author: Ben Mezrich
Pages: 272
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 2002
Real-life nerds becoming millionaires? Sounds exciting huh. At number 2 of our best gambling books list, Bringing Down The House, is an exceptional story.
The book Bringing Down The House; The Inside story of six M.I.T. Students who took Vegas for millions by Ben Mezrich is the real-life story of six Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) students who utilized card-counting strategies to beat the odds in Las Vegas casinos are described in the 2002 book.
Unfortunately, only one character in the novel is truly based on a single person, even though it is based on a factual story.
At the novel’s beginning, Kevin Lewis appears to be inebriated as he considers playing a hand of blackjack in a casino. It’s an act; neither is he intoxicated, nor is Kevin Lewis his true name. He is up $30,000, and the dealer is pressuring him to choose his cards.
Kevin goes to his “spotter,” a young woman who gives him particular cues from across the room. The signal that reads “get out immediately” and which he has never seen before astounds him.
Before casino security catches up with him, Kevin takes his cash and the duffel bag from under his chair and heads for the door. He is shortly joined by the spotter, another M.I.T. student named Jill.
The Theory of Poker
Topic: Poker
Author: David Sklansky
Pages: 242
Publisher: Two Plus Two
Published: 1999
This book, The Theory of Poker; A professional poker player teaches you how to teach like one, written by David Sklansky on our best gambling books list, is an exceptional narration. The book contains many useful and commonly utilized concepts, tactics, and insights.
This book presents it as feeling redundant, even though the contents have been defined numerous times in other mediums. Each subject is covered in a way that the reader won’t be baffled or surprised.
According to the author, the book is meant for all types of players familiar with poker’s foundations. Readers “want to go deeper into the inner workings of the game,” he continued.
The first was the mathematical expectation or the amount of money a player is anticipated to gain or lose. Additionally, a player can assess the game and decide whether to continue playing or not.
Sklansky illustrated the mathematical expectation with a full house in a five-card draw. When a player before you bets, raising is the wisest course of action, but if you raise, the two players following you will fold. Another choice is to call the player in front of you, at which point the two players behind will do the same. Calling is, therefore, more beneficial and results in a higher and more positive expectation.
Gambling 102
Topic: Casino
Author: Michael Shakleford
Pages: 176
Publisher: Huntington Press
Published: 2005
The book Gambling 102; The best strategies for all casino games by Michael Shakleford takes you to the next level, where you’re playing at your most efficient level.
The “Wizard of Odds” of gambling offers tried-and-true techniques for all casino games on these pages, including baccarat, video poker, sic bo, and craps, in terms that are simple to comprehend and put into practice. Completely justifying its place at 4 in our best gambling books list.
Nineteen brief chapters get right to each game’s core ideas. They initially provide you with an evaluation of the odds you face before giving you the fundamental tactics you need to reduce those odds as much as feasible.
In Three Card Poker, when should you raise? What kind of hand does Let It Ride require? How do you choose and play the greatest blackjack game, of course? You have access to everything you need to play the games as effectively as possible.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told
Topic: Sports betting
Author: Mark Paul
Pages: 182
Publisher: Authority Publishing
Published: 2020
The book “The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told; A true tale of three gamblers, the Kentucky Derby and the Mexican cartel,” by Mark Paul, is a true motivational story of a filly that conquered the male-dominated world of horse racing and inspired crowds of both men and women, as well as three gamblers who set out on an extraordinary journey that is as epic as Winning Colors’ historic victory.
It’s the best true-life gambling narrative ever written and combines elements of Seabiscuit and Narcos.
Winning Colors, a magnificent 3-year-old female racehorse, was being trained for success in the late 1980s by Eugene Klein, the multi-billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers professional football team, and her well-known “Hollywood” trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.
Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie, three jovial gamblers, thought Winning Colors might be the odd female victor of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.
We hope you are as excited as we were while writing this article, Even halfway through the best gambling books list, blood is rushing and all you might be thinking of be is to get your hands on these best gambling books.
Fortune’s Formula
Topic: Casino
Author: William Poundstone
Pages: 408
Publisher: Hill and Wang
Published: 2006
The book “Fortune’s Formula; The untold story of the scientific betting system that beat the casinos and Wall Street,” by William Poundstone, walks us through one financial disaster after another to demonstrate how bet sizes were excessive in comparison to the outcomes.
Ed Thorp invented card counting to increase the likelihood of winning and give the card counter an advantage over the casino.
As the book goes on, gambling is less and less of a focus and is replaced with sophisticated tactics for generating money on Wall Street with little risk.
Additionally, just like in Vegas, where measures were taken to reduce the blackjack edge, the competition reduced the edge on Wall Street. First, Thorp established a hedge fund to profit from mispriced securities.
One of a Kind
Topic: Poker
Author: Nolan Dalla
Pages: 336
Publisher: Atria books
Published: 2006
The book “One of a Kind; The Rise and Fall of Stuey’ The Kind Ungar,’ The world’s largest poker player,” by Nolan Dalla, outlines the story of a man who won at his game but lost control of his life in the process.
Stuey was infamous for gambling every last penny in his pocket, whether it was losing his earnings at the racetrack or on a single roll of the dice.
Despite having won an estimated $30 million in his career, Stuey didn’t even have a home address. He also didn’t have a bank account.
Then, at the age of forty-five, he was discovered dead in a Vegas motel with $800 in cash—the only money he had left—on him.
Casino Gambling for Dummies
Topic: Casino
Author: Kevin Blackwood
Pages: 384
Publisher: For Dummies
Published: 2006
The book “Casino Gambling for Dummies,” by Kevin Blackwood, outlines the tale of Swain Scheps, a veteran sports bettor and professional blackjack player. Kevin Blackwood is both knowledgeable about casino gambling. These seasoned gaming professionals coach you through the crucial tactics for leaving the casino ahead of the game in Casino Gambling For Dummies.
They also highlight the most typical errors made by gamers, enabling you to minimize gambling risks and take advantage of everything the gaming business has to offer.
Casino Gambling For Dummies is the ideal manual for anyone looking for a simple introduction to the world of casino gaming. It is also a vital tool for those trying to increase their chances at blackjack, video poker, craps, slots, and other games.
Trading Bases;
Topic: Sports betting
Author: Joe Peta
Pages: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2014
The book “Trading Bases; How a wall street trader made a fortune betting on baseball,” by Joe Peta highlights the story of an ex-Wall Street trader, Peta, who describes how he established a baseball “hedge fund” with an incredible 41 percent return in his first year, taking us on his journey from the San Francisco ballpark to the trading floors and baseball bars of New York and the sportsbooks of Las Vegas. And he describes the special techniques he created.
Along the way, Peta shares insights into the Wall Street crisis he narrowly avoided, including the brittleness of the investment model popular in the mid-1990s, the disgraced former C.E.O. of Lehman Brothers who hired Peta, and the high-stress environment where million-dollar sports betting pools were common.
The Biggest Game in Town;
Topic: Poker
Author: A. Alvarez
Pages: 192
Publisher: Chronicle books
Published: 2002
The book “The Biggest Game in Town,” by A. Alvarez, is the first-ever written account of the World Series of Poker and depicts the swindlers, lunatics, and geniuses that dominated the high-stakes game in America. It provides a remarkable analysis of the allure of poker as a pastime, an addiction, a way of life, and the warped psyche of expert players and risk-takers.
Conclusion
With this list of best gambling books, you can get started with some of the greatest books that have been written about casinos, gambling and games.
These best gambling books have all been written by authors who have hugely influenced the gambling world, so we hope that you enjoyed reading them just as much as we have enjoyed compiling them.
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FAQs
What tips can you give a beginner in online gambling?
- Do your research to know what you are doing.
- Know the amount of money you have to spend, and know how to win more.
- Know how to spend your money wisely.
What are the most common mistakes people make when gambling?
People make mistakes when gambling when they view it as a way to get rich. Casinos are designed to take your money. Casinos are designed to separate you from your money. Don’t play if you can’t afford to lose.
How do you stay motivated to keep winning?
A good way to stay on the winning track in a casino is to get the odds on your side. By doing this, you will no longer be gambling for big wins. Rather, you will be gambling for small wins. But these small wins will add up over time; before you know it, you will be up big!
What are some best gambling books?
Titanic Thomson, The Theory of Poker and Gambling 102 stands out when it comes to best gambling books.
Is One of a Kind a good book on Gambling?
No best gambling books list is complete without mentioning the name One of a Kind. It is one of the best books out there.
