Best Gambling
The incredible true story of the card-counting mathematics professor who taught the world how to beat the dealer and, as the first of the great quantitative investors, ushered in a revolution on Wall Street. A child of the Great Depression, legendary mathematician Edward O. Thorp invented card counting, proving the seemingly impossible: that you could beat the dealer at the blackjack table. Along the way, the so-called godfather of the quants played bridge with Warren Buffett, crossed swords with a young Rudy Giuliani, detected the Bernie Madoff scheme, and, to beat the game of roulette, invented, with Claude Shannon, the world’s first wearable computer. An intellectual thrill ride, replete with practical wisdom that can guide us all in uncertain financial waters, A Man for All Markets is an instant classic—a book that challenges its readers to think logically about a seemingly irrational world. “In A Man for All Markets , [Thorp] delightfully recounts his progress (if that is the word) from college teacher to gambler to hedge-fund manager. Edward O. Thorp launched revolutions in Vegas and on Wall Street by turning math into magic, and here he weaves his own life lessons into a page-turner as hot as a deck full of aces. “Whether you are an aspiring professional player, a casual gambler, or an occasional visitor to Las Vegas, you can feel the impact of Edward O. Thorp’s intellect on that desert city. The text was based on Thorp’s original research that stemmed from his curiosity about the game of 21 and was billed as a how-to book for the layperson to beat the casinos at blackjack. A Man for All Markets chronicles Thorp’s personal journey in navigating the unexpected and sometimes dangerous obstacles that come along with challenging the status quo of a wealthy corporate adversary.” —Nicholas G. Colon, professional advantage gambler and managing director, Alea Consulting Group. Find the formula for valuing financial options but use it to make money rather than win a Nobel Prize? This book is in part the gripping story of how one man’s genius and dedication has solved so many problems in diverse fields. But more important, it’s a fascinating insight into the thought processes of someone with little interest in fame, who has mostly stayed under the radar, yet who has followed his inquisitive mind wherever it has led him, and reaped the resulting rewards.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Edward Thorp is a remarkable man - a polymath of science, computing, mathematics, and finance - and I have looked up to him for a large portion of my life, from when I read "Beat the Dealer" as an impressionable young teenager, to my career in finance as I learned more about his incredible investing exploits, told skillfully in Poundstone's "Fortune's Formula". Third, his investment management career, which was so consistently successful until it came to a screeching halt on federal charges against members of the east coast branch of his firm (Thorp does appear to have been completely uninvolved and unaware). Fourth, and longest, a 120+ page meditation on the recent past, including a handful of successful investment ideas that have been discussed ad nauseam elsewhere (thrift conversions, the Palm/3Com arbitrage trade, statistical arb) and long ruminations on compound interest, personal finance, the hedge fund industry, personal fitness, time, and his interesting but fairly tangential interactions with Warren Buffett, among other things."
"I have read almost all his books. I think this book is one of the best."
"Written by a great Economist and "Gambler"."
"An amazing life."
"As a mathematician, trained in California, Thorp has been a hero to me."
"Having informally followed some of the core life principles guided in this book, I am truly enriched after reading it and look forward to the future as I walk a similar path if I can be so fortunate."
"It condenses the knowledge of a great mind into understandable and useful advise."
• Scrabble®. • Canasta. • Contract Bridge. • Gin Rummy. • Chess. • Backgammon. • Solitaire games: Nestor, Pounce, Pyramid, and Russian Bank. • Poker variations: Anaconda, Blind Tiger, and Hold ’em. • Children’s games: Beggar-your-neighbor, Memory, and Slapjack. • Computer games: Minesweeper and Freecell. • ...And more! He is the son of late lexicographer and games expert Albert H. Morehead, the original co-editor of this book, who was the Bridge Editor of the New York Times for over 25 years and the editor of many books on games.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Just what I needed."
"You know how important it is to have the rules......These are the rules :-)."
"good reference game book of long standing."
"Great reference of various card game rules."
"I use it to teach new games to my grandsons, and when playing canasta with new friends."
"I got this mainly for the rules of Canasta."
It’s time to master small stakes poker with a world-class poker champion as your guide. In Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments, you’ll discover: - Skills that will instantly improve your poker game. - How to stop blaming bad luck and learn the real secret to mastering poker. - The pitfalls to avoid that will allow you to crush your mistake-prone peers. - The reasons pros make the plays they make and how you can adopt their methods. - How to win more money from poker, and much, much more! http://www.JonathanLittlePoker.com Jonathan Little is a professional poker player who has won over $6,400,000 playing tournament poker over the last 10 years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Well, this is one more great book by Jonathan Little. Having bought and read his Professional tournament series (I own all 3 of those books both in physical and digital form) I knew that Jonathan Little is a "little" expert in producing great books with solid content, that can teach you well about the game and elevate your poker play."
"The books are not meaty.....and lack depth, but they more then make up for that with original thinking and out of the box concepts. As an intermediate player I have found his books very interesting because they challenge my tight aggressive stance.....with a very clear explanation of the benefits of playing loose aggressive."
"If you are an advanced player who understands or is currently beating lower buy-in live tournaments this book is not for you. I kept thinking to myself, "I hope my opponents I play in low boy-in tournaments don't get this book.""
"It`s not like magic happened and I will now crush the games, but at least I`m now aware of how I should leave my "comfort zone" and adjust my game when playing against 5 different types of players I meet at low stakes tournaments: 1) Too loose too passive. 2) Too loose too aggresive. 3) Too tight too passive. 4) Too tight too aggresive. 5) Optimal players, who are in a process of moving up in stakes. I even realized that actually I`m in one of the first 4 groups and that`s why I`m still in low stakes games... I`ve used gained knowledge (and making 5$ cost payed off very quickly) against a guy from group 5 during very next local league tournament, when I checked-raised his cbet from UTG (I was defending BB) because I had backdoor flush draw on K with my KTo and flop (7s6sx) was good for my range and not for my opponent."
"This is a pamphlet with a cover ... interesting information but nothing that can't be obtained elsewhere for a lot less money."
Best Baccarat
The first book on the house of Baccarat, one of the oldest and most preeminent luxury brands in the world, renowned for its fine crystal creations. Perfect for the aesthete’s library or a gift for the lover of all that sparkles, this volume is destined to become a collector’s item.” ~ Identity Magazine “..Francophiles will exult in Baccarat , a compendium of luxury from the fabled crystal house.” ~New York Cottages & Gardens “...sumptuous tome...of one of the world’s most prestigious crystal manufacturers.” ~France Magazine. “Another fantastic book for anyone interested in interior design, the history of design and décor, the history of France or anyone who just loves a little luxury will be completely undone by Baccarat .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was looking for information on Baccarat candelabras and it is packed with beautiful photos."
"A great summary of Baccarat, with great photos."
"Fabulous history of an amazing company."
"Perfect reference book for glass professionals."
"Beautiful book."
"Excelent, very nice presentation."
"The book is beautiful, however I would have liked to see more of the glassware patterns."
Best Craps
"Frank Scoblete is an expert when it comes to the do's and don'ts of casino games. "Best-selling author Frank Scoblete will tell you the games as they really are and how to beat them. "The latest book on craps written by Frank Scoblete is, in my opinion, the best book on the subject in print. Casino Craps, Shoot to Win is published by Triumph Books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The author makes the case by setting the dice a certain way and throwing them a certain way (making sure both of the dice are rotating on the same axis) that you can reduce the possibility of certain numbers to come up and increase the possibility of certain numbers to appear. ***My Opinion on Dice Setting After Reading the Book***. While in theory it sounds reasonable, the real life application is extremely hard to do. Hence, unless you believe that dice setting does not work, you will buy into this system over time."
"Most of the book is about becoming a controlled shooter which is new from the previous book."
"In this edition the author made corrections to plays he had written about in previous books, especially concerning the 'doey-dont' strategy."
"Helped me with my game, this is one great author on the game of craps!"
"If you are seriously looking for some insight into different winning strategies for Craps then this is a good book to read."
"I'm not stating its impossible, but in the book he rants repeatedly about random games, which controlled dice throwers are still throwing random games and has no strategy for playing random games and minimizing losses to keep you at the table. Last but not least the end of the book is for setting dice, which is the standard stuff you'd expect anywhere on dice throwing: next to the stick man, proper way to set the dice, how to hold and throw them, and where they should land. I have the author's latest book, and will certainly say it is definitely a step up from this book, but is focused heavily on dice control. If your looking for dice control, these books will do nicely. The book is more advanced then the beginner book, but he explains the game in the beginning, and most of the systems in the first book are included in this book (because the beginner book doesn't have that many), and the way he approaches money management with his betting strategies is better in the advanced book then the beginner book (oddly enough, the beginner book is more aggressive when you think it'd be more conservative)."
"Frank seems to know what he's talking about after years of experience in Vegas in Atlanta casinos."
Best Lotteries
He has created a method that he and members of his family use that has enabled them to WIN several lottery game GRAND prizes. This is a very easy to use method and will work with any type of lottery games (scratch tickets or number games) in any state or country. "Since we've been using your method, we have definitely been winning more than we used to.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book was not worth the money."
"QBOOK."
"A bunch of useless infomation, basic tips. I already have known."
"Most of the content was common sense stuff easily found on the internet."
"I really don't think the information in this little book i9sm not worth $40.00,"
"a rip off!"
"After reading the very basic and often misleading advice in the book (play more numbers, buy more tickets, play the same numbers each time, etc), here's my advice: Don't buy or waste your time (all 20 minutes of it) reading this book. Hard reality: Mathematics and probability say you are not a lock even if you play the same numbers for your entire life. He can't win any 'bonus ball' game because it throws a HUGE wrench into how he plays. If he wants to claim his expertise, I'd like to see him break down what he's paid vs. what he's won from the lottery (for example, how much money he invested in playing before he hit each jackpot). To further that, his simple advice of playing more tickets more often to increase your chance of winning is universally known. Something tells me that Lustig's income is all from appearances and book royalties at this point. And the fact that he is so defensive on here against these types of reviews (read the comments of some of the bad ones) goes to show that he knows that he is simply an expert in preying upon the hopes of others."
"Dear Mr. Lustig or I prefer to use Mr. BS er after receiving your 16 pages of 5-6 paragraphs per page pamphlet you're calling a book about how to increase your chances to win the lottery."
Best Roulette
Fate steps in when an old man sits next to him and reveals a simple Roulette Strategy that makes him thousands a day! Paperback version printed in FULL COLOR, loaded with illustrations and pictures taken from inside a real casino.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I would have given this book four stars, but I have questions as to its credibility. Those who study this subject know that the system is not new, but it has been explained better in this book, and for that I would have given it four stars had I not had questions."
"Using the basic system in this book, I started with 80 dollars and between 2 to 3 hours later I had 420 dollars!"
"I can't even remember getting much out of this book but if you like gambling then you might as well read it."
"I bought this book mainly for the Roulette Strategies and was pleasantly surprised how engrossing the story was."
"I also agree with the author's statement about Rapid Roulette being the best way to play."
"Interesting concept - haven't proven them yet."
"There's not supposed to be winning strategy for players."
"In theory the strategies give you a high percentage of winning, but I went to the casino with three of my boys and tried this out and we all lost all of our money over time playing the systems, decently quickly."
Best Slot Machines
In this Second Edition you will find material that covers the new multi-play and multi-game machines. Mike will explain in simple terms how slot machines really work and using this information he will show you how you can be a better slot player. I never seemed to come home with money. I actually came home with some of the casino's money for a change!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I not only gives you tips for playing games it also gives you some history of slots."
"The different types of machines are a little confusing, however, some of the rules of thumb are applicable to more than one type."
"I was a newbie when tried some of the startegies in the book and I have decided not to keep gambling."
"I just needed to know the basics, & that's just what Mike delivered."
"Many neat tips and information for the gambler."
"The author breaks down some strategies to make yourself a smarter slot player."
"I purchased this book last year tested the multiplication worked at the regular casinos Too bad the racinos do not offer this option unless you cover all lines."
"I read this book, twice, and have been following its suggestions and have lost about $40 each time."
Best Sports Gambling
I had spent the previous night in an Italian bar trying to convince naïve girls that I was Jason Sehorn of the New York Giants. My strategy of situational betting in college and pro football is a time-tested method for beating the sportsbook. Included are detailed examples from past football seasons which will allow the reader to gain a firm understanding of the concepts that can make your betting very profitable. I also mix in candid and embarrassing personal stories that makes this a highly entertaining read while providing valuable insight that will educate all levels of degenerate gamblers. If you are sick of praying for backdoor covers, if countless bad beats have made your betting life miserable, if you are reloading your gambling account way too often - then this book is for you. Besides being a degenerate gambler, Pat is the host of Club Shaw’s Draft Party.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have to admit I haven't really read any other books on sports betting so this automatically makes it my favorite, but it is well written and packed with great info. I'm not one for tons of statistics and anything that will put me to sleep, and this was a book that puts some great insight into translatable terms that was easy to read."
"Until I found this book. It's the only book I've found that has all the info you need to be consistently successful put together all in one place .. and written so the average Joe like me can understand it ."
"I've been looking for a good book on sportsbetting to fuel my degeberate gambling habits and I randomly came by this book."
"What I really liked about Pats book is how he reminds us how to stay the course and find VALUE in your picks."
"My favorite part is he doesn't bullsh*t you- he recognizes that there will be some losses, but the name of the game is using every edge and advantage you can find and this book is great for that and an easy read to top it off."
"I love advanced stats and algorithyms but it was refreshing to read a book that reminded me why people fall in love with picking sports games to begin with."
"Definitely doesn't hurt to read, no matter the material, about sports betting if you are a new or avid gambler."
"The only people who could have liked this book had to be either a family member or one of the many friends referenced in the book."
Best Track Betting
A classic guide to handicap strategies in the field of thoroughbred racing. Beyer has been a columnist for the Washington Post since 1978, and contributes regularly to the Daily Racing Form.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"And this author shows you how to analyze horses' track records - with lots of examples (which i liked)."
"Very informative from the speed man himself."
"Betting horse races successfully depends upon choosing the right horses, and then knowing how to bet them."
"Beyer has explained all of the information available to the average horse race bettor in a straight forward way."
"I chose the rating of I like it over I love simply because I have not had a chance to finish reading it yet."
"Hope to win it big this weekend ha ha."
"As usual Andy is informative and the very best handicapper."
Best Video Poker
The Video Poker Edge first explains the basics of video poker, and introduces you to eight common video poker games that pay well and are easy to play. Former math teacher Boyd's guide to winning bucketfuls of change is not for the casual casino-goer: readers will come across sentences like "the mathematically correct way to play any dealt hand is based on the stated payout table in conjunction with statistical probabilities"; be required to keep straight variances, expected returns and expected values (some are percentages; some are currency equivalents); and learn how to read seemingly cryptic charts before sinking their teeth into the meat of Boyd's strategies.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"What this book really should say is, "get training software, and you won't need a book.""
"Great information and illustrations of the many different styles of machines and payouts."
"I can say for sure, that this is a must read book for video poker. Also, online I put a hundred dollars into a site and made over four hundred, so I guess I can say the book paid for itself, plus."
"One of the strategy cards was missing."
"This book is basically for the novice video poker player."
"Bought for my brother as a gift."
"Very good product."
Best Gambling
It’s time to master small stakes poker with a world-class poker champion as your guide. In Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments, you’ll discover: - Skills that will instantly improve your poker game. - How to stop blaming bad luck and learn the real secret to mastering poker. - The pitfalls to avoid that will allow you to crush your mistake-prone peers. - The reasons pros make the plays they make and how you can adopt their methods. - How to win more money from poker, and much, much more! http://www.JonathanLittlePoker.com Jonathan Little is a professional poker player who has won over $6,400,000 playing tournament poker over the last 10 years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Well, this is one more great book by Jonathan Little. Having bought and read his Professional tournament series (I own all 3 of those books both in physical and digital form) I knew that Jonathan Little is a "little" expert in producing great books with solid content, that can teach you well about the game and elevate your poker play."
"The books are not meaty.....and lack depth, but they more then make up for that with original thinking and out of the box concepts. As an intermediate player I have found his books very interesting because they challenge my tight aggressive stance.....with a very clear explanation of the benefits of playing loose aggressive."
"If you are an advanced player who understands or is currently beating lower buy-in live tournaments this book is not for you. I kept thinking to myself, "I hope my opponents I play in low boy-in tournaments don't get this book.""
"It`s not like magic happened and I will now crush the games, but at least I`m now aware of how I should leave my "comfort zone" and adjust my game when playing against 5 different types of players I meet at low stakes tournaments: 1) Too loose too passive. 2) Too loose too aggresive. 3) Too tight too passive. 4) Too tight too aggresive. 5) Optimal players, who are in a process of moving up in stakes. I even realized that actually I`m in one of the first 4 groups and that`s why I`m still in low stakes games... I`ve used gained knowledge (and making 5$ cost payed off very quickly) against a guy from group 5 during very next local league tournament, when I checked-raised his cbet from UTG (I was defending BB) because I had backdoor flush draw on K with my KTo and flop (7s6sx) was good for my range and not for my opponent."
"This is a pamphlet with a cover ... interesting information but nothing that can't be obtained elsewhere for a lot less money."
Best Gambling Addiction & Recovery
He has created a method that he and members of his family use that has enabled them to WIN several lottery game GRAND prizes. This is a very easy to use method and will work with any type of lottery games (scratch tickets or number games) in any state or country. "Since we've been using your method, we have definitely been winning more than we used to.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book was not worth the money."
"QBOOK."
"A bunch of useless infomation, basic tips. I already have known."
"Most of the content was common sense stuff easily found on the internet."
"After reading the very basic and often misleading advice in the book (play more numbers, buy more tickets, play the same numbers each time, etc), here's my advice: Don't buy or waste your time (all 20 minutes of it) reading this book. Hard reality: Mathematics and probability say you are not a lock even if you play the same numbers for your entire life. He can't win any 'bonus ball' game because it throws a HUGE wrench into how he plays. If he wants to claim his expertise, I'd like to see him break down what he's paid vs. what he's won from the lottery (for example, how much money he invested in playing before he hit each jackpot). To further that, his simple advice of playing more tickets more often to increase your chance of winning is universally known. Something tells me that Lustig's income is all from appearances and book royalties at this point. And the fact that he is so defensive on here against these types of reviews (read the comments of some of the bad ones) goes to show that he knows that he is simply an expert in preying upon the hopes of others."
"I really don't think the information in this little book i9sm not worth $40.00,"
"A useless product, don't waste you money on this."
"Dear Mr. Lustig or I prefer to use Mr. BS er after receiving your 16 pages of 5-6 paragraphs per page pamphlet you're calling a book about how to increase your chances to win the lottery."
Best Card Games
It’s time to master small stakes poker with a world-class poker champion as your guide. In Strategies for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments, you’ll discover: - Skills that will instantly improve your poker game. - How to stop blaming bad luck and learn the real secret to mastering poker. - The pitfalls to avoid that will allow you to crush your mistake-prone peers. - The reasons pros make the plays they make and how you can adopt their methods. - How to win more money from poker, and much, much more! http://www.JonathanLittlePoker.com Jonathan Little is a professional poker player who has won over $6,400,000 playing tournament poker over the last 10 years.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Well, this is one more great book by Jonathan Little. Having bought and read his Professional tournament series (I own all 3 of those books both in physical and digital form) I knew that Jonathan Little is a "little" expert in producing great books with solid content, that can teach you well about the game and elevate your poker play."
"The books are not meaty.....and lack depth, but they more then make up for that with original thinking and out of the box concepts. As an intermediate player I have found his books very interesting because they challenge my tight aggressive stance.....with a very clear explanation of the benefits of playing loose aggressive."
"If you are an advanced player who understands or is currently beating lower buy-in live tournaments this book is not for you. I kept thinking to myself, "I hope my opponents I play in low boy-in tournaments don't get this book.""
"It`s not like magic happened and I will now crush the games, but at least I`m now aware of how I should leave my "comfort zone" and adjust my game when playing against 5 different types of players I meet at low stakes tournaments: 1) Too loose too passive. 2) Too loose too aggresive. 3) Too tight too passive. 4) Too tight too aggresive. 5) Optimal players, who are in a process of moving up in stakes. I even realized that actually I`m in one of the first 4 groups and that`s why I`m still in low stakes games... I`ve used gained knowledge (and making 5$ cost payed off very quickly) against a guy from group 5 during very next local league tournament, when I checked-raised his cbet from UTG (I was defending BB) because I had backdoor flush draw on K with my KTo and flop (7s6sx) was good for my range and not for my opponent."
"This is a pamphlet with a cover ... interesting information but nothing that can't be obtained elsewhere for a lot less money."