Top 10 Gambling Books for Casino Players and Sports Bettors

Are you an avid sports bettor or online casino player seeking to expand your knowledge of gambling? You must have read one or two gambling books. For those who haven’t, these books can boost your wit and decision-making skills to survive in the harsh gambling environment. From Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich to Mastering Poker Math by Chuck Clayton, there’s no shortage of betting books to read. Below are some carefully selected samples to purchase:

Bringing Down the House – Ben Mezrich

Bringing Down the House might be the ideal motivation for blackjack fans. Published in September 2003, this 257-page book is about the true life story of the iconic MIT Blackjack Team, famous for their card-counting and edge-sorting skills. In this book, Kevin Lewis, an MIT graduate, is recruited into the team by the squad’s top players. The idea was for this team to use their card-counting skills to bring down casinos in Las Vegas. Follow their story and borrow something from your blackjack gaming sessions. 

Beat the Dealer – Edward O. Thorp

Beat the Dealer is another excellent book to sharpen your skills in the game of 21. This book was published in 1962 when most casinos still used single decks on blackjack. But thanks to this book, casinos have since shifted to six or eight decks. This book clearly explains the basic and advanced blackjack strategies that might improve your strategy a lot. In fact, many gambling systems can trace their roots to this practical gambling book. Remember that Edward O. Thorp was a math professor at MIT.

Mastering Poker Math – Chuck Clayton

Poker is arguably one of the best casino games. This game allows bettors to use an optimal strategy to reduce the house edge below 0.50%. Some online poker variants can even have more than a 100% return rate. Chuck Clayton teaches poker players how to trust numbers in the right circumstances and situations in this book. Mastering Poker Math explains essential gaming aspects like bluffing, chip management, tracking results, and much more. You might start playing with a greater confidence level after reading this book. 

Card Games for Beginners – Martin Jenkins

Martin Jenkins understands that card games like poker and blackjack have changed over the years. Therefore, in this 213-page book, the author gives simple instructions to play games like blackjack, poker, crazy eights, solitaire, and more. You’ll find basic and advanced strategies and the different terminologies used for each game. It might not be the most advanced gambling book, but it’s perfect for beginners.

Card Games for Dummies – Barry Rigal

Published on October 7, 2005, Card Games for Dummies is a 384-page book that targets beginners in blackjack, Texas Hold’em, Stud Poker, and other card games. It has a lorry-load of fun and helpful gambling information to help players pick up a winning card strategy. You’ll discover how to improve your decision-making, play regional game variations, develop a winning strategy, and learn to play responsibly. This book is undoubtedly helpful for beginner card game players. 

Fortune’s Formula – William Poundstone

Edward Thorp and the MIT Blackjack Team went to Vegas with the “Kelly formula”, and it worked. These legends realized that the formula could even generate more money on the stock exchange, with Shannon becoming a successful investor, topping the current Warren Buffet rate. This 386-page book finds out how the “Kelly formula” sparked controversies even as it made a killing on trading desks, casinos, and racetracks. It’s more about unmasking the formulas than praising them.

Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling (Casino Edition) – David G. Schwartz

Playing casino games at the best online casino sites using a strategy learned from these gambling books is undoubtedly critical. But it is equally important to understand where the casino industry has come from, how it has evolved, and the current state of affairs. This book will walk you through all that. From the first land-based casino in 1638 to the casino revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries, this audiobook will help you appreciate the history of casinos and gambling.

Bursting Vegas – Ben Mezrich

Bursting Vegas is another masterpiece by this well-respected author in the gambling industry. Published in 2005, this book follows the escapades of a group of blackjack players, the MIT Blackjack Team. As expected, the book is a sequel to “Bringing Down the House.” But in Bursting Vegas, the characters are more active. In this book, players employ effective strategies like Ace sequencing and card steering to stay ahead of the house edge. But their luck ran out after operators launched an aggressive investigation that forced the team to flee the US. 

Thinking in Bets – Annie Duke

This masterpiece is for sports bettors who want to make more intelligent betting decisions without all the facts. Annie Duke, a business consultant and former WSP champion, teaches bettors how to be comfortable around uncertainty and make smarter decisions. She draws practical examples from business, sports, politics, and poker to help bettors make better decisions in split seconds. She teaches bettors to be less reactive to emotions and avoid knee-jerk reactions to become calm and prosperous.

The Everything Guide to Sports Betting – Josh Appelbaum

Betting money on sports can ensure any event becomes a must-watch. But for a beginner, risking too much or placing the wrong wager is a common problem. Thankfully, Josh Appelbaum won’t let that happen in “The Everything Guide to Sports Betting.” This book has tips and tactics to help you place a strategic sports bet. The author teaches you how to find a potentially successful bet on all major sports leagues. Read it if you want to find value in sports betting.

Conclusion

Gambling books are a great source of information for those wishing to become better gamblers. These books are filled with lots of real-life examples to give readers more profound insights into how gambling works. But whichever book you read, remember that gambling is purely about luck. So, no strategy guarantees success at the casino.