Gambling Books

Bob Dancer, a successful video poker and card poker player in his own right, has authored a series of books dealing with easy to follow video poker player technique. Unlike the original books listed (1996), Dancer has completely revised (2003 & 2004) and added new information as part of a SIX-VOLUME set to cover roughly 32 video poker variations found at most Nevada Casinos. The books are broken up into four skill levels: Novice or Beginner, and higher skill strategy for educated players that are looking for more challenge and higher payoffs.
The best part is the text is easy to read and comprehend. I keep a copy in the bathroom for reference, and after studying the book that covered my favorite game (Deuces Wild), I took the plunge and played $5 into $150 the first time out. Instead of just sitting there plugging in coins, I found that I can actually enjoy the play and constantly people sitting next to me sit there wondering why I am getting paid and they are not.
Another feature that Mr Dancer emphasizes is the avid use and memebership in slot clubs, as many of these will allow you to enjoy many perks and comps that used to exist across the board to all casino players; comps such as meal, play money credits, merchandise, gifts of all sorts, jackpot multipliers, show tickets, hotel rooms on the house, and various other come-ons that can be very interesting and elusive to other players.
Besides the books on Video poker, Bob Dancer also publishes other books about his experiences as a professional gambler, and software that you can purchase and load on your computer that will coach you as you learn valid methods to improve your game.
Mr. Dancer is also easily approachable and exhuberant. If you are in Las Vegas, the author gives classes in local casinos once a week at no charge other than your own bankroll in a machine. You would think casino hosts would cringe at a player that is sharing secrets, but to the contrary, they are happy that some player, Mr Dancer in this case, has figured out the programs, payback schedules, and other quirks that make gambling fun instead of a stress point that other experience when they lose out of ignorance.
I like the Deuces Wild because it is one of the beatable forms of video poker, and actually has paid me far more than what I put into it, following Bob Dancer's advice.
If you play video poker, in its varied forms, you cannot afford not to read and learn Dancer's strategies.

"All about Roulette" by John Gollehon is a good introduction to the game of Roulette. It describes how the game was originated, and goes on to explain various aspects of the game. The author tells about the equipments which consists of wheel, table, ball, bet and the chips. The game begins with the rotation of wheel by dealer and the cycle is complete when the next game begins. This cycle consists of various small steps. This description is helpful to understand the process. The chapter 'How to play' explains various types of bets including inside/outside, odd/even, red/black, straight up etc and tells what is wager and how the pay-off is made by dealer. The chapter 'Improving the Odds' gives various ways by which a player may like to increase the chances of winning. The author has suggested the reader to play on "European Style" wheel which has a single zero so more chances of winning money. Playing the single 0 wheel, Clocking the wheel, Clocking the dealer, reading a dealer's mind are some of the aspects which author has touched. It gives a good idea to the general reader. The language is humourous and light one which maintains the interest of the reader to complete the book in one sitting. For the beginner all the bets, wheel, chips, layout of table are explained in detail. Author also describes the built in advantage the casino house has. It gives a clear idea of how much a player is likely to lose because of the bias in favour of casino. When a beginner plays the game, he is certain to overlook many small things like placing the bet only after the dealer playes the ball, picking up the wager when the bet is won etc. This book makes him aware of those aspects so that he is well prepared for the same. The book is handy. However, compared to other books the price is steeply on higher side. Other books in the same price range describe many other games. The reader may find in them more value for the money. But overall it a good introductory book for the game of Roulette.

This book opened my eyes to the world of casino gambling like no other book I've ever read dealing with the subject of gambling. His chapter on blackjack was very interesting.

Wow! A time saving reference which contains charts of 1,000 actual casino delt shoes (not computer generated, with more than 80,000 decisions. This is definately a helpful tool for the advanced Baccarat player. The ties, player and bank are easy to read. Gives authentic Las Vegas casino patterns. Offers good advice and tactics to test wager validity with a small bankroll.

This was the book I learned backgammon with in the 1970s. It doesn't have modern 1990s theory but still provides solid all-around advice on a variety of topics. The book's strengths are its discussions of probabilities, back games, late positions, and unusual plays. There is also a long history of the game and a lot of discussion of chouettes and other variations. The modern expert might not agree with the opening moves or the doubling theory, but all in all there's plenty there for newcomers to learn.

This book is for us cheap people. It has a broad summary of things to do in Vegas cheaply. It also covers how to find bargains in Vegas. I used recommendations on where to find bargains on food, drinks, and fun book activities.

The book provides a great amount of beginner information, for someone who has no knowledge of horseracing. Not for the advanced horseplay.

This book covers the basics to help you understand the layout, the odds, and the flow of a game of craps. However, I feel that it falls short of other books I have read when it comes to exploring various styles or systems of play. For that, I would recommend John Patrick's books on Craps.

I consider this a 3 star book except for one thing. Chapter 9 (if I remember right) has an excellent chart of odds for the various bets/payoffs around the table. It brings it all together in one easy-to-understand chart. I gave an extra star for that chart gathering up all the information for me in one place.

It's not a bad book. I just don't feel it gave me any new insights to the game.

Very good, easy read that clearly and concisely explains the basics of the various casino games. I found it very useful as it is filled not with just facts, but advice that is meant to keep you out of harms way, which is after all exactly where the casinos would like you to be. For less than the price of your first bet, it's an easier decision than whether to place your bet on the pass or don't pass line

MANY YEARS AGO I PURCHASED THIS BOOK...BASICALLY ITS ROOTS PHILOSOPHY ON GAMBLING. HE GIVES SOUND ADVICE, THEORIES, AND WHAT WERE ONCE CURRENT TRENDS....ITS AN EASY READ AND A GAMBLERS DELIGHT, BUT ITS NOT A BOOK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE..SO SPORTS BETTING MUST BE YOUR CUP OF TEA..