This book is the best craps book I have ever read, even betetr than Scoblete's two other craps books which are also excellent. What sets this book apart is the fact that Scoblete shows how to utilize the 5-count with shooters, whom he calls "Golden Shooters," who might be controlling the dice and slightly altering the nature of the game. If you are a serious craps player, get this book. If you know a serious craps player, this will make a gift that keeps on giving.

I purchased this book and Frank's previous two books, Forever Craps and Beat the Craps out of the Casinos. All three were well written and entertaining to read. I don't bet much money when playing craps and have found these books have given me a way to stay at the tables for a long time with little buy-in. I played for over five hours in Vegas on a two hundred dollar buy-in. I'm still waiting for a "golden shooter" but you can't win unless you're at the table with an available bankroll when it happens. I've seen so many people lose and leave after only 5 or 10 minutes at the tables. This is the real strength of Frank's techniques, his methods give you staying power so you will be at the table with your bankroll intact when a good roll comes along. All of his books discuss the probabilities involved with all of the bets on the layout. Not much time is spent with any bet where the house edge or "vig" is more than a few percent. He doesn't recommend making such bets and doesn't dwell on them. He only discusses strategies built on the bets with the lowest casino advantage. At the Orleans in Vegas when another player kept commenting on my play a dealer asked me not to explain it because, "the doey/don't...smart play, all I need is everyone playing that way". I'm new to craps and casino betting and have found these books to be the best of any I've read. All three are highly recommended and I'll be looking for any other of Frank's books.

I have played craps off and on for almost thirty years but I always realized that the house had the edge on every bet and so I had no real chance of coming out ahead at the game over a long period of time. However, reading Scoblete's book has shown me a method that I think can actually produce positive results. This is the third book by Mr. Scoblete that I have read and like the other two, it is deliciously different and offers an intelligent approach for getting an edge at a seemingly unbeatable game. I think craps players will find this to be a true learning experience and well worth the price.

If you want to learn the basics of how craps is played this is NOT the book to read. It assumes you already have knowledge of the game and it assumes that you are somewhat familiar with Frank's first craps book "Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win!" which is also available from Amazon.com bookstore. This book is a very advanced book with ideas that are, as the title suggests, revolutionary. Folks who are stuck in the outdated crapsthink that predominates gambling writing by the "experts" might not comprehend the subtle arguments that Scoblete makes but any astute craps player will immediately grasp the rightness of Scoblete's approach to the game. This is a really profound craps book but as I said, it isn't for beginners.

I have just finished reading Frank Scoblete's three craps books: Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos, The Captain's Craps Revolution, and Forever Craps. I have been a craps player for over twenty-five years but I never really read that much after my initial few books. Over the course of twenty-five years I have lost a lot of money, as I played the worst possible bets and I would chase my losses.

Scoblete's three books have been a revelation as well as a revolution in my thinking. Step-by-step he builds from one book to the other a method of play, a mind set, and a money management plan that is far and away the best I have ever heard of. I think reading the books in the order in which they were written, as above, is the key to really understanding Scoblete's insights and recommendations. By the time you get to Forever Craps, you will be ready to tackle the first "positive-expectation" craps approach. That approach requires discipline and full utilization of all the ideas that Scoblete has put forth in his wonderful books.

I recommend you buy all three at the same time. Think of this as a "going to college" expense. Once you have your degree, which means once you thoroughly understand Scoblete's principles of play, you will find the time and money you spent ataining that degree will be returned many fold.

This book should be read after you read "Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos: How to Play Craps and Win!" because it assumes you have some knowledge of the Captain's methods of play. It should be read before you read "Forever Craps" which is Scoblete's latest book.

Both "The Captain's Craps Revolution" and "Forever Craps" are advanced books and will appeal to the serious craps player looking to get a real edge over the casino. Scoblete explains his ideas in detail and to play his methods will take some discipline on the player's part. But I have found that by following the five count and playing first the low roller system and now the high roller system, because I have won enough money to move up a notch in my play, that I am way ahead of the game. I realize that craps is not supposed to be a beatable game but Scoblete's ideas focus on the shooters themselves and he has convinced me that by using the five count you can avoid the very worst shooters and just take your chances with the rest.

In most casino games it is not possible to actually get a mathematical edge over the casino. But Frank Scoblete explains which video-poker games are the ones where players actually have a long-term chnce to win. This book covers many of the best video-poker gamnes and his strategies are easy to understand and apply in a casino. Very worthwhile book if you want to play one of the best games the casinos have to offer.

Casinos want to take your money but at video poker the player has a chance to actually turn the tables on the casino as Frank Scoblete shows in his book. I have employed his strategies in Atlantic City and in Connecticut and they WORK!!! This book is easy to read and you will learn everything you need to know to get an edge over the casinos.

Frank Scoblete has given us strategies to approach all the various types of video poker machines. Some of these machines are even beatable, while others through a combination of return-percentage and comps can return more than you spend. The key is knowing which machines are which and how to play them. Scoblete gives his strategies in a very simple way, unlike most other video poker books that make it almost impossible to understand what the author is saying. This also has great sections of video blackjack and craps. Keno players will find a section on video keno as well. The book is very well written and Scoblete uses personal anecdotes to keep the book moving. He is a really great writer.

Casinos are in the business of taking people's money. They are not a charity and they have a 30 day money back guarantee. It's a fact and no matter what spin they try to put on it, it's your wallet that they have in their sights. It's operation drain pocketbook. And according to some estimates, as much as 80% of a given casino's revenues now come from slot machines.

They are easy to play and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure them out. Unlike table games which can be intimidating because of the interactions with other players and the complexities of the games themselves, you just put a couple of coins in and hit the little button or pull the magic lever. Who can't handle this?

It is because of this simplicity that slots generate the largest share of revenue for the gaming industry. In Blackjack, a player has lots of control over how much of an "edge" the house has. With a slot machine, it does what it is programmed to do and short of taking a sledge hammer to it - there is nothing you can do to change that - until now.

Frank begins with an excellent - but short and sweet - history of slot machines as they related to the industry. He also describes how the machine actually works, which is of great importance to the player. Some of the most basic information he provided about today's "smart slots" dispels many myths: including the one of hot and cold machines.

Not only is this section a learning experience, it helps the savvy slots player understand the forces at work behind the machines designed to take his money. Understanding how the machines work is half the battle - knowing how the casino works and why is the other half. And Frank does a remarkable job of quenching the readers' thirst for both.

Using Frank's techniques and information obtained from his interview with a casino slot executive who he refers to as "Mr. Handle", I have been able to locate the "loose" machines in even the tightest casinos. The information is not only on target, it makes sense when one considers what is being said.

Frank's extremely revealing interview - quoted verbatim - has exposed so much about the placement of "loose" machines. And what's even more valuable is the fact that Frank has not only provided the locations but also the reasoning behind the locations.

Finally, the book contains a wealth of information that has been put into perspective about the slot player's long and short term prospects. Can you really come out ahead? According to Frank, yes - but only if you are careful and heed the warnings in this title.

For the few dollars you spend on this book, you may save yourself hundreds and maybe much more at the slots.

This book is highly recommended. It gives solid strategies that have already saved me hundreds of dollars. But it is also so much fun to read. The writer knows how to tell a story and he has some of the most interetsing stories about slot players in his book. His interview with Mr. Handle about where the loose machines are placed is worth the price of the book. I also liked his section on the Darwinian Slot Selection System. You won't be bored reading this book and you will learn a LOT!

I saw this author interviewed on television and I decided to get his book. I am glad I did. For years I have been wasting my time and money playing progressive slots hoping to hit the big one. However, almost everytime I went to casinos I came home a loser. This book showed me what machines to play and how to increase my chances of coming home a winner. It was very well written and also enjoyable. The interviews and stories were first rate. This is a definite must read book for slot players.

The wheel is the key to any attempt to win money at this game and Scoblete, a consumate gaming writer, explains exactly why that is so. The "game" of roulette is unbeatable unless the wheel is flawed or the dealers have some control over their spins. Scoblete explores both these topics in an excellent way. I think his analysis of why betting systems tend to fail is excellent and his recommendations for short-term and long-term play are on the money. This is another fine book by the King of the gambling writers.

Spin Roulette Gold is a complete analysis of roulette, betting systems that have been developed to beat the game (and don't!), and advantage-play methods that can actually give the player the edge. This is the best roulette book I have ever read and I recommend it to all roulette players and to those interested in this fascinating game. Scoblete is a great writer.

The author has a very readable and enjoyable style of writing. He does a great job of explaining the terrible-truth as to why all layout systems will fail in long-run play. But, he counters this with a very nice explanation of methods using wheel strategies, such as wheel-tracking and signature-tracking, that can actually work to overcome the house advantage.

This book is very worthwhile reading to anyone who seriously wants to play roulette and actually win. I highly recommend it.

I am amazed to see so many reviews from gamblers stating how great a book this is. This book will not help you win at sports gambling! It will only help you lose your money more slowly.

There are two simple reasons that the better always loses and they are stated on page two. The bookie makes the spread and when you lose you always pay the bookie more than when you win. Mathematically speaking you have to win 53% of the time just to break even. And that's with a juice (the amount extra you pay the bookie) of 10%. On props and parlays and teasers the juice is much higher.

The reason I give this book two stars instead of one is for the pure entertainment value. I read this book cover to cover and this "James Jeffries" is a world class jerk. If anything, this book should make you want to stop betting because of the attitudes of the bookie.

If you want to actually become a bookie then I would definitely recommend it. He does miss a few points though like how much of a bankroll you need to start. And I'm curious why one would pay out the day before he collects.

I must point out that there are numerous errors in the book also. Mr. Jeffries states that he goes by Vegas odds but he has the 3 team parlay only paying out 5-1 when it should be 6-1. He also believes that half of all college basketball games are played on Sunday when in fact only a handful of televised games are played that day.

If you want to know how a bookie acts and feels, read it. Otherwise, don't bother. It won't help you win.

This book delivers everything that is promised and it's a great read. It really DOES teach you how to start your own book and how to run it professionally. By doing that, it also helps a gambler understand how lines work and why a bookie always ends up winning in the end. The first chapter on "Gambling Basics" (which is much more than "basic") is perhaps the best explanation of sports lines on every sport that I have ever read; this chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

I didn't think any book would help me stopping paying my man and actually help me collect for once, but this did it. This isn't about gambling systems or trying to sell a pick service or any of the other gambling bs most other books are like. This tells how the bookie works, how he changes the lines, WHEN he changes the lines, what bets i have the best chance to beat him on, what bets i have no chance on and stuff like that. This book is great for anybody who ever puts down a play on sports. I recommend it to anyone who needs help beating their man. This is really good.

There are serious problems with this book.

The first is that the co-author Olaf Vancura now works for Mikohn gaming, a company which specializes in developing products for the casinos, some of which are specifically designed to foil the card counting strategy Vancura recommends. Patently Vancura has little faith in his own method if he chooses to make money that way rather than at the tables.

The KO system is very simple and this has made it very popular with players. The authors make a good case for stating that the % edge for using a professional level system rather than KO is small, say a few tenths of a percentage point. That is true-but what they don't tell you is that the gains from the use of a higher level system tend to increase like compound interest in a bank account, and this can make the difference between winning tens of thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of $'s over time. The claim that K-O is superior to its nearest commercial rival, the hi-lo system, is frankly stupid and supported by data that massages statistics in a way many politicians would be proud of.

You might think is just my opinion-and to some extent you'd be right. Then again, if you get a copy of Karel Janeck's SBA simulation software or Norm Wattenbergers CVSim you will see just how poorly KO performs against other count systems.

I would recommend Wong's "Professional Blackjack" for those interested in pure counting, also John May's "Get The Edge At Blackjack" and James Grosjean's "Beyond Counting" for professional gambling methods with real money-making power.

Overall, this is an excellent book for casual or recreational players who want a simple BJ system, based on card counting, that will provide them with a definite edge over the house. The K-O System presented in the book is a level-1, "unbalanced" system that is as easy to use as it gets. The authors, Vancura and Fuchs, cover the basics of card counting and casino comportment in a very clear, concise manner. So, unless your goal is to play at the pro or semi-pro level, this may be all the BJ book you need. My only real criticism of this book is the disingenuous way the authors exaggerate the power of the K-O System. It's a good system, but, Vancura and Fuchs to the contrary, it can not and does not compare to real powerhouse systems such as Carlson's Advanced Omega II System, or Uston's Advanced Point Count. And, actually, there wasn't any real need to overstate the power of the K-O System; considering its ease of use, it's plenty powerful for most players.

This is the first book I have ever read about blackjack and gambling. I know, as many of you already do, that Blackjack does afford the player the best advantage out of any game in the casino. I have never sat down at a Blackjack table because I knew that without knowing the proper counting and basic strategy techniques, the house would always win in the long run. I had read on the Internet of various card-counting methodologies, however they all seemed to complicated and discouraging to ever consider seriously proceeding with (unless of course I had a degree from MIT, which I don't.)

Alas, I read a review of Knock-Out in the Chicago Sun-Times, which alluded to my concerns over difficulty. This book is straightforward and interesting to read, and the card-counting technique is regarded as being simple to use comparatively to other popular techniques. Even though, admittedly, this will take some practice, I am confident I can master Knock-Out with enough patience and I am not discouraged to the point of not bothering to try. I did find it somewhat surprising how much money and time is needed to have an satisfactory amount of return with relatively low risk (the fact that you start to max your betting with only a 2% advantage over the house is a testament to this fact.) Nevertheless, the book only took a couple of days to read, and it was truly hard to set down. Even though this is the first Blackjack book I have ever read, from a beginner's prospective, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Wish me luck!

Is this an entertaining book? Absolutely. Does it tell stories of all different type games, blackjack, sports books, horseracing, poker? Yes, this book gives a good overview of gambling and interesting stories to entertain the reader.

And that is it in a nutshell. I am not a big gambler but casually enjoyed this book. But I have a complaint. The title. The first story in the book is about the guy who had breast implants to win a $100,000 bet even though the story alludes to it being more of a dare than an actual bet. A picture is included and I assure you it's not fun to look at. My problem is the sensationalized title when it's less than 15% of the book.

I was referred this book by Amazon after reading Bringing Down the House, a story of MIT students who card count their way to millions. I strongly recommend that book for an interesting gambling story. The reviews for this book were very good so I decided to try it. If you have an interest in gambling, you'll enjoy this book. But it's probably only for people for whom gambling is a significant interest in their life.

I didn't want to like this book, because I'm a gambling writer myself and I was envious of its success before I ever read it. But it was impossible not to like it. Konik writes very well, has selected some fascinating characters and subjects, and provides his readers with both entertainment and education. I think that's a very effective way to write about gambling; I employ both of those elements in my own book, CASINO GAMBLING THE SMART WAY, although my style is different from Konik's and my book is more focused on the education side.

If you like to gamble, I think you too will find it impossible to avoid enjoying Konik's book. Put in a more positive fashion, you will both learn and have fun while reading it!

It's also an easy book to pick up and put down, because it's a collection of essays rather than one story which must be read to conclusion. In today's hectic world, I consider that an added bonus.

Every book I've ever read about gambling is informative and helpful. But I've never read one that you would call "well-written" or "entertaining." Michael Konik's book is like something out of "The New Yorker": it reads like literature.

I could not put this book down. Each chapter is like a delicious appetizer in a 26-course meal. I found myself laughing frequently, shaking my head in amazement and actually saying "wow" out loud.

Originally, I wanted to read about the man who got breasts to win a bet. (And I wanted to see the picture.) But then I got hooked on the other stories.

This has got to be the best book I've read in a long time.

This book taught me how to get a lot more from any craps game. For example, I never really knew about comps before and now I ask for them every time I play. The coupons in the back of the book are OK but not exactly "comps." There are good systems chapters on place bets, horn bets and a way to bet on numbers before the point is established and make money doing so. There are also chapters on dice setting and the internet and evertything is arranged so to spell out CRAPSHOOTER - C is Comps, R is for Right, A is for Attitude, P is for Pre-Setting, etc. There are also a lot of cartoons and jokes, a glossary, index, etc. Also it is fun to read and easy to understand. Probably one of the best books on craps I have ever read, hope he writes another one soon!

I just started playing craps in Las Vegas and I won over $100 using the 6s and 8s system. Plus the book was fun to read and I learned lots.

What a great, easy to read book. It taught me a lot about comps, and how to handle myself properly in the casino. Plus there was $24 worth of free coupons in the back of the book, some of which I actually used. My favorite part of the book was the 6 and 8 section, I used it at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas and won $320, plus I got my stay comped too, all because of the book. Although it was very easy to read (lots of illustrations) don't get it unless you already know how to play or you'll get confused. If you're a beginner (like I was) you will like it.

This book does a fair-to-good job of sketching out the history of Las Vegas casinos, though much of it will be familiar to readers of other books about Vegas. It is an easy read--a good airplane or bathroom book--though some of the writing seems sloppily edited. (Foe example, another poster here commented on the weirdly unqalified assertion that Bally's no longer exists, and there are places where elements from different eras of Vegas are made to seem simultaneous.)

The most substantial, and most interesting, parts of the book are the details of the history of Circus Circus Enterprises, (which has since changed their name to Mandalay Bay Resorts--they own Circus Circus, Luxor, and other hotel/casinos), which involves some of the less-written-about Vegas tycoons, notably Jay Sarno and Bill Bennett, and, in part two of the book, the day-to-day business operations of the Luxor (to which Earley had unusual access for a time).

There are a number of rather sappy "human interest" tales threaded through the book--the turbulent love life of a showgirl, a teenage hooker who becomes a blackjack dealer--that don't provide much insight into Vegas or "Super Casinos."

If the Circus Circus/Luxor stuff sounds interesting to you, then you will want to read this book.

Fabulous book on the inner workings of the casino industry. The first half of the book is a short history of the city, detailing the exploits of such Vegas characters as Jay Sarno, Howard Hughes, and of course, Bugsy Siegel.

The second half focuses strictly on Luxor. The author was granted complete access to meetings and was able to interview anyone he wished. He talked with everyone from management to dealers to cab drivers to prostitutes.

If you want to read about the inner workings of a casino and how decisions are made, this is the book to read. Very entertaining from cover to cover.

There has been a little criticism on why this book focuses on Circus Circus and not Steve Wynn and his Mirage Resorts. Wynn has been a bit "gun shy" in dealing with the press since the litigation over his biography a couple of years ago.

This book is fascinating. It really lives up to that old saying about "hard to put down." I especially like the author's concise re-creation of the "early Vegas" and his explanation of how the "new" Strip was born. I'd never heard of Jay Sarno, the mastermind behind Caesars Palace and Circus Circus who apparently spent millions bedding showgirls and gambling on golf games. Nor had I ever read anything before about Bill Bennett and Bill Pennington, who each made some $650 million and really were responsible for making the Strip "kid friendly." I thought the author also really captured Steve Wynn, who developed the Mirage and Bellagio, and is always making headlines. He is more interesting and appaarently more colorful than the old mob guys who used to control Vegas. The second half of the book proved to be even more exciting than the first because it really takes you inside the Luxor casino. Without giving his opinion about gambling, the author shows through the lives of several characters the good, bad, and ugly of Las Vegas. I found the chapters about Shawna Gray who is a teenage prostitute especially touching and I liked how the book described both a gambling addict and also Philip Freidman who is a senior citizen who plays poker every day at the Luxor and considers it his second home. When Freidman's wife gets ill, it is his poker playing crowd who comes to his rescue. What a twist. Usually these books only tell one side. This one tells it all and does it fairly. It is the most balanced, inside account that I've ever read and I would enthusiastically endorse it to anyone who wants to know why Las Vegas is the most popular vacation spot in America.