It is strange but the first time I used the Lottery System in this book my numbers came out in the New York Lottery. I had all three digits in the New York Daily 3 Digit Game. It is a good sign when a Lottery System wins the first time. The underlying system in the book is an old Italian Numerology system which converts dream interpretations to lottery numbers to play. The original book gained much attention when people in Italy started winning the Lottery with the system found in this book. JAH, LSSI Inc.

This Book is extremely worthwhile. It associates lottery numbers with practically anything you could ever dream of! It's a great book to give as a present, or to someone who is religious in playing the lottery. It's easy to find your associated numbers and the process is extremely simple. I'd say this book is worth it!

I don't know if "Your Dream Ticket" works always and with everybody.But I believe in it and I guess that my faith is one important clue in this matter.The first time I used the book, I win, not the jackpot yet, but the fourth prize.I know that the jackpot will come soon.

This is the third book by Jackson Lears and it confirms his status as one of the most innovative of American intellectual historians. Like his previous books "No Place of Grace" about late 19th century conservative intellectuals, and "Fables of Abundance" about American advertising, his approach is idiosyncratic, and not easily summarized. His work uses a large amount of literary allusion, so as "Fables" invoked Little Nemo and examined Henry James and Joseph Cornell, in "Something" Cornell makes a return appearance, along with Mark Twain, Damon Runyon (of course) and a special examination of "Invisible Man."

Lears' book is based on a contrast between a "Culture of Chance" and a "Culture of Control." Naturally, the growth of science has helped to vastly strengthen the latter against the former. But it is not that simple. There is a clash between differing Christian, indeed Protestant, views of grace. Is grace granted unconditionally, freely, like the winner of a game of chance? Or is it a matter of Divine Providence which, if not saying salvation is earned by merit, does strongly state that the hard working self made man either will get success or deserves the success he gets. Lears discusses this in a nuanced and subtle reading of the theologian Paul Tillich. One the one hand he was promiscuous and power-hungry ("not an attractive combination, in a theologian or anyone else") and his view of grace could be fashionable, dangerously naive and convenient. But there was something important, that recognized the link between grace and chance. "...Tillich had recaptured a key element in the religion of Jesus..."

It is at this point that one must demur. As a Jew, and as a critical historian I must object to any view that attributes to Jesus the ideas of grace that were developed by Paul, Augustine, Luther, Calvin or by American theologians. If there is one constant flaw of American Protestantism, both liberal and conservative, whether evangelically Orthodox or Mormon/Jehovah's Witness heterodox, it is to attribute to first century Palestine beliefs which could only have developed in the United States. Although more sophisticated than most, Lears (and the late Christopher Lasch) fall to this temptation. Another problem is that Lears does not discuss the flip side of grace. Damnation can also be awarded freely, and with no right of appeal. And if most Protestants believe they will be saved, for much of the first few centuries of Protestantism its theologians assumed most of their fellow Christians were doomed, while the non-Christian majority of humanity did not have a chance. To the extent that American Protestants no longer believe this, it is not simply the result of glib positivism, complacent pro-capitalism or sinister and sentimental "therapeutic" motifs.

"Something" is also weaker than "Fables" because it is often repetitive and less coherent. Nevertheless there is much of value for the reader here. He discusses the culture of chance in America and its roots among Europeans, Africans, and Indian Americans (rather tellingly, there was a "virtually complete absence" of cheating among the last group). Although gambling is often addictive and harmful, and clearly an unjust way of raising revenues, the culture of control's critique is often moralistic, and fatally unimaginative. There is much discussion of the social pretensions of gamblers, and their tendency to cheat. Particularly interesting is how the culture of control slowly increased its influence in the 19th century, while at the same time euphemizing or ignoring those trends in science which undermined it. Chance could be tamed by the scientific study of probability, and later public opinion poll surveys and Tayloristic management. Darwinism's undermining of conscious design and teleology could be ignored. But ultimately anthropologists developed more sophisticated understandings of what people had long dismissed as "superstition." The crude positivist certainties were undermined as non-Euclidean mathematics and quantum physics arose.

The best chapter is the penultimate one, "The Persistent Allure of Accident," in which Lears notes the recovery of chance in modernist literature like Joyce and Proust. We see the influence of Chance in Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism. And we see Chance's sway in Abstract Expressionism, the Beats and John Cage. But this allure has its own weaknesses. Lears points out that the risk-taking persona could degenerate into a pose. In particularly nuanced readings Lears points out that the Beats could collapse into misogyny and solipism, and Cage's work could contribute to postmodernist triviality. But there was another, more fruitful side in both Cage and the Beats, a theme best represented in Robert Motherwell's desire not to be the slave of chance, but its partner. If chance and grace are not to by synonoms for solipsism, that we have to remember "to recognize the role of other people in the creation of grace." Now that is a gamble we all have to take.

In "Something For Nothing" Jackson Lears has come up with nothing less than a fresh way to look at the American idea. He tells the story of two cultures: -- "the culture of control," and the "culture of chance" -- that have bubbled beneath the surface American life from the beginning (and he traces their roots deeper into history as well). He returns to gambling often, but this is much more than a social history of gambling. It's easy to think of America as place where the culture of control dominates and always has, in the form of the "work ethic" that says that the way to get ahead is to work hard, merit will be rewarded, etc. This notion is so basic to the way many contemporary debates are framed that we hardly even think about it anymore. But there are now and always have been competing ideas out there -- in the most unexpected places -- about the role of chance, or luck, in life. At times the culture of control has simply denied chance, and aother times it has tried to subdue it (through everything from insurance to statistics-based social science to management theory). At times the lines have been blurry -- business risk-taking has been culturally rewarded even when it is as much a matter of chance as a (demonized) spin of the roulette wheel. Obviously I'm oversimplifying, but the book is incredibly thought-provoking. It's also thick with references drawn from history, culture, art, literature, philosophy -- at times this is dazzling and at times it's overwhelming; one almost feels the need to pause, get a Ph.D. in American Studies, and then return to the book. But on the whole Lears is in command of the material, and makes his book a fascinating and important read.

I'm not sure I'm convinced by the attempt at thumbnail psychological profiling of gamblers from times past, especially in a book as breezy and entertaining as this one. But my only real complaint was the author's tendency to try to make himself sound like he possesses special sympathy for those who dare to buck tradition (and perhaps sound reasoning) in order to get a little closer to the reality of chance and dollar-bought pleasure. Academics are always claiming to side with the impoverished little guy, as if anyone really belives that the sedentary class of academic bourgeois even understands the choices made by all those who avoid institutional permanence and comfort and upper middle class gloss; are these scholars really on the side of those who take risks and think of money as the route to ephermal but appreciated material pleasure? After reading this book I found myself thinking: If only academics were capable of the same daring as the people profiled in this charming book!

I read this book as a teenager and enjoyed it immensely. Since then, I've often wondered if it was true. I recently decided to write a simulation program that plays the system exactly as laid out in the book. What did I find? Email me at jwoodger@sympatico.ca, if you're interested.

I read the book in less than two days....truly was hard to put down....if you are just picking up a book to browse through and try and pick up a system, then you don't want the book...the system is explained throughout...no charts or graphs or any other BS....I found it to be a great read and have used a part of the system(mostly red/black and high/low) 5 times in the casinos(hardly enough to prove anything)but have walked away with $100+ each time...Now I don't have the capital to get a "Mushroom" as they call it, but if you can consistently walk away from the casino with $100-$200 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of play...isn't that worth it.....Not quite as profitable as the European wheel, but it can still turn a profit with patience....BUY IT, READ IT AND ENJOY IT!

The fascinating account of how Norman Leigh took a team to break the bank at Nice using his roulette system. Dryly funny, it offers an insight into how gambling affects and alters personalties. It also illustrates a winning roulette system for those with the exceptional discipline, stamina and bankroll required to play it.

Whether you are embarking on that Monte Carlo night in your home town or a livin' it up Las Vegas gampage, this is a book to get!

The author covers several areas from Slots, to the table games, including one of my favourites, Roulette.

Awareness is key, why learn the expensive way? Making rookie mistakes learning by paying through the nose. Get educated and pick up some great tips and understand the rules.

Well written and worth it, you'll spend more on 2 minutes in blackjack or 5 minutes at slots.

You won't have the odds against you with this book.

When I moved, I found this book in my library. I go frequently to southern Nevada, but I no longer have the money to sustain the losses one can incur even if one is a good player at "21." I do enjoy gambling, and had decided to try video poker. I was presently surprised to find that with the information on pp. 43-48, I could turn a machine with a decent payout schedule into a positive expectation. I left Nevada with a net amount higher than I had seen from "21" in quite a while. The information in this book has made me a great fan of video poker played statistically properly.

I really like this book and have recommended it to others. It covers all the basic casino games. The descriptions are clear and concise. It is small enough that you can even put it in a coat pocket for a trip to the casino.

Yes, there are other books that tell you much more (in my opinion, way too much more) about one certain game or a certain few games. I have found no other book that covers so much in such a straightforward manner.

I'm a pretty smart guy. Just tell me the rules and the basic strategy and I can figure things out. I don't need to be told how stupid I am if I ever even think about playing Let It Ride or Caribbean Stud. I don't need to hear "war stories" about how the author made his living gambling and why his "system" is so great. I don't need a treatise on Probability and Statistics. (I have a degree in Mathematics, thank you). This book doesn't bore you with any of those things. It gives you the facts and leaves it up to you to decide how to gamble.

In addition to the rules and basic strategy there are straightforward tips on etiquette, interacting with the dealer, and tipping.

PS- In second place, I would put the Fodor's guide to Las Vegas.

This book did not quite meet my expectations. Since I have more reason to criticize I shall start my review by listing the flaws.

First thing that strikes me as a mistake is the fact that the works are not arranged in any order, but rather just thrown in at random. Although the authors make it clear in the introduction that this was done deliberately it still strikes me as a poor decision.

Next, neither one of the two authors is an art historian. Too bad, because a lot of the works merit better descriptions.

In my opinion the authors included too many works by LeRoy Neiman, and at the same time failed to include some very important works of art that should really have been included to make this book complete. LeRoy Neiman also wrote the Foreword, which is fine, except that he made a big mistake in his description of the world famous painting "The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs" by Georges de La Tour. He says, "Women gambling pops up frequently in this collection. Georges de La Tour's painting of a woman being cheated..." The famous painting in question shows a young man being cheated by small conspiratorial group of two women and a man. How could such big mistake slip through the cracks and end up in print? Sloppiness?

While at the subject of La Tour's masterpiece, "The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs". The authors do mention that this painting is a virtual clone of another work by the same artist, "The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds", however they did not include a color plate of the other one. Why not? Furthermore the authors have totally failed to provide an accurate description of this masterpiece. According to the authors this painting is about a cheat switching cards. Yes, a cheat is seen holding out two aces behind his back, however there is more to it; the main foundation for this painting is a moral essay on the three main temptations of the 17th century - women , gambling and wine. A quick glance into a few art books would have made this fact known to the authors.

Although the authors did note that the above-mentioned work was strongly influenced by Caravaggio's "The Cardsharpers", they failed to include any paintings by Valentin de Boulogne, a celebrated artist, also influenced by Caravaggio, and the only one said to come close or even surpass Caravaggio's talent. The two masterpieces by Valentin that should have been included are "Cardsharpers" and "Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice" (aka "The Cheats").

Other paintings that should have been included are works by Theodor Rombouts, such as "Card and Backgammon players" (aka "Fight Over Cards"), and two renditions of "The Card Players". The exclusion of the above-mentioned works makes this book incomplete.

As I had already mentioned, the descriptions of the paintings tend to be a bit incomplete, sometimes inaccurate, and often tend to focus on irrelevant subjects. For example, in the description of "The Dice Playes" by Georges de La Tour, which was painted in 1650, the authors slip away to a description of an event that happened in 1984 when a Texan (unnamed) made a one million Dollar bet at the Craps table, at Binnion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Although this is undoubtedly a good story, what does that have to do with the painting that La Tour painted in the 17th century?

As an example of an inaccurate description I could mention the Carl Kronberger's "Surprised". At first glance one can see a scene in which three card players, seated under a bridge are distracted by a carriage that happens to be passing over the same bridge. The authors are attempting to guess which three-handed game of card the players could be playing. However, what they failed to notice is that the players are seated on top of their bags, around a make-shift table, and that there is an abandoned fourth bag over which the absent fourth player laid his hand of five cards to rest. Furthermore this fourth player left his wager (a few coins) on the card table. At the same time he is seen begging for change, hat in hand, on top of the bridge, as the rich man seated in the carriage in tossing spare change into the man's hat. The painting obviously shows an interrupted four-handed game, and not a three-handed game, as the authors are guessing.

On the good note, I still find the book interesting. It is probably the best gaming-related art book with good color reproductions. Despite its flaws it is till obvious that the authors did do a substantial amount of research and I do recommend this book for anyone interested in gaming and/or gambling, and art.

I bought this as a gift, and I only had time to thumb through it. I figured that I would write a quick note since it has not been rated and others might at least want an idea.

This book is full of interesting and colorful art work. From card games to horse racing it has it all. If you think you will be interested you will like it. I was very happy with the purchase.

Harry Anderson is one of my favorite magicians. His style and presentation are outstanding. It's a shame that this is the only book he's written. This book starts out showing you some fabulous cons you can pull on people. The first 92 pages teach you exactly what the book says. Unfortunately, the last 70 pages are about "Games you can't win" and tell you all about casinos and carny scams. It's a shame that the book starts out so good, then fizzles like it does. It's still worth the money and will make you look quite sly around your friends.

When I was in high school I bought this book at Disneyland, and read it from cover to cover on the plane-ride back. It's absolutely the funniest, most memorable book I've ever read, and even now, 7 years later I still share anecdotes with my friends, such as "How to take your vest off without taking of your jacket", "Fooling the 3-card Monty", and various other tricks and stories.

I too have lent this book out to my "friends" and have never had it returned to me. It's really a shame the book is out of print, because I really wanted to buy it all over again.

If you find a copy of this book, BUY IT! If you own a copy of this book, don't loan it out. It will not return to you. (If you borrowed this book from me, I want it back.) This book is fun, enlightening and educational.

A GREAT BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THOSE EARLY DAYS. IT HAS A FEW GOOD TIPS ON COVER THRU STORIES HOWEVER THIS A REALLY DATED FOR ANY PRACTICAL USE IN CASIOS TODAY.

Ken Uston once again demonstrates why he was the world's foremost authority on the game of blackjack. His playing experiences were both varied and extreme. In this book, he tells stories (some told before) of his playing experiences, and details his ultimately fruitless attempts to get the Nevada Gaming Commission to stop the casino practice of barring card counters. Of note: in this book he disavows his previously touted Uston APC count, stating that it's just too difficult to use effectively, and that simpler systems are probably more effective in the long run. That piece of information alone makes the book worth having, and in this book he suggests which other systems should be used instead.

This book does NOT contain tips on playing blackjack. Instead it is filled with stories and anecdotes of how the infamous Ken Uston used Team Play to beat the casinos out of millions of dollars. Millions. At times laugh-out-loud, occasionally boring when the courts become involved, but is quite accessible even for those with little familiarity with 21.

If you want to read about other casino shenanigans, like how some physics students put computers in their shoes and beat the roulette wheel (and still to this day receive royalty checks), grab a copy of the Eudemonic Pie. For the book that started it all: Beat the Dealer.

If you're looking to become a card counter after reading this, check out the de facto standard for any serious counter: Million Dollar Blackjack, also by Uston. Do not waste time with the others, particularly Jerry Patterson's shuffle tracking scheme.

Although this book does not recommend any specific system to employ at the tables, it does however give the reader a breakdown of result occurence (banker, player) which could be used when anticipating the best time to place a bet.

Lyle Stuart does it again, shining light on the world of gambling, true tales of instant wealth and even faster ruin. Stuart is one of the foremost authorities on Baccarat and gambling, winning several world champion Baccarat games and going home with hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings.

Lyle tells you the odds, how to beat them and how to walk away before they turn against you.

Lyles Stuart tells not only how to win at Baccarat but more importantly how not to lose your shirt. Lyle is a world champion Baccarat player and actually plays exactly how he writes with enthusiasm and passion, balanced by common sense.

This incredible book gives an insider's view of both the game and the world of gambling. His stories will have you laughing and grimacing from one moment to the next as he tells of millions lost and won.

As a gambling authority, Mr. Stuart, is often called on to help casinos protect themselves from cardcheats and cons. He tells you exactly which games to play for the best odds and which to run from with wallet gripped firmly in hand.

All in all this is one of the best baccarat and gambling books I have ever read.

Caterina Christakos

This one is ok, not one of the best, but not the worst either. It did have some decent tips and strategies for spotting an overlay and has been somewhat of a help to me in my handicapping.

I thought the book was pretty good. Some good straightforward advice that is good to take with you to the track. No systems or guarantees, just common sense. The only drawback is that the analysis is using older formats of the Racing Form that doesn't include Beyers, and other newer things. The insight from the Mig, PG Johnson etc. was helpful.

ilikethereviewu

This book is worth reading for the appendix and details on trip handicapping, but the material on track biases smacks of type 1 errors (finding differences that aren't really there).

The main theme of this book is trip handicapping and a horseplayer who mainly focuses on figures must read. This book will change your mind and ways of thinking. I am actually quite surprise that this book was written over 10 years ago.

With Andrew Beyers new approach to handicapping, I have grasped the full potential of my own creative handicapping skill. A full out knowledge investment. This book is gauranteed to lead an intelligent player to success.