This is such a great book. It's the kind of book that you can't put down. If you love golf you will love this book.

Mr Border presents some very practical information on the mechanics of managing your wagering dollars. He covers everything from straight betting to the exotics, in easy to follow fashion. Very good discussion on how to pick contenders, and how to make high probability bets without having to create your own speed ratings or track variants, etc. Most profitable book I've read all year.

Since reading Modern Pace Handicapping I have really increased my winnings at the track. I hit a [money] trifecta because of this book. It has an excellent way of explaining pace. The calculations aren't too difficult but it does take lots of time before the races to determine the best horses. This was a great investment but it is for serious handicappers. Great Book.

If you are serious about horseracing and want to beat the public, this is the book for you. Tom Brohamer introduction to the reader of Dr. Howard Sartin's methodology on pace handicapping will change the way you look at horse racing forever. After reading this book you may want to find out more about Sartin methodology, and eventually obtain an easy to use computer program to make your handicapping job much easier and more effective. I hit a $2400 trifecta using this method last month.

Whether you subscribe to one handicapping theory or many, Tom Brohemer's explanation of modern pace handicapping is the best I've read.

Brohamer clearly and succintly outlines his tenents of pace handicapping and makes it easy to convert running times into meaningful handicapping information. He uses charts from actual races to illustrate his theories. The book is easy to follow and understand for semi-experienced handicapper, but takes a bit of practice to convert 1st and 2nd call fractions into pace numbers. The book covers modern tenents of pace handicapping, including running style,class drops, energy distribution. Even if you chose not to do the arithmetic, Brohamer's explanation of pace will increase your profit.

To win at the races you need to eliminate the losers. This book gives the serious handicapper the tools to choose the horses that are really in contention for todays race. With the help of this book and some reasonable handicapping skills, one can see a difference at the betting windows. The only criticsm is that there is not any great insight on money management, which was not the purpose of this book but would have been a nice bonus.

A great book that fully explains class differentials and what horses to look for to win certain classes...Must read for any player

This was truly an eye opener for me, a casual Thoroughbred bettor. James Quinn has positively showed me the light! This book is an up to date, complete analysis of modern formulas to understand how eligible horses qualify for certain races and how to spot the probable winner. 100 stars!!!!

Tina Trapp herself learns how to play craps, and then for a full year she learns more and more and eventually becomes an expert player. It doesnt happen overnight. I learned all about craps from this book, plus parts are funny and it is easy to read. There are a lot of "adult" parts too so this not a kid's book, but the main emphasis is on craps. It takes place in Las Vegas and is very realistic, who knows, it might have really happened. Later on in the book she goes into advanced systems which were pretty interesting. The plot was interesting too and it had a happy ending as well.

Really informative.....opened up the complex game of craps and
I actually understood it......great book!

If like me, you love the game of craps, then you will want this book. Tina tells you all about her life as a Vegas "Lady of the Night" and about learning to play craps. Follow along as she goes from a callgirl to business woman. Along the way Tina passes along lessons learned at the craps table. Some interesting and profitable systems are laid out for you. This book does have adult content so be warned.

This is a great book primarily because, in addition to being one of the world's foremost handicappers, Beyer is also an excellent writer. He conveys the ups and downs, the exhilirating highs and crushing lows of the life of a horseplayer in the context of the narrative of his own life. Highly recommended!

The information in 'Picking Winners' is accurate. I bought it as a present for my younger brother. Tremendous buy.

I've read many fine books on handicapping and this one is probably the best of them all. A real easy read, its peppered with fascinating and often humerous anecdotes and rules of thumb.

Beyer first introduced his speed handicapping concept in this book, and he shows how to compute the now famous Beyer speed figures. Even though they're available in the Form, its still good to know how they were derived.

At the time Beyer wrote this book, he focused most heavily on speed handicapping, and he would more thoroughly embrace other factors such as pace or trip handicapping later in his career. But he does at least touch on all facets of handicapping in this book, and either a beginner or expert will find it a informative and amusing read.

Enjoy!

An overly romanticized biography of the "world's greatest hustler". The book is fun and often quite humorous, but ultimately lets Thompson off the hook. The author glorifies Thompson's fun-loving, harmless nature, but chooses to side-step the naked truth - that he was really a liar, cheat, and a swindler who got what he deserved when he died in destitution.

I loved the stories and I was captivated by the man. A must read for golf enthusiasts and bio fans alike.

Some of the things that Thompson did are unbelieveable. You can never put it down because you always want to see what he did next.

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.

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.

Fate, Coincidence, and the Outcome of Horse Races is not so much about horse races as it is about the superstitions that plague the horse-racing fan. The author shows a rare type of humor, explaining with wry wit why the horse-racing fan should observe certain superstitions: never eat peanuts at a race track; do not keep losing mutuel tickets in your pocket; keep your eyes and ears peeled for the occurrence of coincidences, etc. Armando Benitez affirms that there is a power that arranges the occurrence of every incident on earth, and that sometimes that power is too lazy to scramble its results. Sometimes, also, when there are two or more similarly-named horses in a race, that power will tend to pick one of them to win the race . . . because it is unconsciously influenced by the repetitious occurrence of the names, the same as we are. The book is sprinkled throughout with anecdotes from the race track, quotes and examples from antiquity, and from authors ranging from Herodotus to Arthur Koestler. Whether you believe this stuff or not, or whether you are a racing fan or not, this is a book worth reading. Are there any other titles by this very funny and talented writer?

The intriguing title makes one want to open this book. Because, who has not been tantalized by the occurrence of a coincidence in his or her life? At the race track, especially, even the hardest nosed of race handicappers will occasionally throw their handicapping knowledge to the wind to follow a hunch or coincidence.

The practicality of the advice in this book aside, it is a little gem awaiting its readership. Full of anecdotes from the race track and from history, it is both fascinating and funny.

I am a HUGE Horse Racing fan and this book was terrific! Sometimes I feel that I am part horse when I read this book!