I had had winning days at the racetrack before I read this book. I knew how to watch races, to look for troubled trips, to read the information in the Daily Racing Form, and to keep an eye out for sharp trainers and the patterns they employed with horses. I knew how to do just about everything but win.

After reading this book, I went to Hollywood Park on a Friday night and won. It didn't win because of some shocking new revelation, but because Andy Beyer stresses where the handicapper's attention should be, what information is crucially important and what is not. After reading this book, I felt as though I could see the way a race would take shape in my mind, who would go to the lead, who would go four wide on the far turn and make a move. Everything suddenly made sense. I have a lot to look forward to the next time I go to the racetrack, and most of the credit for that is because of this book.

One of the best available right now! Looking forward to a new one from the same author.

This book is not for the beginning handicapper, but has some of the best information in it of any handicapping book I have read. Most books just give you information about how smart they were to make certain picks, but little knowledge is given to the reader. Beyer tries to pass on information from many years as a professional handicapper. I wish he would write a handicapping book that would have racing forms for 4 or 5 days, then show you how they break down the races to make their selections, not with programs they want to sell. It would be interesting to see the steps a professional handicapper goes through to handicap all races for a track, if they would bet it or pass it.

In May 1992, I sat down to watch the Kentucky Derby expecting to watch the coronation of a horse named Arazi as the best horse since Secretariat. However, a horse I had never heard of before, Lil E. Tee, pulled a shocking upset of Arazi and won the Run for the Roses. After Lil E. Tee failed to win the Preakness Stakes, he was forgotten in my mind. That was until I picked up this book.

John Eisenberg's story of Lil E. Tee is one of the most fascinating horse racing stories you will ever read. A horse with suspect breeding, chronic colic problems, bad legs and who changed hands several times (including once for a mere $3,000) went on to win the Kentucky Derby over several royally-bred colts plus the so-called unbeatable Arazi. He also gave an accomplished jockey, Pat Day, his first (and so far, only) Kentucky Derby winner, when Day himself thought Lil E. Tee was one of his worst Derby mounts ever.

John Eisenberg has provided a well-researched tale of the life of Lil E. Tee prior to the Derby. Interviews have been conducted with pretty much all of the principles of his story and those tales have been woven into an entertaining story that reads almost like fiction.

"The Longest Shot" isn't quite the masterpiece of Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit", but I think that this book might have great potential as a movie, because it really is a true equine "Rocky"!

I purchased this book on a whim, let it sit around for a while, and randomly picked it up on my way to bed, thinking that I would read a little bit and then quickly fall asleep. Little did I know that I would be up all night, my usually short attention span completely riveted, as time flew by. This book provides a wealth of information about Lil E Tee's origin, racing career, and the people around him.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the author had a tendency to introduce characters out of sequence. For example, sometimes background information would be provided on a person who was not involved in the progression of the story until several chapters later. By breaking up the sequence in this manner, the flow of the story was impaired and choppy. The author's sentence structure also tended to be loose and brief. Also this oversimplification made reading the story easier and faster, I did feel like the book was written for a younger audience.

Again, the subject matter was facsinating and the author obviously did a lot of work to uncover a wealth of information on the life of a relatively obscure racehorse. If you're interested in racing trivia, or are simply looking for a captivating sports story, then this book should cater to you!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Longest Shot. I found it at my local library but have since purchased a copy for my growing horse library. I've been a horse nut my whole life but had not been following racing too closely. However, reading this book rekindled my interest. The author weaves the story of the horse and his people. There was always someone who believed in the horse and his career continued. The trainer, Lynn Whiting, and the jockey, Pat Day are particularly interesting as they help this horse towards the top of the equine world. One does not have to be an expert in the racing world to enjoy the book, but at the same time it does not speak down to the reader. I have recommended the book to my family members who have accompanied me on my adventures to Kentucky to visit Lil E Tee. A very well written book which will bring tears to your eyes as you realize that the horse and his connections will actually WIN the Kentucky Derby. An excellent sports book. As well written as a John Feinstein book. Read it!

If you decide to do any gambling, even a few bucks on your state lottery, consider the price of this book as your first bet. Orkin presents the real odds of most popular gambling games, at least one 'sure fire system' (yes there is such a thing, but you need deep pockets and have to be satisified with a pretty low rate of return), and the effects of the 'house edge'in an entertaining manner and with just a minimum of math. In fact, skipping the math in the book does nothing to reduce the book's usefulness nor your reading enjoyment.

Read this if you think gambling is a solution to money problems. In fact, after going through this highly readable and entertaining book you may be tempted to skip the lottery tickets and put the money in casino stock instead!

Casino math for the non-mathematician. If you really want to understand the math, it will take some effort to follow if you haven't dealt with probability and statistics in a while or ever. However, I am so tired of people presenting schemes on how to win at craps, roulette, etc: Martingale, anti-Martingale, D'Alembert, contra-D'Alembert, ad nauseam. No matter how you weight a negative expected return, the sum of the series is still expected to be negative. The risk to people who use these schemes unwittingly to gain a series of small "wins" is the guarantee of a single huge loss somewhere in the future - the longer you put it off, the larger it will be. If you didn't understand what you just read and want to, this book is for you. The writing is brisk, bordering on entertaining (if you're into this sort of thing) and not nearly as dull as you'd expect. The previous reviewer covered which games were presented so I won't repeat. Like Stanford Wong, this author's math is accurate - unlike many, many other authors.

Mike Orkin's book explains the real odds for all the common casino games, and in the process, shows you it is generally better to leave your money in your own pocket, and just watch. Games covered include roulette, craps, Keno, slots machines, sports betting, blackjack, lotteries and horse races. A great chapter on the Prisoner's Dilemma is included, and covers thecomplex issue of when it is best to be a snicth, and when it is best to be quiet.

danny sheridan is the bomb!! anyone interested in betting on football needs to read his book first.

Danny Sheridan, known for his fantasy football forecasting, takes a step back from the stats sheet and covers the other game football fanatics love...football pools. He does a great job of presenting handicapping systems for winning your office pool. From general techniques to team specifics to Mascot power (ok, that one's not that serious), Danny gives sage advice on how to beat the line. As a bonus he also includes a section detailing several types of pools and scoring systems. This is an indispensable guide for the office pool manager who wants something a little different this year. There aren't many books on this subject, so Danny could have written a half way descent book and still reached the specific market...but instead he wrote a great little guide that may reach out beyond the fanatics. Enjoy!

Danny Sheridan covers the basic needs to win your football with this book. He shows you how to get a better more accurate view on every Nfl team's potential play against the over/under and the point spread. He explans how a home team is likely to win on Monday night. and many more helpful tips on football games to help you win your football pool

I'm not even finished with this book yet, but I got online to see what kind of response it has received. I'm staggered to see it is not ranked higher and had only a few reviews.

This is one of those books where every page brings insights so painful, or so beautiful, I shake my head in amazement. I'm reading it slowly, lovingly, and I'll tell all my friends about it.

I'm a writer, and have written a novel about horse racing. I've explored this same territory. I almost wish I'd written this book. It is filled with truth and sadness and many, many fine portraits of the people that hang around on the backside of the track.

This guy is a very honest type of writer who sets aside his ego to get at the truth.

The book tells the story of the author's attempt to make a go of professional handicapping, but he spends a lot of time on the backstretch getting to know the people and the horses.

There is the backstretch as your trainer describes it to you ("well-oiled machine operating at peak efficiency"), and the backstretch as Barich paints it (loosely collected ragtag assortment of people and horses trying to stay afloat). Even though luck is hard to come by for many of the characters in the book, they have an earnest dignity as Bill Barich depicts them, and love and respect for the animals is predominant.

If you like racing you will like this book; if you don't like racing or are indifferent to it, you will probably like the book anyway.

This unusual and beautifully written work gets right to the heart of its topics. OK, I happen to love racing and fine horses, appreciate Florentine art and culture, and enjoy fly fishing, but I believe "Laughing in the Hills" would appeal to all who enjoy good writing. I have read this book a few times since first discovering it, and have shared it with friends as well.

Of course, none of us would ever or has ever bet on a round of golf .... but if you were to say play for something (bragging rights perhaps), this book is the key to victory. Not only does the aothor cover all sorts of golf gambling games (traditional and some quite obscure), but he also offers a detailed analysis and strategies of these games in great anecdotal style. Truly a great read that any serious golfer would enjoy.

Not only is Doug Sanders (The Sandman) an all around great guy, he really knows how to teach someone a sport. I can't wait for his next book on fishing. He better hold off an instructional book on hockey though!

I have had this book in my collection for the last 10 years. It was the first book I ever purchased on the subject, and after reading and buying 5 additional, I have to say that this is the best book on football handicapping available. It is pre-Internet, so do not expect to find info on on-line books. It covers most aspects well, and it very easy to understand. Well worth your $5.00.

This 1984 ground breaker gives the new sports bettor a fighting chance. Get this one, then track down his current works!

I bought this book at Borders and it is an excellent book that will help you make money at the track. I thought I knew alot about harness racing but this book takes you to the next level. If your going to gamble make money when your doing it. I am so on fire since I started using this book that it is scary, I can't beleive how good I've gotten. Check this out friends.

This book helps you win big at the harrness tracks.It will help you learn how to beat the favorite. If you want to win buy this book

"Betting Thoroughbreds" is a good book. After you read it, you will be equipped with many "weapons" on horse racing. This books tells you that horse racing is more an art than purely mathematics. I highly recommend you to read this book.

This is one of the best handicapping books I have ever read and I have read just about every one...it's not full of get rich quick strategies...just solid handicapping education by someone who has the experience and it shows in the book. I'd recommend this one coupled with Tom Ainslie's book.

From Silky Sullivan to the making of speed figures, and on through "looking through the trainer's window," Steve-O's book has things to teach even when he isn't trying. But most of all, this book is sound on the fundamentals. Handicapping thoroughbreds, as a craft, contains elements of math, intuition, reason and insight all bound up in a chance proposition. Cut down the chance-factors, concentrate on what you understand, and you CAN do well. Davidowitz's book is the first step & easy to read on top of it all.

Dr Bentivegna has written an at-times hilarious and topical, but also frightening and compelling page-turner about greed, political shenanigans, medical malfeasance and the class system in "Lords of Greenwich." The book propels you into the byzantine political realities of Connecticut state politics, the gaming (jai-alai) industry, a fall from grace, and the consequences of greed, from the angle of a physician. A remarkable cast of characters are fleshed out, and at the same time, clever thoughts and ideas are scattered throughout the book to keep you laughing and guessing at how a down-on-his luck mechanic could win at gambling on games of jai-alai. The only thing that made this book not reach five stars was a less than credible resolution to the whole story, which required a fair amount of medical legerdemain to explicate to the non-subspecialist in corneal surgery the unbelievable (but almost possible) way the scam worked. Notwithstanding that, it was still a real good read.

The Lords of Greenwich is one of the best books that I have read in many years. It is an exciting, fast-paced novel that delves into the dark connections among the worlds of sports, politics, and medicine. Extremely well written, alternately gripping and hilarious. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

The Lords of Greenwich is a twofer - both a delightful political novel and a fascinating mystery. Despite the fact that the book is presented as a mystery, I found the political novel to be every bit as compelling as the mystery storyline.

Dr. Bentivegna's insider knowledge of electoral politics gives a realistic edge to his accounts of the behind-the-scenes machinations of campaign managers. (Warning for those who think politics is a noble endeavor: This novel is bound to depress you.) The tale of a gubernatorial election in its last weeks is compelling. The on-the-money characterizations of the people who interact within a campaign framework are by turns humorous and caustic, giving one the sense that they spring from reality.

Parallel to the political novel is a well-crafted mystery. How did the gambling scam work? Who killed the ring-leader, and how did he die? When would the world of politics intersect with the world of thuggery? All these questions keep the reader turning pages until the very end of an eminently satisfying first novel. Do it again, Doc!