Gambling Book Reviews

Steven Lubet's thought-provoking 'Lawyer's Poker: 52 Lessons that Lawyers Can Learn from Card Players', compares and contrasts lawyers' and poker players' strategic thinking. Read our review to find out what you can learn from this book.

Gamblers find the idea of luck extremely hard to avoid and as such it is accepted as part and parcel of the casino experience. It's for this reason that 'Luck: What it Means and Why it Matters' should be of interest to anyone looking to test their own luck at the tables.

Susan Chandler and Jill B. Jones provide this unique look into the life of women working in the gambling industry. From cocktail waitresses to cleaners and union leaders, 'Casino Women' is an engaging read.

Find out what made some of Las Vegas’ most dangerous criminals, from Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal to Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, tick in Dennis N Griffin’s 'Frank Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness'.

Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier, Tony Dunst, Lee Nelson, and Tysen Streib all contribute to 'The Raiser’s Edge', a poker guide which focuses on live tournament poker strategies. While it’s not for beginners, this title is certainly an entertaining and challenging read that rewards players who know their LAG (loose aggressive) strategy from their TAG (tight aggressive).

Bill Haywood’s 'Beat Web Casinos' is one of the archetypal online casino books which paved the way for a new type of player: the bonus hunter. Find out whether bonus hunting is still a profitable exercise and learn more about online casinos by reading our review.

'Red Joker Rules' is a one on one fictitious interview between the “Common Man” and the “Red Joker”. Take a seat and listen in as the Red Joker expounds on the links between gambling and investment, as well as what techniques and tools a successful gambler has to hand.

'The Age of Chance' consists of an academic yet entertaining approach to gambling with all forms of our favourite pastime covered. Having being written in 1999, author Gerda Reith even covers what online gambling was like back in its early days.

Read our review of Matthew O’Brien’s 'Beneath the Neon' and find out about homeless people living in Las Vegas’ storm tunnels. Documenting the lives and times of storm drain residents ranging from retired horse jockeys to Vietnam veterans, O’Brien’s book is a moving, poignant, and gripping read that shouldn’t be missed.

Find out how one man, with the help of a few students and a fellow professor, managed to create a winning jai alai betting system in Steven Skiena’s 'Calculated Bets: Computers, Gambling and Mathematical Modelling to Win'. Rest assured, you won’t be disappointed by Skiena’s success story.

Want to find out what a “dime” refers to in Las Vegas casinos, or what mobsters really mean when they take people out for a “stroll in the desert”? Read Victor H. Royer’s 'Casino Gamble Talk' and learn the slang phrases which casino patrons in Las Vegas use whilst gambling.

This analysis of the Mashantucket Pequot people includes information on how the tribal nation came to be in charge of the Western Hemisphere’s largest casino.

'Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas' is a series of short stories which depict a post-apocalyptic Sin City. Featuring a variety of up and coming Las Vegas authors, as well as established figures such as K.W Jeter, this short story anthology isn’t to be missed.

Find out how to “master” Betfair’s betting exchange by reading Pete Nordsted’s title. While Nordsted deals primarily with the betting side of Betfair, casino players may also learn a thing or two from the trading strategy expert.

Arthur Taylor’s 'Played at the Pub: The Pub Games of Britain' takes a fascinating look at some of the most popular, quaint, and quirky pastimes which have filled British public houses over the years. Whether you’re interested in the recent resurgence of poker, or perhaps the history of darts, Played at the Pub charts the history of popular ale house games and offers an explorative account of how the Great British pub became a place of entertainment, competition, and enjoyment.