1 comments about Equifacts: The Complete Horse Record Organizer.

1. This book is well organized and easy to manage. It contains information valuable to any horse owner. I liked having all my horse information in one place. It gives you enough space for 5 different equine friends!

5 comments about Aces and Kings: Inside Stories and Million-Dollar Strategies From Poker's Greatest Players.

1. One of the consequences of the big poker craze is that books are coming out a million on the subject. Aces and Kings is a perfect example of the fad, but it bares none of the hallmarks of quick production. The prose reads very much like what one would expect to find in a mainstream magazine; which is not surprising as several of these chapters appeared first in places like Cigar Aficionado. The book, on the whole, is quality and chocked full of details. It's main focus concerns those who try to make an easy living in the hardest way possible, i.e. the professional players. With ESPN and The Travel Channel, they have ever-increasingly become the focus of the public's attention. Aces and Kings attempts to inform readers about the poker life by analyzing its biggest names and figures. Many of these cardsharps have become celebrities overnight. Their mini-biographies are extremely interesting and are told over the course of 15 chapters. Three of them, "Web Kids," "The Women of Poker," and "The New Superstars" concern, groupings of players rather than individuals. In this, I think that they made one major error because Daniel Negreanu deserves a chapter of his own. That guy's personality is big enough to fill a warehouse.
   
   Nearly all of the pros have lives that make for good reading, but, in my opinion, the most fascinating entry was the one concerning Chris Ferguson. In case you might not recognize his name, he was The World Series of Poker 2000 champion and is one of the most recognizable players in the game due to his Black Bart cowboy hat and huge Oakley shades. We discover that his appearance, just like every aspect of his persona, was carefully calculated in the hopes of discouraging his opponents from perceiving just how mathematically oriented he actually is. Ferguson has a PhD in mathematics/artificial intelligence from UCLA, and has spent years forging his probability based approach to the game. His huge black binders are brimming with statistics and determine how he will play hands and scenarios. The results, as we know, have been fantastic. What impressed me most about him was that he went on a severe cold streak in 2002, but did not get discouraged as he "recognized a statistical deviation" when he saw one. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and, even if you are not a huge poker fan, the plots within are about as interesting as something written by Nicholas Pileggi.



2. This is a great poker book. But be warned, it is not a book on poker strategies. It is, however, a wonderful book with each chapter detailing a bio on a different poker player(s). The read does provide a glimpse into the style of the different players. But it does not go into great depths on specific strategies and so on. This suits me just fine considering that there is now a mountain of poker books covering strategies.
   
   So if you're interested in getting a broad feel for how some of the elite poker players slugged their way to the top, this is an excellent book. If you enjoy literature and poker, this will make an excellent read when you need to pass the time (e.g., airplane ride, can't sleep at night, etc.) ...



3. It was an entertaining read but it just did not deliver on its titles promise of providing any "million-dollar strategies". It also has a very dis-jointed feel to it-start, stop, start again. Well, after reading it through, that minor annoyance makes sense. This is a collection of articles written by the two authors put into book form so the flow is uneven and a little distracting. I enjoyed reading about the great gamblers and poker players, but it just left me a little disappointed having bought it with different expectations.



4. If you're a poker player looking for another purely instructional manual --- save your money here. If on the other hand you'd like entertaining stories of today's & yesterday's most successful pros and what made them that way then you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It gives profiles on some of poker's all-time best players past and present while managing to deliver the "nuts" using specific examples from their successes at the table. The main message of this book is that there are as many ways and strategies to win at poker --- particularly Texas Hold 'Em as there are players, REALLY! The best lesson it gave me was to figure out which of these many players' "style" of play best fit my own and go to school learning. Additionally, at the end it gives brief summaries of pokers most popular games along with a poker dictionary of terms. I really think the beginner as well as the expert can take something valuable away from these pages.... The profiles of the players are every bit as informative as they are entertaining and insightful. So pick up this book and get a "read" on some of the games greats to improve your game!



5. I liked this book. Not quite a 5 star offering but pretty close.
   
   Fun stories about crazy gamblers!
   
   Get a copy.

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gambling Like a Pro, 4th Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. This is the best book on gambling I have read. It is written in simple and easy to understand language. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more on gambling.



2. I've read a lot of the newer, and easy to read Gambling books in the past two years, and being that this is a second edition, I can tell that a lot of other gambling authors have read this one too! This is the real deal, folks, and the simplest, clearest and most enjoyable gambling book for novices and even regular players to learn from. I read it and started winning more. Don't bother with the others. They're just cheaper - and you get what you pay for!



3. I am a neighborhood gambler only, but some of the guys I play have been playing for years. I'm not exactly an expert yet, but thanks to this book I am not embarassing myself anymore (not with cards anyway). I used to rely on getting the other players drunk, but now I only need to get them partially drunk to win.



4. I laugh at title of book. I do not think I am "Complete Idiot" but I don't think that is author's mean. They mean that even idiots is able to be great, successeful gambler with information from the book. I agree with that because I was so-so gambler before and now I win better.
   The book is very funny and clever. All the author are expert in gambling different gambles- poker, blackjack so on. So I learn from masters.
   Still I don't gamble too much. It can be dangerous to my money. But when I want fun time, can gamble a little and win a little too. Try it!



5. This was a little bit dissapointing, I thought the title suggested that I was an idiot for purchasing and in hindsight, I think I was !

3 comments about Secrets of Winning Baccarat.

1. If you want to learn all about Baccarat, this is the book to read. No get rich quick system here. You get betting systems that are based on the mathematics of how the game works, and examples based on real play in casinos. There is also stuff on how to enjoy playing at the tables like a pro.



2. The author recorded the results of each hand for 232 shoes and concocted a system that would work against that set of results. He doesn't recognize that anything can happen in such a small sample. For example, he reports that, in his 232 shoes, the Player hand won 50.8% of the non-tied hands. In the long run, of course, the Player wins less than 50% of the non-tied hands. Otherwise, anyone could win at baccarat just by betting Player all the time. This is why serious analysts use computer simulations to study samples of literally millions of hands.

   The author's basic method is an up-as-you-lose progression. Any such system will indeed tend to win more often than it loses, because it wins large bets that recoup earlier small losses. The catch is that, when the large bets lose, then the system loses big. The few big losses will offset the many smaller wins. The net result, over the long run, will be in keeping with the game's underlying math -- which, in baccarat, means that the bettor will lose about one percent of the total amount bet. Therefore, this author's claim that his system will win two-thirds of all shoes is plausible. Unfortunately, the long-run result will be the same as that of a player who didn't bother to record hand results and just bet the same amount every hand -- i.e., a net loss.

   The author states, correctly, that the odds on each hand are the same regardless of the results of the preceding hands. Nevertheless, he advises betting that streaks won't continue. He doesn't explain this inconsistency. (There's actually an extremely slight interdependence among successive hands, so that streaks are very slightly more likely to end than to continue, but the author doesn't discuss this phenomenon and correctly doesn't rely on it. It's far too small to meaningfully reduce the house edge.)

   The author's expertise is said to be in the construction of mathematical models. His error here is to construct a model based on very limited data. As the saying goes, "Garbage in, garbage out."




3. I wouldn't buy this book if you are just starting in the game. This book can help you through bad shoes, but you must be able to recognize what a bad shoe is, and then apply a combination of basic strategy and advanced strategy #3 (Run Vs Singleton).

   However in good shoes. 7 or more ties per shoe(Because I play ties) I have found that if you use the methods in this book. It costs you money on good shoes in mini-baccarat. Now if you have good money management skills. (aka. quit while ahead.) And know what you are doing, but would like some help getting through bad shoes, purchase this book. If you are looking for a book to start learning the game. Look elsewhere.

5 comments about Against the Odds: Riding for My Life.

1. I gained a brand new respect for the jockey profession after reading Bailey's book. They are superb athletes and deserve every bit of the money they earn. That being said, I also lost a lot of respect for the horse racing industry after reading this and another top jockey's biography. The use/abuse of the thoroughbred & quarter horses as a means to an end to line the human pocketbook with riches is really undefendable. The book makes clear that these amazing equine athletes are given the very best of care right up until they drop dead on the track from ruptured lungs or shattered cannon bones. Sorry, my concience was pricked & my heart broken in the course of reading this and Gary Steven's biography, and not for the owners, trainers, handicappers, or even so much the jockeys, but for the horses. You will also get your eyes opened as to how self-serving these people are and how ruthlessly they behave toward one another. If this is the "Sport of Kings" I'm glad to be a commoner.



2. ....but he does so much of it himself. I've always admired Bailey for his professionalism as a jockey and applaud his having overcome addiction, but was put off by his repeated blowing of his own bugle, so to speak. I cringed at times. It might have been better left to a biographer, with quotes from Bailey relative to his recovery from alcoholism.
   
   On another front, I do think that Jerry Bailey does a nice job as a television commentator.
   
   P.S. Still not buying the excuse for his Belmont tactics with Eddington.



3. Bailey tells the story of his sometimes rocky rise through the ranks of the jockey colony to become the premier rider in the world. He doesn't hold back any in discussing his battle with alcoholism and how it nearly ruined him and his family. It's an honest self appraisal by a man with an enormous talent for his craft, yet glaring weaknesses that almost denied racing fans the opportunity to watch his genius at work.



4. Book is mainly about his personal battle with alcohol and his resulting "wondeful" family life.
   Would like to have seen more racing industry insights and information!



5. Jerry Bailey and Tom Pedulla, Against the Odds: Riding for My Life (Berkley, 2005)
   
   I started this at the same time I started Annie Duke's memoir, and reading the two in tandem (briefly; this one took a great deal longer) highlighted the deficiencies in Bailey's volume. Well, either that or he just chose an inferior co-writer.
   
   No one who is even remotely involved with Thoroughbred racing could possibly be unfamiliar with Jerry Bailey, one of the most successful jockeys by money earned in history. This is the story of Jerry Bailey's rise to power and the rocky road he encountered on the way. This, interestingly, is one of the book's failings; the rocky road disappears, seemingly, the second Bailey joins AA, and from there on it's clear sailing and a recounting of top-quality races in which Bailey rode. I'm all for that-- one can never have enough descriptions from various points of view of the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic, for example-- but it makes for a dichotomy in the book, and it seems oversimplified. Now, I've never been an alcoholic and have never gone through recovery, so maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it really is night and day, but it's hard to believe that there were no good times when alcohol was involved and no bad times afterwards. (After all, Bailey did get mounts before 1989; there has to have been something there. One doesn't survive in such a cutthroat world without both talent and results. Ask the thousands of ex-jockeys who never managed to win a stakes race.)
   
   But more to the point, since I'm still thinking about Annie Duke's book, is the dichotomy between the alcohol and the racing. It's as if Part One of this book is about the alcohol, with a little racing involved, and Part Two is about the racing, with interjections about how getting off the bottle made Bailey into the great rider he was until his retirement. A little more mixing up of those things, instead of just giving the story chronologically, might have helped spice things up a bit. It probably wouldn't have done anything to help Bailey's writing style, however, which suffers from what seems an almost pathological lack of embellishment much of the time; the "just the facts, ma'am" approach makes the book drier than one would think a book like this would normally be.
   
   Must reading for Bailey fans; others might want to check it out of the library first and see if they cotton to the style in which the book is written. ***

4 comments about Ruffian (Thoroughbred Legends, Number 13).

1. I am an avid fan of Ruffian. There aren't too many books actually available about this fabulous filly and this is one of the first in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Toby interviewed many people involved in the filly's life, so the story was a very personal one. I recommend this book to any Ruffian fan.



2. Ruffian, a wonderful story of the magnificent and one of the most loved fillies of all time. Her short, but brilliant carear was charmed by win after win, record after record. No filly could match her long solid stride and fast stride. No filly could outdistance her or even challenge her. After winning the New York Filly Triple Crown the fated match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure was on. She broke down and everyone tryed desperatly to saved the courages filly, but her injury was to much and she too much heart and courage to go on. Even in death she is still remembered and worshipped at a champion. She may have died, but her spirit still remains.



3. If you are looking for a book about this filly buy "Burning from the Start" not this one. The "Legend.." book contains nothing you did not know about her. It is a book about mere facts, nothing new or personal. If you are looking for a book that covers the whole story buy "Burning from ...". I would not buy it again.



4. I loved this book I thought it was great it is my favorite out of the Legends series so far. It has a lot of information about Ruffian and the days surrrounding the fatal matchrace.

1 comments about Dave Litfin's Expert Handicapping: Winning Insights into Betting Thoroughbreds.

1. Litfin has a winner with this book. He has excellent form/cycle anaylysis using both "Sheets" style figures and Beyer speed figures. He recognizes and illustrates how to spot several useful patterns and what they mean. In the second part of the book, he takes pattern recognition a step further by dealing how trainers tip their intentions with regards to having a horse ready to run his best race. Overall, there is a lot for the intermediate level handicapper to take from this work and improve his game with.

5 comments about More Frugal Gambling.

1. If you're gambling in Vegas and can't figure these tips out by yourself, you shouldn't be there. Worst $14 I've ever spent.



2. This book is a huge disappointment and an even bigger waste of money. The book is an attempt to update a 1998 book on the same subject. Scott appears to be saying that you are going to lose money at a casino so you need to get enough "comps" to make up for your losses. Scott devotes much of the book to video poker and how a player can break even while playing accepted strategy. The way to learn this strategy is to spend money on more of her "Frugal" products. On just about every other page she urges you to purchase other Huntingdon Press products, including her video poker computer simulation program.
   The last part of the book is even more disappointing. Scott states there are three ways to get comps, earn them on your Players Card, get mailings, or ask a slot host. Is this a revelation or something that is common knowledge to even the most naive player? You can sum up the entire book in one sentence. Play video poker, clip coupons, look for free promotions, ask a slot host for freebies and spend money on Jean Scott endorsed products. Scott believes this formula will lose you the least amount of money if you gamble in casinos.



3. Taking "leftovers" in a doggie bag from a buffet line back to your hotel room...heavens! That's not being a low-roller. That's more like being low class. She digs through garbage cans for thrown away coupons from Fun Books. The Pit Boss tells her she'll need to gamble another hour to qualify for a comp so she sneaks back in 45 minutes because as she tells the reader that's "close enough to an hour." Gawd! It's a wonder "Brad" (her husband) hasn't horsewhipped this woman. This "Queen" needs dethroning. My favorite two pages of her original "Frugal" are pages 134 and 135. On 134 she urges the reader to be ethical...and on the very next page suggests that the reader KEEP the hotel key when they check out so they can slip into the hotel's casino on a later date and show the room key during special guests-only promotions. No gambling tips whatsover. She keeps reccomending other books. Worthless!! Want to read a great book on Las Vegas and gambling written with style and grace? Try Marc Cooper's new book, "The Last Honest Place in America."



4. If you read Jean's (the self proclaimed "Queen of Comps") original book "Frugal Gambling", you know her shtick: if you're going to gamble, play games with the lowest house advantage and take advantage of coupons and comps. While some of the ideas in her first book were just silly (dumpster diving for coupons, sneak buffet food out in doggie bags), it did give the neophyte some insight on how to negotiate through the sometimes confusing world of casino comps. I expected something a little more insightful from this sequel, but as its title implies, it's just, well, more of the same. Unfortunately it takes her 400 pages to cover some very basic information in how casino marketing, players clubs, and hosts work. Her favorite phrases seem to be "while players clubs change all the time, in general...". Her other favorite activity seems to be hyping her own software, her other books, and her publisher's other products. Her folksy grandma's lecture style prose gets very tiresome very quickly, as does her daughter's (the "Frugal Princess") anecdotes, which are sprinkled throughout ad nauseum.
   
   If you know absolutely nothing about how casino comps work and have never read anything on the subject, this book may have some value. Otherwise, save your money and just read the pamphlets you can get free at the casino players club booths to find up to date information.



5. Jean Scott is the Queen of the Comps and she is also a devastatingly great advantage player at video poker. I've known her a long time and I can tell you she is everything her publicity agent says she is.
   
   Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution! and Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!

5 comments about How to Win Millions Playing Slot Machines!: ...Or Lose Trying (Scoblete Get-the-Edge Guide).

1. I waited so long for this book. And when I finally got it, I couldn't be any more disappointed.
   First of all, I search on the net for books on this suject. Frank Scoblete's came out as some of the best books on the subject. And this book was on printing but not released yet. I thought "...even better, I am going to get the latest advise..." When I got the book, I found that Scoblete only wrote the Foreword.
   The book reminds me one of those yellow Idiot Guides to___ books. Joking around, instead being serious and to the point. And even those guides, after all, give you good information.
   There is not any advise that would help to play better at slot machines. Not even information about what machines are better, how to play then, no strategies. Nothing. Just stories of Legato's experience in different casinos in different towns.
   Do not waste your money!!!!!



2. The good news about this book is that it does provide the reader with some good insight about slot machines. The bad news is that the information it contains would fit inside a pamphlet and the rest of the book is filled with lame jokes and enough cliched one liners to fill a dozen cancelled sit-coms.



3. Warning! This guy could be Michael Moore's roommate. Everything about it was a waste of time and not to mention the money. What kind of desperate loser writes a book about playing slot machines to expound tired liberal beliefs. Worse, the slot information is in rehashed "duh" territory you can find anywhere. All things considered, this could be the worst book ever written about slot playing in the history of gaming. Reading and realizing you spent money for this book is akin to watching your last coin hit two red sevens and a blank.



4. My wife bought me this book as a birthday gift. And what a gift.
   It's a delightful combination of gambling information and fun.
   I laughed from start to finish.
   
   The book revealed a number of insider secrets about today's casino operations and the revolution in traditional reel-spinning and multiline video games. Especially interesting
   was the author's revelation about "loose" slots. What a
   "loose" slot really is.
   
   The author's account of his slot-themed road trip through
   the United States made enjoyable bedside reading. Especially
   after a hard day's play at the slots.
   
   If you enjoy a good laugh and wish to learn the absolute latest
   about today's casinos and their new generation of slot machines,
   this definitely is the book for you.



5. A most enjoyable read. Mr. Scoblete tells you how it is for slot players and you'll smile or laugh out loud while reading his book.....a lot, as a matter of fact. He makes knowing you're probably gonna lose a bit more enjoyable.

5 comments about Guerrilla Gambling.

1. This book helped me incredibly understand the odds and help beat the casino at their games. I recommend it.



2. This was my first book by Frank Scoblete and everyone should study this material before they enter a Casino. Frank will give you a good time and save you money. He is a great writer and the information is right on. Well worth the money.



3. After reading this book about 4 or 5 times over, I've come to the conclusion that this is a decent book, and I emphasize decent. It isn't anything extraordinary or amazing, it is a solid book that teaches you how to gamble smart. The common misconception that people have when buying gambling books is they think they are going to get some magical betting system that will gaurantee them a win every time they step into a casino. Sorry guys, but that's not going to happen. The sooner you you realize that, the better.
   
   What Scoblete does is he teaches you the basic fundamentals of all the general games(and some that I've never even heard of) and provides the best possible strategies for all of them. His sections on blackjack and craps are the best. So if those are your games(which they should be if you're a serious gambler) then I would highly recommend this book to you. Some people laugh at his 5 count pass and come strategy, but after playing it and researching it, I found that it actually works. What is most misunderstood about this system is that it doesn't help you win so much as it helps you avoid losing by not betting during cold streaks. All the math jockeys out there will tell you that you can't predict when streaks will occur, that a seven can come up at any time no matter when you bet, and by using this system it will not mathematically improve your odds, and they're right. BUT, at the same time, it will not reduce your odds of winning either since his system incorporates the use of craps' basic strategy anyway by betting the pass line and come and taking the odds. It merely stretches your bankroll so you can play for a longer period of time and, as a result, rake in more comps.
   
   Finding a biased wheel IS the only way to beat roulette and it has been proven that biased wheels DO exist by testimonials I have heard from casino managers from several Las Vegas casinos. But it sounds like too much work for a game that is so hard to beat. Especially when you can just walk ten feet away and play craps for better odds. The chapter on the 'Day in the Life of a Guerrilla Gambler' is entertaining but I wouldn't go as far to say that you could make an entire movie out of it(like some of the other reviews have suggested), considering it's only 35 pages long and the average movie script is about 200 pages long. But Scoblete is an outstanding writer. The chapters on comps, gambling myths, bankroll management, and the ten commandments of gambling are very good. The chapters on roulette, baccarat, pai gow and video poker are adequate.(I didn't even bother reading the chapter on slot machines.)
   
   There are two reasons why I gave this book 4 stars in stead of five. The first reason is that he has a 27 page chapter on all of the junky carnival games people play(caribbean stud, sic bo, super pan nine, etc). He explains each game in light detail, tells you the optimal strategy for it, and then follows it up by telling you to avoid playing these games at all cost. It just seems like a waste of a chapter. If you're suppose to avoid these games in the first place, you don't need to waste your time learning them. The second reason I gave this book 4 stars is because it has a terrible poker section. Scoblete makes it painfully obvious that poker is not his game of choice, plus poker is way too complex of a game to be taught in a simple sixteen page chapter. His poker section is only for severe amateurs. If you want to become a poker pro, I would suggest Doyle Brunson's SUPER SYSTEM and David Sklansky's THEORY OF POKER.
   
   In conclusion, if you want to learn how to play quick and smart at all of the general casino games, this is a very good book and I would definitely recommend it(pro or amateur), especially for its price. I know this was a long tutorial, but I thank anyone and everyone who had the discipline to sit and read the entire thing, and I hope you found my input useful.



4. This book is very good. Totally excellent! I was suprised that it contained such detailed information regarding the games offered in gambling casinos. Specifically it is really good on how to take advantage of the casino, and make use of the best advantages regarding best odds on the games. It is also truthful about other games and what you real odds are. I found this very refreshing, as some books seem to rely on luck more.
   It's also very good on explaining comps. What they are. How to get all the comps you can. How to use them, rather than just going for the usual mugs, free meal, or towels. How to is big in my game, so I enjoyed the advice and stories.
   All and all I have been impressed with this book, and the only thing I would say negative is it's challenged me to "bring" up my math skills.



5. I am not kidding! The only thing this book is good for, is if you need to start a fire. Judging by the way it reads, it probably wouldn't even burn decently. There is absolutely no worthwhile information in this book. It is hopelessly outdated to put it mildly. The gambling culture has changed a lot in the last decade and while there seems to be a shortage of up-to-date information, this book is worse than most.
   What information it does contain is often incorrect. Frank Scoblete doesn't have a clue as to what he is talking about with gems like "I don't trust poker machines" "no one I know has ever won playing video poker over the long haul" Right, better to place your money on a drunk throwing dice at a table, I guess. There are tons of quotes like this where he is putting forth an opinion that is just plain incorrect. I could list dozens of them, but it isn't worth my time.
   In any case, I have read and own dozens of gambling books that contain at least some useful information. This is certainly not one of them. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this joke. Unless you are interested in 30-some odd pages of definitions at the end of it. I guess he wanted to make the book longer. I really didn't need things like "bluff" defined for me.