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The Top 10 Best Gambling Books for 2024

Jane ShawBy Jane Shaw Senior Editor Updated: 08/18/2022
Jane Shaw Jane Shaw Senior Editor See Full Bio

We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.

The Best Gambling Books The Best Gambling Books

Gambling has always been a great source of entertainment, and with the boom of digital technologies, now, it’s far more accessible. Reading literature with a special focus can help you earn money in addition to having fun. In this article, we would like to introduce the best gambling books for US readers.

Our experts checked a lot of titles in order to separate a few that really can deliver valuable knowledge. There are some stories, too, that deserve your attention!

Which are the Best Books About Gambling?

The book shops and webspace are full of books about gambling. If you don’t have time to read, you may look for some of the titles in online formats. On this page, we will focus on a few intriguing genres, like addiction, the application of mathematics in gambling, and how to actually win.

For starters, we have prepared general books for casino play, gambling tactics, and some thrilling stories. If you feel excited about this type of entertainment but you are not yet ready to risk, the rest of this article is just for you!

The Top Casino Gambling Books

As we already said, finding books on gambling is easy, while finding the essentials could be tricky. That’s what this publication is all about! Playing casino games should be fun in the first place, but the thrill of risking money in return for sweet payouts often prevails. If you have time and patience, both crucial in gambling, you should invest in literature.

Scarne’s Complete Guide to Gambling (Charles Cotton) Useful Tips & Tricks
Lay the Favorite (Beth Raymer) Exceptional Sports Betting Story
Bringing Down the House (Ben Mezrich) Vegas Inspired Adventure
Roll the Bones (David G. Schwartz) The Story of Gambling
Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke) Valuable Tips About Sports Wagering
Molly’s Game (Molly Bloom) Great Poker Saga
Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas (Nicholas Pileggi) First Years of Las Vegas
The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic (Richard Epstein) How Math Can Help in Gambling
The Compleat Gamester (Charles Cotton) Best-Explained Tactics in Card Games
Fortune’s Formula (William Poundstone) Top Sports Betting Guide

In the table above, you can find the 10 best gambling books in the US! Among them are the best non fiction books on gambling as well. Some of them have already served as a basis for extremely successful films such as “Molly’s Game”. The true story of Molly Bloom grossed almost $60 million in US theaters and around the world.

It turns out that people who have a certain passion for casino games, like poker, blackjack, and roulette, also love to read and watch similar stories. However, the meaning of the best books on gambling is not the stories but the lessons from them. The above-mentioned publications will help you tune your mind to the appropriate frequency.

You can find many strategies in the best casino books suitable for specific games, like the former Vingt-Un. Try some at the best online blackjack sites in the US or you can directly give your favorite game a go at Borgata Online Casino in Pennsylvania. In the next chapters of this article, you’ll also find titles focused on mathematical formulas and logical ways to beat the House. But before that, more books about casinos!

Gambling Stories – Where to Find Them?

Of all books about gambling, non-fiction stories enjoy the largest audience. In fact, they are covering most of the volume as the authors really have what to tell. Our all time favorite is “The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told” by Mark Paul. The trio of gamblers involved in the horse racing adventure will really rock your world!

Maria Konnikova is a Russian-American writer famous for her gambling books. She published several best-sellers, including “The Confidence Game” and “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.” However, gambling fans will most probably better appreciate “The Biggest Bluff”! It’s a wonderful novel showing readers how control over emotions could lead players to victory.

The best gambling stories form a special genre, although they are often classified as Crime or Entertainment books. During the last several decades, the casino industry has gone through a real revolution. The online operators are now holding one of the most profitable and still developing sectors in the world.

If you feel excited by that thought, you should read “A Man for All Markets” by American professor Edward O. Thorp. In addition to teaching mathematics at the University of California, he was also a hedge fund manager and blackjack player. His masterpiece becomes even more attractive, knowing that he was a pioneer in probability theory’s modern application. He’s also the author of “Beat the Market: A Scientific Stock Market System” and several titles with tips on how to win money from casino games.

If you want to experience your own gambling story, check out the best online casino sites in the US. They offer demo versions on which you can try some strategies, with no strings attached. The best books on gambling can be really educational, but remember that Fortuna could change sides instantly!

The Best Books on Gambling Addiction

Gambling has always been associated with addiction because it brings a special form of satisfaction even when we lose. Sadly, this feeling is destructive, and people must think more about prevention. There are many casino books focusing on this aspect and when is the right time to stop betting.

Some of the best books on gambling addiction are “Drop the Rock: Removing Character Defects,” “The Gambling Addiction Client Workbook,” and “Born to Lose: Memoirs of a Compulsive Gambler.” We would also recommend the Gamblers Anonymous special edition “A Day at a Time”! The aid organization is truly dedicated to the war against compulsive gambling.

The best books on casino gambling, addiction, and recovery are also available in audio formats online. They are the perfect tool to use while you are on the go. They can be used as stimulation to cut your gambling as, unlike traditional hardcovers, the ebooks are easy to carry.

Some of the best gambling addiction books are based on true stories, like the autobiographical memoir of Marilyn Lancelot – “Gripped by Gambling.” Often bettors are skeptical about this type of reading as they are written according to a specific point of view. Still, the cold hard truth is difficult to accept!

Books About Probability and Gambling

Many of the top casino gambling books are based on probability theory and mathematics. Their authors aim to explain how card-game croupiers can be defeated with the power of the mind. We already mentioned professor Edward O. Thorp, who has another masterpiece for us to suggest – “The Mathematics of Gambling”.

Other great editions that we recommend are:

  • “Tables in Las Vegas” by Ian Anderson
  • “The Mathematics of Games and Gambling” by Edward Packel
  • “Calculated Bets: Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win” by Steven Skiena

The last one was written by Steven Skiena, an IT scientist who has used simulations and computer-based modeling techniques to predict the final results of sports matches.

The best books about gambling math can be used as a source of facts and information about casino games, like poker, baccarat, and blackjack. Read a few and choose one of the best real money online casinos in the US to test some of the theories. You can play for free first on almost any of them. Remember, even the best books on mathematics of gambling don’t guarantee 100% success. It’s better to use them as an optimization tool!

The Best Books on How to Win in Gambling

Books About How to Win in Gambling

The best thing of books about casinos is that many of them can actually be useful to those punters trying to find a way to win a few bucks. And once again, we would like to mention the name of Edward O. Thorp. In 1964, he published a masterpiece appreciated even today by young enthusiasts – “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One.”

More of the best books on how to win in gambling worth mentioning are “Gambling 102: The Best Strategies for All Casino Games” by Michael Shackleford and “Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game” by Peter Svoboda. According to your passion, you’ll easily find publications in traditional and audio format about playing slots, poker, roulette, blackjack, and pretty much all gambling genres.

“The Theory of Blackjack” by Peter A. Griffin is one of the most downloaded ebooks related to gambling of all time. The original paper edition was published in 1999, but the tips and tricks in “The Compleat Card Counter’s Guide to the Casino Game of 21” are still used by players.

Frequently Asked Questoins

Hopefully, our article about the best gambling books was interesting and useful to you. Check the last few paragraphs below and discover our editors' detailed replies to some common questions. Remember that the titles mentioned here are just a minor drop of the ocean of knowledge out there!

Which are the best gambling books?

The answer to this question could be different for everybody! Nowadays, we have quick access to thousands of books in paper and online format that could help us in our quest. We did our best to extract some of the most intriguing titles. Take a quick look at the best books on gambling.

Is there any relevant literature related to gambling addiction?

Yes, there are many publications and real stories about gambling addiction. Lots of organizations regularly release newsletters in an anonymous attempt to support compulsive bettors. We’ve mentioned some of the best gambling books about addiction and recovery. Remember that the first step starts with the problem's recognition!

What is probability theory and how to use it in gambling?

The probability theory is widely used by mathematicians and scientists to search for gambling solutions. They adjust approved formulas to find a way and neutralize the casino's advantage. Some professors have published their discoveries and most of them have quickly become best-sellers. Find out the best books about probability and gambling at casino.

Can I find some interesting gambling stories online?

Yes, thousands of fiction and non-fiction stories are waiting for you to listen, read, or download them. Many online stores offer the best-sellers of popular authors, as well as anonymous sources. The best gambling stories are always from real people, who have lived through them. If you like wagering, spend some time reading about other people who share your passion.

Are there any books that actually explain how to win in gambling?

Yes, many books about gambling have been written with the sole purpose of educating punters and helping them optimize their performance. Many of the publications are based on mathematical theories, which turn out to be quite useful for people who really understand them. Learn more about the books that could make you a winner.
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