Ultimate Reading List For Casino Enthusiasts

If you grew up in the 80s, like me, you’ll know that personal improvement happens via action montage. When the time comes to improve, a person is required to draw on their power to endure quick cuts of strenuous activity, overlaid with a cheesy 80s power ballad. Eye Of The Tiger is the obvious choice, but it is copyrighted, so use at your own risk.

The world of gambling is not dissimilar to the world of professional boxing, so montages can work just as well in both cases. And, on that note, if you’re planning a gambling improvement montage, it obviously won’t involve running on the beach on a pair of absurdly muscular legs. It will instead involve reading important gambling books. Either way, the end result will be the same. If one can relate punching Mr T repeatedly in the face to winning in roulette, that is.

Here are a few excellent books that will help you get better at gambling, and so help you punch Mister T in the face. You’re welcome.

Scarne’s Complete Guide to Gambling

John Scarne, while still alive and hitting the casinos, was a gambling legend. But, and this is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the man, he also happened to be an incredibly good magician. These two things go hand in hand, making a man that could not only play casino games very well, but also understood how to cheat at them.

Now, if you’re thinking that this is a book about how to cheat at casino games, you’re wrong. John Scarne knew casino games back to front, how to cheat at them, yes, but also how to play them and win, the legal way. The Complete Guide To Gambling is a sort of encyclopaedia of casino games, covering a number of subjects and topics, and offering what could be considered a complete overall education.

Anyone serious about casino games should consider the book an essential part of their library.

Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game

If the Complete Guide to Gambling strikes you as a bit of a heavy read, and I wouldn’t necessarily blame you, Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game might be more your speed. The book is firmly written with amateur casino goers in mind, and so won’t fry any brains, or confuse any newbies.

The book covers a number of popular casino games, and goes to great lengths to ensure that the reader understands what is being explained. For those who are just getting into the gambling scene, this is the perfect book. And, just between you and me “gambling professionals,” it really doesn’t hurt to go back and refresh your memory with the essential basics.

Don’t worry; you won’t get kicked out of the Gentleman Gambler’s Clubs if spotted with a newbies book. I promise.

The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King

The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King is what I like to call an “edutainment” novel. It tells the story of an absurdly high stakes poker game played between gambling legends, and focuses around the decisions made by each player. A person would indeed have to be up to scratch on how poker is played to follow the text, but for the most part even a poker amateur would find great value in the pages.

The story itself is well told, if focusing heavily on the game of poker itself, as opposed to traditional character development. Either way, a person trying to improve their poker game would find the read to be a gripping one. After all, who doesn’t wonder what a person is thinking when putting down a twenty thousand dollar poker bet? If you’re wondering you could of course just ask me and save yourself the trouble of reading the book, but that rather defeats the point, doesn’t it?

Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner

Of all the books on this list, Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner is perhaps the least, shall I say, entertaining. But then, training montages are not always going to be fun, are they? As far as being essential for being a better player, however, this book may as well be in first place.

Rather than beating around the bush, Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner is a straight-up training manual. It imparts essential information, especially where electronic based gambling consoles are concerned. If you’re wondering, yes the book details extremely well thought out strategies for winning at video poker. And, if you didn’t already know, video poker is one of the few casino games that can be truly mastered. If, that is, you know which games to stick with, and which to avoid. I do. I’ve read the book.

In relation to that last remark, the book also goes into detail about the various winning odds of video poker games, and which are most favourable to the player. And, if you learn anything in training montage, how to spot the most generous casino games may be the most important lesson.