The Gambling Books You Need To Read Today
When it comes to reading non-fiction, the stories of casinos, gamblers and people involved within the industry are incredibly interesting, with many having been turned into films that have also gone on to enjoy critical acclaim.
It’s an industry which continues to rise to prominence too, with it becoming more and more a part of the mainstream thanks to further movies, and the likes of online sites like Casino777 seeing huge growth in what is one of the fastest growing entertainment industries on the planet.
But while there haven’t been many books about online gambling to have surfaced just yet, there are tons telling the tales of Las Vegas, backstreet poker clubs and more. That’s why we decided to delve into some of our very favourites…
Bringing Down The House
One of the most famous stories within gambling is the one of the MIT Blackjack Team. It’s been made into a number of movies over the years, including 21 most recently and follows the 1993 team that built a system around card counting.
Backed heavily by a man named Micky Rosa, the team took millions from Las Vegas casinos before things began to come crumbling down.
What should be noted, is that the Boston Globe and Boston Magazine delved a little deeper into the book and found a number of historical inaccuracies around the book, but that doesn’t stop it being a great read, either way. Why let facts get in the way of a good story, hey?
Molly’s Game
Molly’s Game is a memoir by high-stakes poker host Molly Bloom and is one of the most enlightening books ever written about backstreet poker. It was transformed into a movie of the same name, directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Michael Cera and Kevin Costner.
The book follows the illegal poker games hosted by Bloom which welcomed the wealthy and the famous, including a huge host of Hollywood stars from Leonardo DiCaprio to Matt Damon, and most notably Tobey Maguire.
Bloom was eventually arrested for her part in organising the game and it became a hugely high-profile case. The end result was a $1,000 fine, 200 hours of community service and a forfeit of $125,000 in earnings. Today, she’s a motivational speaker and regular guest on podcasts and TV shows talking about her time in poker and her learnings from the period.
The Biggest Bluff
The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova is a brilliant book that offers insight into the mind of a gambler and is almost like a self-help book exploring how to improve your game and how to read other players more effectively.
Konnikova herself is a psychologist as well as a poker player and it’s a great combination that provides some really intriguing looks into human behaviour.
Gambling For Life: Harry Findlay
Another book which rather than telling a story offers insight into the world of gambling is Gambling For Life: Harry Findlay.
Findlay is a man who has spent much of his life as a professional gambler and throughout his time as one has picked up around $22million in winnings. So, he’s a pretty good one. Rather than tell his life story though, this book explores what he did in order to win.
It’s more of a guide than an autobiography and throughout the book offers tons of insight and opinion on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to playing at casinos, while also offering a bit of information on the moves he made most regularly to find success. For any novices currently taking up casino games, it’s a great starting point to try and improve your game. Of course, there’s no guarantees though.
