The Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling Operation [Paperback]

James Jeffries (Author), Charles Oliver (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000 | ISBN-10: 1581600704 | ISBN-13: 978-1581600704

If you have ever wondered why the bookie always wins and you always lose, or how your bookie adjusts point spreads and in which direction, The Book on Bookies is for you. In it, you'll find all the answers you need to come out a winner, no matter what you bet on - football, baseball, horse racing, boxing, golf or any other sport. Go behind the scenes with J.J. to see how a professional sports book is set up and run. Find out all about point spreads, straight bets, half-points, parlays, exactas, teasers, exotics, sweeps money lines - everything you need to know to wager wisely . . . or to become a bookie!

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581600704
• ISBN-13: 978-1581600704
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Out of date and inaccurate, January 9, 2004

By 

obediah (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling Operation (Paperback)

"The Book on Bookies" is a manual on how to run a sports book in America. It must be noted that such an enterprise is illegal and carries various risk. The book constantly mentions large tax free income which adds tax evasion to your list of criminal activities.

My biggest gripe with the book is its deviation from factual and useful content. The "basics" chapter is riddled with glaring deficiencies - here are a few that I noted

(a) Book: there are no winning gamblers - truth: there are few winning gamblers, but the few winners can really hurt the bottom line
(b) Book: you cannot specify pitchers in baseball - truth: the standard way to book baseball is to offer listed pitchers
(c) Book: Dime line baseball is booked at -110 a side - truth: dime line baseball is booked at -105 a side
(d) Book: Soccer is booked without totals - truth: soccer is booked with totals, 2.5 being the most common number
(e) Book: Nascar is an easy money spinner - truth: Nascar is a sport where the lines are weak and the "wiseguys" can eat you alive
(f) Book: The "field" bet never wins in golf - truth: "No name" golfers are beginning to proliferate the winner's list at PGA and European golf tournaments

Aside from the factual inaccuracies, the book simply doesn't mention many of the important developments that have taken place in the bookmaking world. Important terms such as "beard", "middle" and "steam" are only mentioned in the glossary. Each term quite possibly deserves a chapter of its own. Finally, there is no mention of the ubiquitous "Don Best" screen, which governs the betting line from Vegas to the Caribbean. The way the author describes grading the wagers manually is almost comical.

The lack of professional writing skill is evident and the only thing that kept me reading to the end was the author's quirky sense of humour. My favourite line in the book is when he casually mentions "If you are going to be hiring someone to work with you in this business, you must...accept that at some time, he will probably steal from you". Although the author has a number of character flaws, this nonchalant attitude is something we could all use at times.

In summary I really cannot recommend this book to gamblers and especially not to anyone thinking of becoming a bookmaker!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read that misses a few points..., November 28, 2001

By 

BDV (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling Operation (Paperback)

"The Book on Bookies" was very insightful for those curious about the gambling world and those who want to start their own outfit. It was written as a "How To" book on starting one's own operation detailing the types of action taken, how to not get caught, how to collect, and how to be very successful. There were a few points missing, namely how to deal with smart gamblers (something the author adamantly believes do not exist), and how the offshore and internet casinos have affected the bookie business. There is such as thing as a smart gambler, one who uses legitimate handicapping services, unloads a ton of action on one game every few weeks, bets the same dollar amount each time no matter what, and clears his account once the season is over. I could personally guarantee that I would have ALWAYS taken his money at the end of football season. The question remains: what should be done with a gambler who has control of his wagers and sees sports gambling as a way to consistently turn a profit at the end of a season? Should the bookie not take his action and direct him elsewhere? The author left this point out because he believes the winning gambler does not exist, but I assure him that they do even though they consist of less than 5% of the gambling population. Another question I had was "Should a bookie place a bet with another operation if he has too much action on one side of a game?" Reason dictates that if the same amount is wagered with someone else (preferably with a legit offshore casino) then no matter the outcome, the bookie will turn a profit from the juice. All in all, a good read (didn't much care for the jab at Philadelphia, but every Philadelphian would stick up for their city no matter what), and recommended to those interested in this underworld. I would like to speak with the author if he was available, but no information was given about his whereabouts (go figure).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing.., February 7, 2002

By 

Kelvin L. Cheung (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling Operation (Paperback)

I had fairly high hopes for this book after reading the online reviews. What a letdown. Don't expect to learn anything that will help you gamble. The most interesting part of bookmaking--making and moving lines--is glossed over (author mentions software to retrieve lines from online sources). Instead, the book is full of inane details such as which color pen to write with while taking bets.

If you are looking for a condescending read describing how to run an illegal business which will continue to become less and less profitable as online casinos flourish, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a book to teach you about sports betting, I would recommend Stanford Wong's "Sharp Sports Betting".