Customer Reviews

Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling (Winning Ways)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gambling books are like the internet: Lots of information, most of it not very reliable. If you're the type to fall for Britney Spears nude fakes, then by all means, buy one of the better-selling titles. They'll tell you what you want to hear, and you can always say "Oops ... I did it again" when you lose. If you can take the truth -- that with the exception of blackjack card counters and a few video poker machines in Vegas, the house always has the edge -- then this is a very worthwhile investment, and just a darn good read about gaming. It doesn't preach or get bogged down in statistics and probabilty, but it does provide information and sound strategies for virtually every game you'll find in a casino, allowing you to make an informed decision about your options. It explains quite well why "money management" systems don't work, and, most importantly, why a house edge of even just a few percentage points -- face it, to the novice, a difference of a 2 percent edge and a 5 percent edge just doesn't sound like much -- can eat your bankroll many, many times more quickly. The author assumes you have a brain, that the attraction of a casino is its action and its entertainment value, and provides you with strategies and expectations to either deal with a volatile game (where you can win big or lose very quickly in the short-term) or make bets that will (on average) maximize your playing time. This book will not insult your intelligence, assumes you know there is no Santa Claus, but also assumes you know that Christmas can still be a lot of fun (although costly at times). An outstanding reference for the casual gambler.

This book contains a lot of useful information the likes of which you won't find anywhere else. Of course, it talks about probabilities, the house edge, and so on. (What would you expect from a high IQ writer?) However, the book is loaded with common sense. For example, most video poker book authors tell you that you should always play max coins. Brisman gives you pause for thought: If you're playing a game with less than 100% return, you're just going to lose five times as fast (almost) if you play five coins instead of one. Unless you're playing a positive expectation video poker game--e.g., full-pay deuces wild--you may want to simply play slower and enjoy the fun. Not a very popular idea for the high roller, but solid common sense for the recreational player.

Appendix A contains a "Master Chart of All Casino Bets". It shows the house edge on virtually every bet in the casino and how it compares to the others. It is a real eye-opener. It alone is worth the price of the book.

There are other books that are good for the fine points of specific games. This book probably ranks within the top five best guides to overall casino play. If you're going to buy one book on gambling, this one is an excellent choice.

I play black jack a lot (and count cards) and have a background in math and research. This is the best book I've read about casinos games. It presents how each game works in detail, including rules and strategy, along with tips, etiquittes, and pointers. Each game and strategy also has the mathematics behind the game, which is rigorous and accurate, but whose results also should be understandable to non-technical readers as well. I learned a lot about the games I have never played before. The fact that video poker has games where the expected payout is positive was new to me, as I thought that the only game I could beat was blackjack. The information about how to approach the games were also very useful. I read the book many times. For those with any interest in gambling,it is an all around great book.

This is the perfect book for those who don't know, and those who think they know everything there is to know about your every day casino games. The book examines all casino games from a cerebral point of view, and advises (correctly) which games to play and those to avoid, while describing all of them fairly, intelligently and in perfect detail. All the gaming myths have been presented (and exposed in some cases), and the book does NOT read as though a person were trying to sell you a 'system'. All popular and not-so common gaming systems are discussed on a easy to read, per game section, and dissected thoroughly so to offer us as much knowledge (power) as possible before selling the portfolio and going to Vegas! There is mathematical support of all games to illustrate pros and cons of your particular game of choice (especially nice are the Craps buy vs. place bet table, and the video poker scenario tables). Logic, emotion, fun and sense are separated to provide a great enteraining and educational perspective into casino gaming. Important issues such as bankroll, statists and the dreaded casino edge are addressed in-depth and again, with the simple and complex math (for those who crave it) to support respective claims. I've read many intro and expert type how-to books, and this book is by far the best all purpose gaming book around.

I am no member of Mensa, not by a longshot, but this book REALLY, REALLY helped me. Whether you only gamble once in a blue moon (such as I do) or quite often, this is without question the book to have! It may not guarantee you millions, but it guarantees you gambling explained in a concise and no-nonsense manner. Highly recommended!

All of the other reviews I've read are indeed true, this is a great book for casinogoers. If you don't know anything about a game, you'll know a lot after this. There are also good recommendations if you want more detail about a particular game (like Stan Wong's book for Pai-Gow Poker)...

The only reason the book gets 4 stars instead of 5 from me is because of the occasional MENSA attitude (aloof, snobbish) that comes through. But honestly, it seems that Andrew has attempted successfully to suppress most of it. The result is just an occasional grimace while reading.

Buy it, it's a great investment.

I read so many gambling strategy books, and many of them are full of baloney. This is the only one you need to get all of the mathematically best strategies for any casino game, and which games to avoid at all costs (which is most of them!)

After owning this book, I can now give the other 30 gambling books I own to charity, this is the only one you need to cut through all the BS in the gaming world, it is comprehensive!

Also, the reader that thought this book has a Mensa attitude is hallucinating, this author strikes me as humble & shrewd!

The blackjack section is very thorough, as is the whole book. A must read for the casual gambler as well as the seasoned veteran. At a recent trip to Atlantic City I was amazed at the dealers giving advice against blackjack basic strategy. Even dealers don't know how to play blackjack properly. I espcially liked the section on blackjack that shows you what it costs when you bet wrong over the long run.

The book has 16 chapters, 2 of which are introductory, and 13 are dedicated to the games themselves. If you've ever visited a casino, you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed by flashing lights and sounds of coins falling everywhere, and then perhaps make an errant decision about playing a slot game or joining a roulette table.

This book does a good job on teaching the fundamentals and rules of each game, and it goes further to tell you why the game is profitable for the casino and how fast you should expect to lose money on it. Since the only game that might possibly be played to the player's advantage is blackjack, Chapter 3, which deals with blackjack, is one of the largest in the book. The author also discusses popular "winning" systems and with mathematical detail displays their faults.

It's an excellent guide to all the games and casino business in general. However, the book serves a dual purpose - after I learned about the odds and the house edge in each game, it's unlikely I will ever gamble at a casino again.

Easy to read. Logical. Based on hard facts and reality. Enough said.

I am recommending this book to my family.

Everyone should read this book before they set foot in a casino, or waste their money on 90% of the gambling books out there.