Like gambling movies, gambling books are a great source of inspiration to discover betting systems and find new ways to play casino games.
You might not find many gambling books at the most important international book awards or in the list of the books of the month, but it's undeniable that the world of Slot machine games, horse racing, and real money Casino gambling have always set the scene for exciting stories.
Whether it's a novel that takes place in the most secret rooms of the Casino de Paris in Montecarlo or the true story of how Fyodor Dostoyevsky lost his fortune in Baden Baden — gambling is always the perfect subject for an excellent literary work.
And a useful one, too.
All the Best Casino Games to Play OnlineCheck out all the best Casino games pro gamblers love and play from desktop, Android, and iOS.
Start your journey from zero-to-hero with a bonus!
Advanced players know all too well that there isn't any super system to win at Casino gambling every time you play.
The only way to do well and potentially get more chances is to learn everything there is to know about the basic strategies and the betting systems of all the games you play.
The only way to make that happen is to use the best books on gambling.
The 17 gambling books you see on this list are a mix of fictional stories and strategy books.
They have been chosen by our editorial team to help you become the type of player you always wanted to be.
Check out the description of all the best gambling books money can buy, order them online, and remember to use what you learn on them in combination with the free Casino strategy articles you find on CasinoSmash.com.
If you plan to find better ways to play casino games, you need to take this list of gambling books seriously.
Be consistent. Don’t be afraid to go back to the early chapters whenever you need to and get ready to see your bankroll raise to new heights. These these excellent books on gambling contain all the knowledge you need to become a smarter player!
Scarne’s Complete Guide to Gambling
By John Scarne
John Scarne (pronounced 'Scarney') is one of the most famous heroes in the history of gambling - and being the pro that he was, he wrote an excellent book on the subject.
Scarne's Complete Guide to Gambling is an excellent book for beginners who are looking for a guide to online and live Casino gambling.
This gambling book has it all, including the history and the rules of all the most popular casino games, some gambling math, and even some tips to cheat. Which you are supposed to know but never use, of course.
It is a sort of an encyclopedia that any avid gambler would love to have. Also, the many anecdotal accounts of real and fictional events included in this gambling book make it a fun and easy read, too.
Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game
By Peter Svoboda
This book isn't just a great source of in-depth knowledge of all things gambling, it also looks cool. The glossy pages and the ample and the colourful illustrations are what readers first notice when they get their hands on a copy of Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game, making it the ideal gambling book to give as a present.
Svoboda’s book about gambling is the kind of text that was openly written for amateurs, and as such, it takes its sweet time to explain all the basics of every game.
If you are looking for a starting point, for a gambling book that explains in simple words how to play Casino games, this book comes handy and covers all the most important aspects of table and card games.
The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King
By Michael Craig
The game of Poker is one of the most exciting ones you can play at a Casino...and read in a book. ]The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King by Michael Craig is a window on the exciting world of high stakes Poker and the characters that play at the nosebleeds.
The book is set in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas and follows the unfolding of events around the highest stake poker game ever played.
As you progress through the story, you will get to know some of the best professional Poker players who have ever set foot in Vegas Casinos, including American real estate and banking guru Andrew Beal. The characters, the intrigues, and the huge bankrolls make this one of the best gambling novels on the market.
If you have ever wondered what goes through the mind of a high stakes gambler, you need this book in your library.
Roll The Bones
By David G. Schwartz
The stories on this book come right from the first-hand experience of David G. Schwartz, the director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada.
While you might not want to base any of your next betting strategies on the stories you find on Roll the Bones, Schwartz did a truly excellent work to reconstruct the origins and history of all the most popular gambling and card games.
And it doesn't stop there. Schwartz takes time also to narrate the stories of some of the most famous gamblers in history like that of France’s writer Voltaire, who in the 18th century reportedly figured out a trick to win a lottery and took home a 9 million franc prize.
Another remarkable story is that of Russia's Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the world-famous writer who bankrupted himself at the in-house casino of the German resort town Baden-Baden.
Lay The Favorite
By Beth Raymer
With Lay the Favorite, the author brings us on a journey to discover the underworlds of sports betting and gambling.
As you can imagine, this isn't a lighthearted story on the social aspects of sports betting but rather a way to understand how fraud and crime still dominate the darker corners of the gambling industry.
Lay the Favorite by Beth Raymer is a semi-fictional book with most stories coming from the author's first-hand experience as Raymer worked four years as a bookie before writing these pages.
This is a favourite sports betting book in the gambling community and also a useful one to understand how things balance out when there is a professional who knows how to beat the house. If you bet on sports, you should consider giving it a good read.
Read our ultimate guide to betting on eSports online to get all the tips you need to become a true expert in no time!
The Biggest Game in Town
By Al Alvarez
With The Biggest Game in Town, renowned poet and literary critic Al Alvarez takes us on a first-class trip into the gambling world.
The stories in this vivid depiction of the Las Vegas Casinos wind around over-ambitious players who are ready to bet suitcases full of cash on a single roll of the dice, serial losers who never learn from their mistakes, and dreamers who keep chasing luck.
The Smart Money
How the World’s Best Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions
By Michael Konik
Now that the US sports betting market is (finally) starting to re-open, The Smart Money is a great book to get into the works of sports betting operations in the United States.
Being Michael Konik a professional journalist, it doesn’t come as a surprise that his book on sports betting uses tasteful writing to delve into the author’s own story of making millions wagering on sports and beating the bookies.
The book explains how the author's life changed the moment he met Rick Mathew, a man known as the best sports bettor in the world. The string of events that take place leads him to join the The Brain Trust, a big money gambling group where everything is possible and limits exist only to be broken.
The Smart Money offers a new take on high-stakes sports betting and also some useful do's and don’ts to consider every time you bet on sports.
Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner
By Bob Dancer
How could a list of gambling books ever be complete without at least one recommended read about video Poker?
Bob Dancer is a world-famous video Poker master with proven results at video Poker machines around the world. In his book on gambling, Dancer pens down all the most successful strategies he used over the years to beat the house and make a living out of gambling.
This gambling book unveils and explains all the most effective techniques to find the games with the highest returns and to implement computer-perfect strategies that yield maximum profits.
Get ready to ask yourself “are we humans, or are we Dancers” the next time you’ll play video Poker after you read this book (I know, it's a terrible joke).
Gambling 102
The Best Strategies for All Casino Games
By Mike Shackleford
The author of this gambling book attempts (successfully) to share strategies to be better at all Casino games.
Gambling 102 is a 19-chapter book on gambling that the author claims to be the result of the experiences he gathered playing at Casinos for an entire year, combined with mathematical calculations and computer modelling.
Gambling is an activity that some think relies on chance while others believe it relies on math. If you are among those who believe in the power of calculations and you are not afraid of numbers, you'll love Shackelford's gambling theories.
Gamblers Fight Back
A Professional Gambler’s Journey on How to Survive and Thrive in the Casino
By Greg Elder
This book on gambling is dedicated to all those times you found yourself dreaming of life as a professional gambler. After reading the true story of a player who gave everything up to embrace gambling as a profession, the author Greg Elder decided it was time to do the same and see what would happen to him.
The result is an epic journey in the gambling world that makes Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas look like a Disney movie. In Gamblers Fight Back tells the story of how he went 'from zero to hero' and managed to become a pro gambler is just 12 months of 'practising.'
This is the kind of gambling book you need to really understand how it is to wake up every morning and have your destiny depends on your results at the table.
The Frugal Gambler
By Jean Scott
Before The Frugal Gambler went to print, the name of Jean Scott, a retired teacher born in 1938, was known to only a handful of pro Casino players who got used to seeing her around the Casinos in Vegas.
After the release of her book, however, everything changed to the point she earned the nickname of 'Gambling Grandma' and became a true hero for many casual players from all around the world.
In her book about gambling, Scott reveals all the best ways for a low roller to get the most from what the Casinos have to offer. Scott boasts a vast knowledge of the Poker tables around the world, having enjoyed enormous success during her time, and she's not shy to share anecdotes and precious pieces of advice to gamble on a budget.
Burning the Tables in Las Vegas
Keys to Success in Blackjack and in Life
By Ian Andersen
This is the long overdue sequel to Ian Andersen’s first editorial success "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas", and it came out right when the author seemed to have gone out of the radar.
In his second work, the author demonstrates how well he has perfected his strategy to win at blackjack and how everyone can use his findings to get better results at the table.
His hands-on approach to playing Blackjack at the Casino explores the importance of math in Blackjack, the psychological intricacies of the game, and the physical well-being that one needs to emerge as a long-term winner.
Comped
By Bill Kearney
Comped is all about the life of Richie V., a player who enjoys a short but luxurious life in Atlantic City.
The book brings you a fascinating gambling story with all the elements you would expect from a book about someone who spends more time at the Casino than at home. It's exciting, it's full of thrilling adventures, and it's a non-stop sequence of adrenaline-pumping moments that only the real high rollers will ever get to experience.
Blood Aces
The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, the Texas Gangster Who Created Vegas Poker
By Doug J. Swanson
If you are looking for great Poker books that tell you something more than how to play Texas Hold Em or how to use David Sklansky's knowledge to become the next Doyle Brunson, this is one of my favourite my recommended reads.
Blood Aces follows the story of Benny Binion as he rises to prominence as the originator of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the most important Poker event in the history of gambling.
Known to be a real cowboy, a cunning gangster, and a Casino eager to succeed in the Las Vegas scene, Binion is one who knows how to combine determination, vision, and genius to reach whatever goals he decides to set for himself.
Throughout the book, you will see him do his very best to motivate the players, develop a sustainable Casino business...and also get rid of some competitors with the help of crooked Vegas cops.
In case you are not too familiar with the history of the World Series of Poker and the history of gambling, Binion is not a product of the author's fantasy but an American gambling icon who once dominated the scene in Las Vegas through skilful wit and cold-blooded business tactics.
Blood Aces is the story of a criminal who became a revered figure in gambling and is told with masterful precision.
Blackbelt in Blackjack
Playing Blackjack as a Martial Art
By Arnold Synder
Bringing down the house isn't easy if you don't know exactly what you are doing. And even then, not even a science fiction book on gambling could ever promise you'll win every single bet place.
Knowledge is vital, and great Casino manuals like Blackbelt in Blackjack are the ones you need to step up your game and become a much, much better player.
This book by Arnold Synder, a true legend in Blackjack, teaches you the ins and out of the most played Casino game of all time.
Throughout 21 chapters, Synder gives you valuable Blackjack tips on team play, card counting, and multiple deck camouflage techniques. If you want something that shows you how professionals play Blackjack but doesn't make the game sound too complicated, this is a perfect choice.
Beat the Dealer
A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One
By Edward O. Thorp
A true classic for Blackjack players. Edward O. Thorp is a world-famous mathematician who pioneered the modern applications of probability theory and spent a good part of his life looking for mathematical models that could guarantee him to beat the dealer and gamble for profit.
Known to be also behind some of the most successful investment systems in the history of Wall Street, Thorp uses his Beat the Dealer to shares his expertise and knowledge with all the wannabee Blackjack pros out there.
On this book, the author turns the tables on the house with his systematic explanation of the point system that has countlessly been used by players to win.
Even if you don't believe that science can help you succeed at online Casinos or you are afraid you won't be able to handle the calculations and methods Thorpe came up with, I suggest you pick at least the Kindle edition of this book and give it a try.
Thorp's charts alone are well worth the read.
The Man with the $100,000 Breasts: And Other Gambling Stories
By Michael Konik
Last, but not least, get on an insightful journey and discover some of the most memorable stories that ever happened in the gambling world.
American author, TV personality, and longtime gambler Michael Konik went above and beyond to collect some of the most absurd and exciting gambling anecdotes and The Man with the $1000,000 Breasts is a genuinely great read.
Go through the pages of this exceptionally well-written book to enter the lives of poker players, card counters, proposition gamblers, sports bettors, golf hustlers, and lucky grifters, and discover all the stories that make Vegas Casinos the most exciting ones in the world.
