Books on Handicapping

**smitch124** · 02-02-10, 12:49 PM

Advanced? Precious little, keep an eye out for Justin's book

**BigdaddyQH** · 02-02-10, 02:04 PM

If you really want to get technical, read Dan Gordons "Beat the Sports Books". It is for NFL wagering, but can be used for all wagerig. In it, you will get about 100 pages of the usual stuff, and 200 pages of very detailed information. He breaks down the NFL season into three different seasons. Weeks 1-4, 5-8 and 9-16. That is just one. Every big player has his own techniques. Some are simple. Some are much more complicated. Most are not found in a book.

**IrishTim** · 02-02-10, 04:41 PM

Originally posted by bodio

Just wondering what kind of literature is out there in regards to handicapping. Anyone has any recommendations?? Looking for books on 'advanced techniques' not novice information...thanks

Yao and Wong are the best two general books on sports betting, but I get the feeling that Justin's will be the most advanced book on handicapping (specifically modeling).

**bodio** · 02-02-10, 05:32 PM

Who is Justin?

**JohnAnthony** · 02-02-10, 05:48 PM

Justin7.

Anything on NBA guys? something not from the 80's?

**Justin7** · 02-02-10, 10:47 PM

Hopefully in the next 6 months. I'm working on the section on quantitative player-specific injury adjustments in baskets now.

**bookie** · 02-03-10, 01:27 AM

Win More, Lose Less is good on money management.

**NYER5680** · 02-12-10, 08:59 PM

Pm justin7 he has given me some good helpful reads. I suggest Dan Gordons book as well been very helpful to me.

**wesleysnipes** · 02-13-10, 03:08 AM

Why waste time- to learn how to cap games, when you can network with those who have been doing it for 20,30, even some 40 years. It's like going into a building- walking up lots of stairs to get to the 10th floor, when you could've caught the elevator, and got their much quicker. Sure- any reading is good, and knowledge that you gain. but network first- and read at the same time

**wesleysnipes** · 02-13-10, 04:32 AM

My point is work hard and smart. Not just hard. If you want to be successful with anything in life- sure- work hard, but work smart. Find out the best route to take to get to where you want to be on a successful basis. I would encourage anybody who want to be successful in a specific industry- read, read, read. But i would say dont just read- network so you can be successful quicker. Networking and learning from someone who is successful is better than reading. why? because they are successful in what you want to do. But do it all! Just work smart and hard! Do BOTH!

**wesleysnipes** · 02-13-10, 04:34 AM

Networking with sports betting- i mean- following a successful sports bettors sports picks. They actually have them on this forum. But you have to dig pretty deep- to find a really good one. Go to therxforum as well- they have much more. There is only 2 i follow- who in my opinion is the best. Apparently it took reading thousand of posts, etc.........

**CHUBNUT** · 02-13-10, 06:57 AM

the paradox of handicapping is that the better you get the more your buying into the books line, which tells you theres no value. The secret if there is one is to successfully evaluate what the difference is between a solid base line and what the books are offering. Generally books underestimate line changing reasons knowing the masses will come up with a figure nearer the base line, timing of changes is also informative.

**CHUBNUT** · 02-13-10, 07:32 PM

BTW, austin 7s book will have nothing new other than maybe new ways to arrive at a base figure in any sport, simple math really. Certainly his videos are Amatueur betting at best, revealing little of smart bettors.The real answers to getting anywhere near beating the books are not to be found in book stores but having a good understanding of why the books have stretched a line so far and getting the maximum odds on that thinking.

At the end of the day you are either capable or not in this and nothing in this world will help you.

**marcoforte** · 02-13-10, 07:52 PM

Books don't give you a recipe for winning but good ones expand your mind to think of things in a different way.

Try Mathletics or The Hidden Game of Football

**whatsgood5** · 02-13-10, 08:03 PM

Never read a handicapping book...

**Vince Lombardi** · 02-14-10, 12:20 AM

Everybody has their own system and no two are exactly alike I'd say.

**Flight** · 02-14-10, 10:44 AM

Some pretty poor responses to the original poster's question.

I would recommend Stanford Wong's book. After that I am interested in hearing the answers myself. Amazon's books for a sports betting query seem akin to buying service picks. I would like to read books written about numerical methods of handicapping.

**Wrecktangle** · 02-14-10, 11:35 AM

This may shock some folks, but Dan Gordon's book is mostly crap. His alphabet soup method simply does not work and it, if anything, is simply a knock off of systems published in the 70s and 80s (I have all those old magazines) where he has substituted letters for numbers.

Save your money.

**CHUBNUT** · 02-14-10, 02:39 PM

Originally posted by Flight

Some pretty poor responses to the original poster's question.

I would recommend Stanford Wong's book. After that I am interested in hearing the answers myself. Amazon's books for a sports betting query seem akin to buying service picks. I would like to read books written about numerical methods of handicapping.

Recommend Stanford Wongs book for what? to show a fool how to cut his losses? thats all any of these books do. As for the giant step into profitabilty books are not the answer, I'm yet to read any methods I use and its highly unlightly I ever will.

As Wrecktangle says, save your money

why do you think austin 7 is spending so much time writing one? because its easy money getting technical with the multitude of losers out there.

**Wrecktangle** · 02-15-10, 08:33 AM

There were a number of books published in the 80s that describe precise methods that worked at the time. All those books are out of print, and all those methods don't work well now.

As narrow as the book market is, there is little incentive to write a "real" method when you can make much more on your own using it. AND there is no incentive to give away any real secrets as the market will rapidly pound that into the line.

Almost all the methods in books I've seen lately are: make some bux of squares who don't know much: i.e. yap about some hard to quantify method in a nebulous manner, then throw in a few old chestnuts: "don't chase", "don't bet too much", etc.

And here's the most important part--> Handicapping is hard, if you don't have the math, or the patience you will not succeed in making money. This covers 99%+ of the punters in this biz.

But all is not lost. If you keep it as a hobby, bet small bankrolls, and do it keep it fun and have an "incentive" in a game you are interested in, you'll do OK. But you are just managing your losses.

It's like going to the movies: you gotta pay a small amount to see the show. If you win, sweet. If you lose, well at least you got to see the show and had a interest in it.

**statnerds** · 02-15-10, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by bodio

Just wondering what kind of literature is out there in regards to handicapping. Anyone has any recommendations?? Looking for books on 'advanced techniques' not novice information...thanks

advanced techniques is very general. money management, modeling, systems...what exactly are you looking for?

also, what sport are you capping? i don't know anyone that is good at all of them. i also think it would be difficult to find an approach that worked in all sports.

help us narrow down the search.