1. 10-12-20 11:04 AM #1
    randomuser
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    Sports Betting Books

    Can you recommend me some books about sports betting? Thank you.
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  2. 10-12-20 12:24 PM #2
    gym rat
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    Quote Originally Posted by randomuser View Post
    Can you recommend me some books about sports betting? Thank you.
    Somebody here should be able to help you out ?
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  3. 10-14-20 06:28 PM #3
    Ian
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    Sharp Sports Betting by Stanford Wong is good, but it's also old and some of the tables on things like key numbers in football are outdated because they predate extra points being moved back.

    The New Gambler's Bible by Arthur Reber is also old and has only a portion of it dedicated to sports betting. The sports section is basic, but also worthwhile if you want an intro on how to find profitable spots betting.

    The Odds by Chad Millman is a good read, but it's about personalities as opposed to a sports betting instruction manual.

    Those are the only good sports betting books I have read. I've read a couple of others, but they were not worth the paper they were printed on. I've heard the books by Elihu Feustel (former SBR mod Justin7) are good, but I haven't read them.
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  4. 10-14-20 06:33 PM #4
    BrickJames
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    Gambling wizards is awesome.

    Adventures in probability is a tough read but very good.

    The smart money is a good read.

    According to Doyal is a very fun read.

    There are a few more I can't remember off the top of my head, will check in when I remember.
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  5. 10-14-20 07:03 PM #5
    oilcountry99
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    Sharper by Poker Joe.

    Sports betting models in excel 1 & 2 by Andrew Mack
    Points Awarded:

    danmam gave oilcountry99 1 Betpoint(s) for this post.

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  6. 11-20-20 08:47 AM #6
    mr.ed
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    20/20 Sports Betting is a great read! But am I bit biased....as I wrote it. But check it out, I think you will like it. Geared toward recreational bettors, I write about how I have made a living betting on sports over the last 20 years.

    Logan Fields (20/20 Sports Betting: Think Like a Pro) - available at Amazon.com
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  7. 11-20-20 03:14 PM #7
    Optional
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    Quote Originally Posted by mr.ed View Post
    20/20 Sports Betting is a great read! But am I bit biased....as I wrote it. But check it out, I think you will like it. Geared toward recreational bettors, I write about how I have made a living betting on sports over the last 20 years.

    Logan Fields (20/20 Sports Betting: Think Like a Pro) - available at Amazon.com

    We've added your book to the SBR Store Mr Ed.

    https://www.sportsbookreview.com/for...-like-pro.html

    Available for USA members for 850 Betpoints.
    Last edited by Optional; 11-20-20 at 03:33 PM.
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  8. 11-21-20 11:10 AM #8
    mr.ed
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    Thanks Opti! If readers would like to get a taste of what is inside, Amazon gives you the first 25 or so pages free.

    https://www.amazon.com/20-Sports-Bet...s%2C721&sr=8-2
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  9. 11-22-20 01:14 PM #9
    HedgeHog
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    I've ordered a copy through SBR and look forward to reading it. It looks like we have similar backgrounds, joining offshore Books in the late 90's. I also enjoy betting golf as well as nascar and think they're easier to beat than the major sports. Horse racing, due to the large track takeouts (15-25%) is virtually unbeatable IMO--but you can make a profit betting fixed odds when offered. At least that's been my experience. Anyway, congrats on your book Mr Ed.
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  10. 11-22-20 07:19 PM #10
    mr.ed
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    Quote Originally Posted by HedgeHog View Post
    I've ordered a copy through SBR and look forward to reading it. It looks like we have similar backgrounds, joining offshore Books in the late 90's. I also enjoy betting golf as well as nascar and think they're easier to beat than the major sports. Horse racing, due to the large track takeouts (15-25%) is virtually unbeatable IMO--but you can make a profit betting fixed odds when offered. At least that's been my experience. Anyway, congrats on your book Mr Ed.
    Thanks, Hedgehog! I agree about horse racing and I wrote in the book I don't believe anyone can win the daily grind with such a large hold. But I also discuss there are opportunities with fixed odds and mandatory payout days at various tracks.

    I also stated that Nascar is one of the better options if you are looking to make money at sports betting but you really need to devote a lot of time following the sport, such as watching practices..etc, which I don't have any interest in doing as I'm not a fan of racing at all. I tried to beat it early in my career and got beaten to a pulp as I didn't know the sport and was handicapping based on practice times, which is just embarrassing. But lines were so bad in those early years across all sports and I thought Nascar was no exception and I could win there too. I still take occasional cracks at it, such as underdogs at restrictor plate tracks, but I'm not heavily into it at all.

    Basically, seems we are on the same page about a lot of things, and I'd like to know what you think of the book once you get through it. Thanks for the order!
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  11. 11-22-20 08:34 PM #11
    turbobets
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    Nascar is very difficult unless you are a great situational handicapper. It is very unpredictable and therefore hard to beat just using past race data.
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  12. 11-22-20 10:01 PM #12
    ace7550
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    Hey Logan,
    I'd like a copy. Happy to order it through Amazon, or directly through you if that is better. Let me know. I always like hearing/reading what works for other professional gamblers. I always learn something new.
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  13. 11-22-20 11:26 PM #13
    mr.ed
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    Quote Originally Posted by turbobets View Post
    Nascar is very difficult unless you are a great situational handicapper. It is very unpredictable and therefore hard to beat just using past race data.
    I agree 100%. So much changes from year to year with car set up's, drivers switching teams...etc, so historical spreadsheets on driver performances are pretty much worthless. But I think if you love racing and invest the time into it you can win and it may come easier than other sports. I am not interested in putting in the time required to be successful, so it's pretty much off my radar unless I get a hot tip from a Nascar-loving friend.
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  14. 11-22-20 11:34 PM #14
    mr.ed
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    Thanks, Ace! Doesn't matter to me where you order it, whether using points here or at Amazon. The publisher (HuntingtonPress.com) is offering the book at a cheaper price ($20.20) than Amazon. Appreciate your support!
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  15. 11-23-20 11:00 AM #15
    Roger T. Bannon
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    Quote Originally Posted by turbobets View Post
    Nascar is very difficult unless you are a great situational handicapper. It is very unpredictable and therefore hard to beat just using past race data.
    The problem with NASCAR is the variance. It is beyond the imagination so hard to know if anything you think is real actually is.
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  16. 11-23-20 04:03 PM #16
    ace7550
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    Quote Originally Posted by mr.ed View Post
    Thanks, Ace! Doesn't matter to me where you order it, whether using points here or at Amazon. The publisher (HuntingtonPress.com) is offering the book at a cheaper price ($20.20) than Amazon. Appreciate your support!
    Ordered it off Amazon
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  17. 11-25-20 12:57 AM #17
    hortonmi
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    I personally Golf is similar to Nascar in that situational handicapping is important, past results are not indicative of current odds and/or form
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  18. 11-25-20 12:58 AM #18
    hortonmi
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    For example, if you base your handicapping solely on tour or race rankings respectively, you're in for a world of pain
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  19. 01-11-21 04:22 PM #19
    danmam
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    SO. MANY. SUGGESTIONS. I think a great start is The Logic of Sports Betting (probably mentioned above), and I'd recommend Masaru Kanemoto's Winning Sports Betting second. Stanford Wong's classic book mentioned above is a bit outdated, but add to it Weighing the Odds in Sports Betting by King Yao and you can easily update what's outdated in Wong's book. The two Excel modeling books are great, as is Sharper and many I'm missing but can provide upon request. I have quite a few more I've read or am looking forward to reading but those 1st 2, imo, are as good a start as any.
    Last edited by Optional; 01-11-21 at 06:13 PM. Reason: remove affiliate links
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  20. 01-11-21 04:29 PM #20
    danmam
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    In terms of books to avoid, Kevin Dolan's The Complete Guide to Sports Betting is word vomit that I can't believe got published. Demonstrably false in many areas, I read it almost laughing at how terrible it is.
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  21. 01-14-21 06:31 PM #21
    StackinGreen
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    Quote Originally Posted by danmam View Post
    In terms of books to avoid, Kevin Dolan's The Complete Guide to Sports Betting is word vomit that I can't believe got published. Demonstrably false in many areas, I read it almost laughing at how terrible it is.
    I love it when random clown world stuff gets published. It's quite entertaining, makes you laugh and think about how many charlatans there are in the gambling world --- like all the sports touts.
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  22. 01-15-21 03:30 PM #22
    danmam
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    Quote Originally Posted by StackinGreen View Post
    I love it when random clown world stuff gets published. It's quite entertaining, makes you laugh and think about how many charlatans there are in the gambling world --- like all the sports touts.
    Thankfully I read the book after reading numerous quality books and could just shake my head when he wrote how MLB handicapping starts with SP's ERAs and batters' AVGs as the main components of evaluating the game's outcome. And other ridiculous nonsense. This nugget too:

    The other point about streaks is that if you are going to bet them, it is nearly always better to bet ON a streak rather than against one. It is common nature to assume a betting trend won’t continue indefinitely, a concept often discussed as part of the “gambler’s fallacy” condition. While this is somewhat true and streaks can’t continue without end, they CAN continue for an extremely long period during which time your betting bankroll may have evaporated if you had chosen to bet against said streak! A few years ago, a friend famously told me that he was going to start fading the Miami Heat’s 15–0 win streak as he didn’t believe it could continue. I reminded him of the fallacy above but he remained undeterred assuring me it was a sound betting strategy as the books had overvalued the Miami Heat, especially since they were now such heavy favorites going into every game. He rationalized he would be able to take advantage of the soft numbers being offered up by the sportsbooks and make a handsome profit in the process. While on the surface this strategy seemed sound and the posted lines were indeed “soft” on the Heat’s opposition, it ended up costing him a lot of his betting bankroll fading the Heat that year. The Miami Heat ended up winning a further 12 games that season and finished their streak going 27–0, an amazing achievement overall. Needless to say, he was not one of the people celebrating their incredible success that year! Always remember, betting ON a streak only requires you to lose once to end it, whereas betting AGAINST a streak you could lose multiple games before it finally ends.
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  23. 01-15-21 05:53 PM #23
    StackinGreen
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    The MLB line is funny. The streaks comment has at least some rationale.
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  24. 01-16-21 06:34 AM #24
    danmam
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    Does he miss that books catch onto "streaks," whether it's beating the spread 8 straight times or whatever, and adjust the line to coompensate? I suppose his reasoning (1 loss vs multiple wins) is undisputable...but books do what they can to take advantage of streaks like that that result in bets of dubious value. He leaves that point out. Look at GSW's record against the spread their first year wiith Durant, or the record of NFL overs weeks 1-3 and then week 4.
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