How to Gamble at the Casinos without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken

by James Harrison Ford

Book Overview

How To Gamble At The Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like A Chicken, gives expert advice on Casino Gambling in a light-hearted manner. It advises readers on which games give them the best... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976072602
• ISBN13: 9780976072607
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Digital Pulse Publishing
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

You Really Should Read This Book

If you are only going to read one book on gambling, this is the one you should read. It covers just about every casino game of any consequence and gives you the essential information about each game with a minimum of blather. This book doesn't promise to make you rich, but it sure can keep you from looking like an idiot. The best part is that it is a pleasant read. It makes the details easy enough to understand so that you can become a competent gambler without having to have a PhD in mathematics. Even if you don't go to casinos to gamble, this book explains the factors that make it possible to win more often than you lose - for all kinds of games. That's why you really should read this book.

Excellent!

"How to Gamble in a Casino..." is an excellent, well-written book. Unlike most casino gambling guides, this one does not promise victory at games such as craps, baccarat, and blackjack (without counting cards) like many other books do. Ford splits the universe of casino games into the good, the bad, and the ugly. The only good games are blackjack and video poker. Ford has a simple basic strategy chart and a nice introduction to card counting. He also tells the reader which video poker machines pay more than 100% and has strategy tables for those. The bad games are craps and baccarat. These are games that cannot be beaten, but if bet properly, the house's edge is minimized. The ugly games are roulette (with its greater than 5% advantage for the house on all bets), and many of the newer, faddish games like Let It Ride, Caribbean Stud, and even War. This book is for someone who wants to go to the casino and basically buy entertainment. Ford tells you how to have a good time without losing your shirt.

And it's Funny, Too

This book gives you a lot of good information about how to gamble, and it's funny, too. When I read the section on Keno, I couldn't stop laughing. I'd swear that I've seen that drunk playing Keno more than once. Most parts of the book will elicit a smile or maybe even a chuckle, but there are a few parts that are downright hilarious. Seriously though, there is a lot of meat in this book. The humor just gives it some flavor. My friends have been merely amused by this book, but it cracked me up. I can't wait for the movie to come out.

This book ROCKS

All Hail Dr. Ford for his breakthrough book on the realities of gambling. I so needed to read this book before throwing away money to the Casinos. I've tried reading other books, but rarely end up finishing them, as I'm swimming in miniature odds tables. This books has them, but Ford cuts through all the blah, blah, blah and tells it like it is. If you don't have alot of time to devote to learning how to seriously gamble, the is the one book you should read. Written with humor and honesty, this was easy to pick up and put down when I had the time and I didn't have to take a statistics course to understand it!

An excellent book: accurate, honest and funny!!!!!

How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked like a Chicken is really a great book. It is so frank and honest that at times it is startling. In several places, like in the section about Gambler's Ruin, it is like someone just turned on the light. It becomes absolutely clear why some people win and most people don't. Although the book provides some really basic information, it doesn't talk down to the reader. It reads like a letter from a friend. The book is worth the price just for the video poker cheat sheets. These tables give you the best play combinations for twelve different video poker games. These would cost more than the book if you bought them separately. For each game, they answer questions like: Should I hold the pair or go for the flush? At first, the section on Blackjack seems incomplete. It doesn't go into the deep intricacies of card counting, like varying your play as a function of the card count. However, when you think about it, the book gives you enough information for you to be successful without making you work harder than it is worth. Since varying your bet is worth twice as much as varying your play, you really only have to learn one set of best play rules. The book provides you a realistic sense of perspective. It's like that for all the casino games. It tells you what is really important and what isn't. Even the humor is instructive. On your first reading, it catches you off-guard and always makes or emphasizes a point that is worth remembering. Beyond that, the entire tone of the book makes it clear that gambling is supposed to be fun. You don't have to be a robot to be an expert gambler. It is ok to enjoy yourself and be yourself in a casino. After reading this book, you will know enough to be able to relax and have a good time while trying to do to the casinos what they are trying to do to you.