Gambling For A Living by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth

Even though Gambling for a Living: How To Make $100,000 A Year, by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, is showing its age (published in 1997, no Internet section), the book is a solid, universal grounding for winning at the business of gambling.

There are chapters for Blackjack, Horses, Slots, Casinos, and my favorite, Poker and Poker Tournaments.  The advice is expert, time tested, and proven.  Here are a few Poker excerpts:

1)  "As far as the kind of money that can be won playing poker, there should be no problem in winning that $100,000 a year if you get good enough."  Page 213.

2)  "And the sad, but true fact is, that the biggest factor in your success as a professional poker player is the difference between your skill and your opponents' skill rather than simply how good you play."  Page 217.

3)  "You must either find a game where most of the players are mediocre, or a game where at least one of them is terrible."  Page 221.

4)  "Making $100,000 per year means about $50 per hour.  Thus, to reach that figure you would need to be at least a $30-$60 player."  Page 222.

5)  "And, if you go through three hundred (big) bets it is highly doubtful that you are a bet-an-hour long-run winner."  Page 225.

6)  "It is absolutely imperative that you do not try to get back big losses quickly."  Page 226.

7)  "If you want to be a professional poker player, patience and the ability to refrain from playing an unprofitable hand is a must."  Page 228.

8)  "The fact is, with few exceptions, professional poker players play fewer hands than nonprofessionals."  Page 229.

9)  "As we have already said, to become an excellent poker player you will need to study, get experience, and do a great deal of thinking about the game."  Page 270.

As you can see, whether you are pursuing poker for a career or for profitable recreation, the principles for winning are the same.  This is a good book for learning expert, realistic strategies, and the poker professional mind set.

See more books by David Sklansky located bottom of this page.

R. Steve McCollum

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Copyright 2009  R. Steve McCollum