Rating: 
Summary: An enjoyable book, but ironically, it doesn't take chances
Review: 24/7 is a great book to read as an introduction to the city of Las Vegas (not just the gambling life), and is an entertaining jaunt through Sin City by a novice gambler. Martinez is an engaging writer, one who is informative and humorously entertaining at the same time. My only problem with this book is that for a book on Las Vegas, there really didn't seem to be too many chances taken by the author. What gripped me about the book was the excerpt in the back describing how the author had just lost over $20,000, and fretting at how he was going to tell his wife and his publisher. In the end, that was the most gripping tale in the book as far as gambling went. Martinez ultimately left Vegas only down about 10% from what he brought with him. It seemed like an unsatisfying trip, one where he never really got off the pot, so to speak. Ultimately, the closing sequence where much of his losses occur seem almost to be a frantic attempt to lose his nest egg to at least close out his book with a floiurish. It feels rushed and forced and didn't really do the trick. However, gambling aside, the book is still entertaining and informative. Much is shared about the people living in Vegas, the history of the town, and the development of the casino culture. Those are the true strengths of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: YAWWWWWWWWWWN
Review: The author does the almost impossible: He makes Las Vegas seem... BORING. Living it up? Doubling down? So the author brings his 50 grand book advance to Vegas to have a little fun, maybe learn a lesson or two. And we are supposed to care? Very annoying was the author's habit of telling us precisely how much money remained in his "bankroll" after each jaunt to the casino. For pages it idled around $47k. This really keeps the pages moving! I bought this book because I thought the author, Andres Martinez, had some insight to share about gambling or Vegas or modern-day America. Sorry: 0 for 3. What the author knows about gambling you can fit into a thimble, and his observations about Vegas sound as original as if they had come out of a well-thumbed Fodor's Guide. His gee-whiz, wow-look-at-this view of Lost Wages resembles the wide-eyed view of a kid at the circus. He is easily astonished, let's put it that way. Unfortunately, much of the book reads like a tiresome travelogue. If you want to know what the room towels are like at Luxor or where to find a tasty sandwich near the Mirage sports book, he might be able to help you out. Don't waste your time or cash.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it for the experience, not how to gamble
Review: As a certifiable Vegas junkie, I got a kick out of this book. The author takes a $50,000 bankroll supplied by his publisher as an advance to write the book, so he goes to Vegas to gamble (research) and write the book... with me so far? Not bad work if you can get it!
It's rather fun to follow the highs and lows of this gaming novice as he starts to catch on to the comp system, games offered (good and bad), and the general casino scene, all related first person.
OK, so the author doesn't have H.S. Thompson's biting sarcasm, but the prose flows smoothly, the anecdotes are amusing, and, to no ones surprise given his limited gaming knowledge, looses most of the advance. It's just so much fun having him tell it. Again, not a gaming "how to" book, not a "how to get comps" book, just a gool ol' wild west experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very intelligent gambling book
Review: For how the book's cover talked about how intelligent (ivy league undergrad, law school) the author was, he didn't know a thing about statistics behind gambling. I gamble, but thinking of a dealer or their cards as 'hot' or 'cold' is quite unintelligent.
Rating:
Summary: 30 days in Vegas with $50,000, only 138 hours of gambling?
Review: An entertaining book that I can recommend to anyone with an interest in gambling or the city of Las Vegas. I was surprised at how little he gambled during his trip. I would have liked it better had he spent more time and detail on the gambling and less on the way he killed time while he was there. It seemed that he got tired of the whole thing about half way through the book and was just rushing to finish, spending very little time gambling and even less time writing about it. I was hoping for more than 138 hours of gambling during a 30 day trip with a $50,000 bankroll. It was still a decent read.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT BOOK RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO LIKES LAS VEAGS
Review: This was a great book about Las Vegas. Tells all about the casinos and action that you will find in vegas. If you are into Las Vegas this book is for you. It has great stories about the gratest city in the world
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This book is great for a nonfiction account of the powers of Las Vegas. It's perfect for those who the city and often daydream about the concept of lving in all the hotels with seemingly unlimited money. It touches upon everything-the intricities of gambling, and history, with some stories of natives interspersed throughout. And all along there is a great writing flow that makes you root for this guy. Beware though, this is not a guide, there are enough of those out there.
Rating:
Summary: High hopes...low return
Review: I purchased this book with high hopes that it would be a sizzling account of a true high roller experience. I have always wondered how "the other half" lives it up in Vegas. At the very least, I expected an interesting trip report with accounts of lavish suites and attention showered on this temporary high roller. Although some parts of the book were mildly interesting, there is no meat. I came away from the book not knowing anything more about what a high roller experiences than I knew before I read the book. The tales of the characters he met were somewhat informative and interesting but his account of his attempt at high rolling fell flat. A mediocore book at best. I want the juice!
Rating:
Summary: A really fun book about Las Vegas
Review: I really enjoyed this one. An insider's view of the high rolling lifestyle. Bottom line - the best way to get rich in Las Vegas is to stay home and invest in the stock market.
Rating:
Summary: Vanilla Pudding
Review: I wanted to like this book -- the premise is a promising one. But the writing is clunky and the humor precious (the author spends a lot of time laughing at his own lame jokes), the reporting is woeful, and the experiential stuff is so boring that, somewhere, Hunter S. is rolling his eyes.
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