How To Gamble At The Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like A Chicken

Rating:
Summary: ***** A New Classic ! *****
Review:
"How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked like a Chicken" is really an excellent book for both novice and expert gamblers. Its coverage of casino gambling is comprehensive, honest, realistic and fun.

The section on Gambler's Ruin, is particularly well done. It illustrates how casinos use the mathematics of gambling to grind out a profit and makes the point that "they don't have to cheat you to beat you". The details in this section are essential information for anyone who intends to put money at risk. It is fundamental information for the beginner and a good review and reinforcement for those who already know what they are doing. Basically, the author tries to get his audience to understand that casino gambling can be both fun and profitable, but not a major money maker - unless you own the casino or have a lot of money to start with.

The instructions for the various games are clear, easy to understand and amusing enough to be worth reading, even if you already know how to play that particular game. The numerous charts and tables are valuable resources. They present large amounts of solid information in a very concentrated form - making the book well worth its price.

The author also does a credible job of poking fun at the phony "get rich quick" genre of gambling books, without resorting to naming names. The tongue-in-cheek description of "controlling the dice" and the detailed coverage of the "ways to beat roulette" and "Winning Systems" makes it clear that the author recognizes that greed often trumps common sense.

The combination of real information and honest enjoyment of gambling makes "How to Gamble at the Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken" a new classic. This book is a "must-read" for anyone who enjoys the challenge of the casinos.



Rating:
Summary: This book ROCKS
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: If you only have one gambling book.....this is it!!!
Review: Funny title; serious book. This is the first gambling book that truly tells it like it is. There are many other books that contain sound information on strategies and percentages but they all fail to point out the reality of gambling. The author does an excellent job of describing "Gambler's Ruin" and which games you should absolutely not play. The math and statistics are as good as any other gambling book but the read and comprehension are made easier thanks to a little humor which does not keep this from being a serious reference. If you only have one gambling book in your library, this is it!!!

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book: accurate, honest and funny!!!!!
Review: 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.