Rating: 
Summary: Fast Food
Review: It's an engaging read, but in the end it comes across as a frustratingly superficial write. As a tale of three diverse role-players in the Vegas sports betting scene, it gives us little in the way of character depth or development. As a tale of how one season pans out for these guys, we learn only the outline of their cumulative performance - some occasional snapshots. As a primer in how to make sports bets, only a tempting morsel is briefly revealed. As a history of sports betting in a crucial transition period -just a glimpse. Yet it still has a journalistic pull on our attention...almost despite ourseves, we really get involved in how two college basketball teams we'd hardly blinked an eye at in our lives fare head-to-head on a random night, and we do end up wanting our featured bettors to go home winners. Yet it's hard not to feel this could have been so much better had the research been more thorough, the characters more closely followed, the history less skimpy. I read it in two sittings - goes down smooth as a Dove bar.
Rating:
Summary: Worth The Wager
Review: Millman's piece is somewhat of a cross between a screenplay and a short story. At times he is very descriptive about the inner workings of sports betting and the industry's participants. On the other hand, parts of the book lacked transition and continuity, leaving the subscriber to develop sentiments normally provided to the recreational reader. Any gambler can easily fill the gaps, but curious non-players may become baffled. It's a quick read at a good price so you really can't go wrong - unless you come to believe a three-team parlay is a good wager. In that case, call me and I'll take the action.
Rating:
Summary: Worth The Wager
Review: Millman's piece is somewhat of a cross between a screenplay and a short story. At times he is very descriptive about the inner workings of sports betting and the industry's participants. On the other hand, parts of the book lacked transition and continuity, leaving the subscriber to develop sentiments normally provided to the recreational reader. Any gambler can easily fill the gaps, but curious non-players may become baffled. It's a quick read at a good price so you really can't go wrong - unless you come to believe a three-team parlay is a good wager. In that case, call me and I'll take the action.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written, badly observed
Review: The author has picked exactly the wrong subjects to profile in this poorly written book. None of the subjects, each of whom has ventured to Vegas to beat the pointspread, comes off as much more than a sick addict who is walking - tired stereotype alert! - life's tightrope. Though most sports bettors know that beating the spread is less likely than becoming a leading man in Hollywood (some bookies swear not a single customer in decades has done it) Millman fails to provide meaningful insight into the gamblers' methods or approach, other than to suggest that they simply throw darts or rely on feel or analzye the games any better than your average tavern fan. The result is a portrait of uninteresting men engaged in a sloppy attempt at something potentially fascinating. The one bettor who seems to have made huge money at his craft is also presented as an undisciplined wild man - a situation that, in reality, never results in the kind of winning seasons Millman suggests of the man's past. Did this man change his system? Did he alter his approach? Did his psychology change? Millman never tells us, and worse, we get the sense that he didn't know enough to ask the question. The result is a lingering feeling that the author either was too lazy to investigate and explain the most important and interesting parts of the gambler's being, or worse, didn't realize that this stuff mattered. The writing in the book is awful. That is, unless you adore similes, in which case, there are mountains of them. Bad ones, too. Skip this book, like you would skip a stone.
Rating: 
Summary: Just SUPER.....
Review: The Odds is a first hand look at what is going on in the sportsbook environment. Whether you want a view from the bookmaker's perspective, the wiseguy's perspective, or the casual sports bettor's perspective, this book is terrfic. The bookmaker, Joe Lupo of The Stardust is one cool customer. He is under constant pressure to get it right as the manager of The Stardust sports book. Traditionally, the line comes out first from The Stardust, hence, the added pressure of being the focus of attention in Las Vegas sports gambling circles. He knows the details of every game from his collective sources of sports oddsmakers. This would make one cool movie...
Rating:
Summary: ODDS-ON FAVORITE
Review: THE ODDS is a thrill ride through the minds of the folks who make the odds and those who try to beat them. While it provides a tremendous amount of information, it is less a book about sports and betting than it is a peek into a fascinating subculture. Millman is a terrific writer, and he has done some painstaking and obviously time-consuming research. At times, he seems to be in three places at once. I also enjoyed Millman's first book, Pickup Artists, immensely, The author seems to be carving out a niche as a chronicler of a side of sports that intrigues and repels us simultaneously, showing us that the games themselves are only the tip of the iceberg. I look forward to his next project.
Rating: 
Summary: The Powerful Drive Of Gambling
Review: THE ODDS... is a non-fiction account of sports betting in Las Vegas during the football and college basketball seasons in 1999/2000. It gives insight into betting from three perspectives: small-time, big-time, and the bookmaker. The book provides some information for the curious that is interesting and helpful in understanding how betting lines are made, the effect and purpose of moving the line, the impact of internet betting, and Congress' interest in abolishing betting on college sports. The book also chronicles the agony, torment, and excitement of sports betting. Unfortunately, for those who are already living the gambler's lifestyle there's little in this book they don't already know. For those considering using sports betting as their sole source of income, they might think twice after reading this book. However, acknowledging that gambling is such a powerful drive, I'm afraid they'll want to find out for themselves. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: Felt The Rush...
Review: The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers, and the Death of Their Las Vegas, is a great read. It fuses a bit of sportsbetting history and information with a great storyline that had me feeling the rush with the characters. When a bet was placed in the book, I felt like I had placed it... and as Millman skillfully described the outcome of the game in a play by play narrative, (a tough style to write in my opinion), I found myself cheering for my team to beat the spread... I wish that there were more books out there that dealt with this subject matter in such an entertaining way. Anyone who gambles on sports regularly, is interested in sportsbetting, or has even placed a wager on a superbowl game in Vegas once will love this book. It realizes the addictive nature of sportsbetting, but doesn't get "preachy" about it at all. It is a sypathetic portrayal of the hard-nosed sports handicapper.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look into the world of sports gambling!
Review: This book gives the reader a tantalizing look into the world of professional sports gamblers. In addition to focusing on two bettors, the book also tells the story of a bookmaker for a major casino. If you are intrigued by sports gambling, or just want to read a good book about the world of Vegas gaming, get a copy of this book.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look into the world of sports gambling!
Review: This book gives the reader a tantalizing look into the world of professional sports gamblers. In addition to focusing on two bettors, the book also tells the story of a bookmaker for a major casino. If you are intrigued by sports gambling, or just want to read a good book about the world of Vegas gaming, get a copy of this book.
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