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  1. #1


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    Gambling books

    Moving to tiny place! I have 34 or so books about gambling, poker and blackjack. Photos tough to upload. I am thinking $200 flat, including shipping, for for the lot of them.C33D3200-EBF0-43B1-ABEC-A5BD74B05102.jpg525CED70-D685-4726-BDA6-B23A3DF4A979.jpg

    email me at [email protected] if you are interested.

  2. #2


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    You can throw away Patrick, Thomason, Scoblete, and Roberts and save some postage.

    Don

  3. #3


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    You can throw away Patrick, Thomason, Scoblete, and Roberts and save some postage.

    Don
    Don’t you think the readers of books by those authors Leads to more flawed card counters which in turn leads to less fear by casinos of card counters in general?

  4. #4


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    Quote Originally Posted by ZeeBabar View Post
    Don’t you think the readers of books by those authors Leads to more flawed card counters which in turn leads to less fear by casinos of card counters in general?
    No.

    Don

  5. #5


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    Quote Originally Posted by ZeeBabar View Post
    Don’t you think the readers of books by those authors Leads to more flawed card counters which in turn leads to less fear by casinos of card counters in general?
    This is....just wrong!

  6. #6


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    Quote Originally Posted by ZeeBabar View Post
    Don’t you think the readers of books by those authors Leads to more flawed card counters which in turn leads to less fear by casinos of card counters in general?
    ZeeBabar, I am going to have to disagree with Don here, certainly not with regard to any matter of probabilities, data, or analytics but I think that the wrong books DO lead to flawed card counters who are a boon to the casinos because until recently I was just that. I started reading blackjack books, or trying to, nearly three decades ago. I read enough of Revere’s book to memorize the basic strategy charts he offered, decided that his advanced counts were too advanced for me and that I’d make do with Hi-Lo. Nevertheless, I bought Don’s book - the first edition - and Peter Griffin’s — and didn’t make it all the way through either one. I understood only that I’d bitten off more than I could chew when it came to the amount of time available to learn and the amount of bankroll available to lose if necessary.

    A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I embraced just enough of the concepts presented to be a danger to myself. I lapped up Frank Scoblete and Henry Tamburin precisely because they avoided the kind of in-depth analysis needed and made it all seem like a sexy lark. Over the next 20 + years, I ventured three or four times a year with my husband to the casinos and tried to win playing with basic strategy, Hi-Lo count, and Don’s I-18, paying no attention to the rules, the penetration depth, or any back-counting strategies. I sat and played all counts, even severely negative, telling myself “Well, by the time I can get up and leave this table, the count might be positive again” (based on nothing; I had no idea how many cards were being dealt per hand or how many hands per deck!) I paid no attention to EV or RoR or playing efficiency or betting efficiency or SCORE or anything else I didn’t understand or have time to study. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost, and most often if I lost, my husband won (he played in the poker room), or if I won, he lost, so it was a wash. We handed over our players’ cards religiously whenever we played, and considered it a win if we came out ahead counting the value of the free hotel room and free food. When we lost even counting that, we said to each other that it was money spent on entertainment; if we’d rather play cards than go to shows or museums, or the beach or the mountains as friends and family might prefer, well that’s how we wanted to spend our ‘fun’ money, and that was up to us. I have no doubt that I personally enriched the casinos considerably over the years because of the little bit of knowledge I had and the lack of understanding of the factors that are most important. Often, I took the money I won at BJ and gave it right back at three-card poker.

    Now I have the bankroll to last (I did correctly surmise back then that I lacked a sufficient bankroll, and stupidly concluded from this that I shouldn’t bother to try and become a better player!), plus plenty of time to immerse myself in the books that formerly flummoxed me. Most important, I have a completely different attitude; I am determined to understand the concepts that have eluded me; I pick my games carefully; and I walk out without playing a hand if the game I'm looking for isn’t available.

    Bottom line, I wouldn’t go near a casino if it wasn’t for blackjack and having learned BS, Hi-Lo, and I-18, so it is just the casinos’ good fortune that I learned that much decades ago and foolishly thought it was enough, playing for years without carefully choosing my games, properly sizing my bets, or understanding the first thing about ‘cover’ among other things. (I was recently backed off after I got so enthused about the game I was playing, the phenomenally high count I had, and the unprecedented success I’d had in my prior two trips that I began to recklessly play a 1-40 spread, thinking they wouldn’t pay attention if my basic bet was low and I hadn’t won a lot already! I know, I know…I have MUCH to learn, to remember, and to put into practice…I REALLY felt stupid when I later stopped to think about what I had done…)
    Last edited by Countess J; 12-04-2020 at 08:45 AM.

  7. #7


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    My suggestion would be to start a bonfire with this pile of junk. $200 + shipping I guess there is a sucker born all the time. You should be ashamed.

  8. #8


    2 out of 2 members found this post helpful. Did you find this post helpful? Yes | No
    Quote Originally Posted by Eye of the Eagle View Post
    My suggestion would be to start a bonfire with this pile of junk. $200 + shipping I guess there is a sucker born all the time. You should be ashamed.
    So, there are six or seven legitimately good books there. Not completely a pile of junk. But $200? Er, I don't think so.

    Don

  9. #9


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    There are some decent reads but a lot of junk in the stack as Don pointed out. I would agree with Don's assessment but offer that on a positive note, IMO John Patrick just looks like a pro gambler with the grey turtleneck and all. That said none of the full time and hardcore APs that I have met look anything like Patrick and his chips. Nonetheless - his books get my vote for best cover. Scoblete - never read one of his books all the way through but did peruse a couple of chapters where he recounted a typical gambling trip and it sounded like lots of fun. Not anything like I have personally experienced but between the spa, shows, dinner, pool, etc he always managed to have a great time and make $$. I just can never seem to get beyond the playing, scouting, sleeping rinse and repeat to do a Scoblete trip.Cohiba

  10. #10


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    The books that are worthwhile are anything that Wong wrote, Uston, Canfield (but dated), Meadow, and Andersen. I already mentioned those that should be used for toilet paper.

    Don

  11. #11
    Senior Member MJGolf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    I already mentioned those that should be used for toilet paper.

    Don
    Don, please tell us how you REALLY feel. LOL

    Scoblete may not be long on technical gambling advice but he does have a humorous writing style. You should read his book about growing up Catholic. As a reformed Catholic, it had me laughing out loud. But while he does push his own counting program, he does talk about playing Hi Lo and gives info on it. So what he writes isn't totally BS. But I sure understand your viewpoint.

    Does John Patrick even have a gambling site or show any more? Haha
    "Women and cats will do as they please, and Men and dogs should just relax and get used to the idea" --- Robert A. Heinlein

  12. #12
    Random number herder Norm's Avatar
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    Scoblete wrote the intro to Thomason's pictured progression book. Patrick and Thomason are both dead.
    "I don't think outside the box; I think of what I can do with the box." - Henri Matisse

  13. #13


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    Thanks, Norm, for the update on Patrick and Thomason...

    I am saddened upon hearing of Thomason's death in particular.

    I had corresponded with him 20 or so years ago, and he was quite nice to me, going out of his way to loan me a resource of his. And of course we discussed his progression book. I had found several simple arithmetic errors in it. (I now realize how progressions don't work.).

    Does anyone have any more details about his passing, such as how, when, and where? I can't seem to find much online.

    Life is so darned short!

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