Good Read: 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets by Bill Burton

Sometimes I get the sudden urge to go through my vast collection of books and purge the lot. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at it and end up wasting more time lovingly dusting off old favorites than actually decluttering to make much-needed space. This week, in a ruthless mood, I took down all my books about gambling in a bid to cull the collection and keep only the best. That’s when I came across one of my all-time favorites: 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secretsby Bill Burton (Sourcebooks, Inc. 2005).

This great book makes for a really good read and teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about beating the casino at its own game.

The back cover of the book promises that Burton “will teach you:

• the truth about the most popular casino bets.
• how to find which slot machines will pay up.
• what games you should avoid at all costs.
• the ten smartest bets in the casino.
• the ten worst bets in the casino.
• how to get the most bang for your buck – in the pit and all over the casino.
• the basics of card counting, dice setting and other tricks of the trade.
• how to make your money last.
• when to play, and when to pack up and go home.”

After I dusted off my copy of the book, I decided to settle back and re-read it. After a few pages, I realized just why there wasn’t a hope in hell that this title was going into the junk box. This book is a treasure trove of good tips to help anybody from absolute beginners to seasoned gamblers in any gambling setting. More importantly, the book is written in a concise, easy to understand format so that it is both useful and entertaining.

I can understand why a lot of people say that they are very grateful for  this book for teaching them the very basics of casino gambling, and if I hear of a buddy heading off to Vegas for the first time, I’ll always suggest that they read Burton’s 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets before putting their foot into the casino.

So, no, the book didn’t get purged (nor did any others for that matter) and I will try again when I’m in the mood once more. But I wouldn’t bet on anything getting done….