Sports Betting Books
Those who begin their journey into sports betting may look online for information about handicapping and betting markets.
We would recommend that course of action, and to start with our strategy articles here at Safest Sports Betting.
With that said, there some standout sports betting books. While most books on sports betting are not worth your time and money, there are a few standout authors and books that are excellent reads for both beginning and advanced sports bettors.
The best books on sports betting you cannot afford to miss…
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Sharp Sports Betting – Stanford Wong
If there were to be a Hall of Fame for sports betting books, Sharp Sports Betting would be the first book inducted. The book was originally written in 2001 and changed sports betting markets and odds forever.
It has since had two updates in 2009 and 2011, but these were relatively minor revisions.
The author, Stanford Wong, which is an alias, is one of the best gamblers around.
He put himself through college playing blackjack and has an amazing background and statistics and probability. This translated well into sports betting, to say the least.
Wong goes over just about every aspect of sports betting in this book, from sides, totals, money lines, teasers, and parlays.
“Wong teasers” otherwise known as basic strategy teasers were coined from this book. He also dispels the many myths of sports betting, such as betting “trends” that are still widely believed today by the masses.
The push charts and probability statistics are still accurate today. Wong also delves deep into advanced topics, such as Poisson distributions.
Best Football Betting Book
The book is heavily focused on football, but the lessons and ideas can certainly be used for other sports.
It belongs in every sports bettors, library and is available in both paperback and Kindle format at Amazon.
The Smart Money – Michael Konik
Not every book on sports gambling has to be informative. That’s why you find Michael Konik’s The Smart Money: How the World’s Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Million on our list.
It’s not purely for entertainment, as there are a few useful nuggets, but it’s one of the best looks into the minds and practices of bettors.
It’s a book I wouldn’t be shocked to see made into a movie someday and does offer some valuable tidbits on-line shopping and its importance.
“Fading the public” is also a common theme in the book and is a tactic that the syndicate Konik works within the book.
One of the better themes in the book is how difficult it is for bettors to get money down on games once they become known as profitable gamblers.
This is something that will happen to all bettors profitable bettors eventually. Being limited or discouraged from wagering is a rite of passage.
The events of the book take place mostly in Las Vegas, offering a unique look at sports betting in Vegas from the perspective of professional sports bettors. Read this one for the thrill ride. It’s available at Amazon.com.
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Weighing The Odds In Sports Betting – King Yao
Weighing the Odds, by King Yao is a book that is quite similar to the above mentioned Sharp Sports Betting.
Yao leaves a bit more for the reader to discover compared to Wong, whose book probably should have never been written in so much detail.
The book is also a near must-read as well, and touches on all kinds of topics, but is especially helpful when it comes to baseball and football markets. King Yao’s book is available at Amazon.
He’s also written a book on poker, which we also recommend to aspiring poker players.
Fixed-Odds Sports Betting – Joseph Buchdal
The sub-title of this book is: “Statistical Forecasting & Risk Management” which give you a sense of the serious tone.
Joseph Buchdal has written a textbook for serious sports bettors. This is another “must-own” for anyone serious about placing sports wagers. Why is Fixed-Odds Sports Betting so important?
It was the first text to really explain concepts like the over-round, it includes details on the Asian handicap that (for years) you couldn’t find anywhere else, a guide to staking, bankroll-building tips, and a ton of other topics that few writers have covered with as much clarity.
If you’re looking to seriously analyze your betting system, increase the power of your bankroll, or learn to find value in just about any sports market, you should own a copy of Buchdal’s book and be reading it for a few minutes every day.
The Signal & the Noise – Nate Silver
This book is written by the famed numbers-junkie behind the popular blog FiveThirtyEight, The Signal & the Noise is all about making predictions.
Sometimes lapsing into complex math, but always quick with a real-world example, Silver’s book is a great companion to education in sports markets.
This text is basically an introduction to the concepts of probability and risk. Silver’s constant point is that, despite limitless raw data, most of our predictive abilities are very limited.
He begins by analyzing why we’re so bad at predicting things like earthquakes, forest fires, and financial markets.
Sure, this is a high-concept book, and it doesn’t always relate directly to wagering on sports. Where this book reveals its genius is later, during your extended education on the hobby.
Silver’s lessons on how weather forecasters achieve their relatively-high rates of predictive success aren’t immediately applicable, but you won’t find a better education in prediction.
