[Editor’s Note: This review of Arnold Snyder’s latest book is written by Frank Kneeland, a long-time gambling pro (he was actually raised in an advantage-player family) and author of The Secret World of Video Poker Progressives.] When I began reading Arnold Snyder’s book, Radical Blackjack, I couldn’t help but think of the scene from Airplane […]
Posts in category Reviews: Books, Movies, TV
The Card Counter review
There has been a lot of talk about the new Paul Schrader movie, “The Card Counter.” Here is a review by our guest reviewer, Jake Jacobs. A fair proportion of you are no doubt as interested in the verisimilitude of The Card Counter as in its merits qua cinematic experience. From a professional gambler’s viewpoint, […]
A Look at Robert Wachtel’s The Backgammon Chron...
Robert Wachtel is a world-class backgammon player — Richard Munchkin and I have each known him for more than forty years. He recently self-published a two-volume set of Chronicles which I read and enjoyed. While Bob will be a guest in the near future on Gambling with an Edge, I thought I’d give readers a […]
A Look at Cheaters Always Win by J. M. Fenster
Richard Munchkin and I were sent review copies of this book in order for us to determine if we wanted the author on our Gambling with an Edge podcast. It turned out I liked the book very much, recommend it, but don’t feel it’s appropriate for the show. There is some gambling-related content to the […]
Gardena Poker Clubs: A High-Stakes History by M...
I was raised in Gardena, California, which is about 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. We lived just north and west of Vermont and 135th Street. The nearest card clubs were five blocks south, at Vermont and 140th. I was born in 1947, and the clubs were “always there” when I was a kid. […]
When Experts Say Opposite Things
When I was in graduate school 45 years ago, plus or minus, I heard about an incident many years prior to that at the University of Chicago. It appears that there was an elevator for a campus building with a “Students Only” sign on it. One professor entered and was challenged, presumably in a friendly […]
Gambling With an Edge this week
Our guests on the GWAE podcast this week are Professor David Schwartz, who is on to talk about his new book, Tales From the Pit. Then we talk with Anthony Curtis about things happening around Las Vegas, as well as some reminiscences about Peter Griffin. Shows get posted on Thursday afternoons.
“That Place is a Dump!”
A friend recently asked me what casinos in the US would be worth visiting, given her desire to gamble and discover new places. I often get that question when people hear that I’m a card player. What’s the best casino you’ve been to? Where should I stay when I go to Vegas? Do you like […]
Lessons from Chip Reese
I was reading Mike Sexton’s new book, Life’s a Gamble, in preparation for interviewing Sexton on the radio. The Sexton interview will be taped before you read this and will be posted here (that link is to the filtered podcast archives) on Thursday, July 28. The book is autobiographical, with lots of anecdotes about Sexton himself and various other […]
Gambling With an Edge this week
Our guest this week is Mike Sexton, poker player and ambassador, and cohost of the WPT. Mike has a new book out called Life’s a Gamble which we will discuss. Shoot us your questions for Mike.
Never miss another post