What can you tell me about John Patrick?
John Patrick was a well-known old-school gambling author, instructor, and personality from the late 20th century, best remembered for his straightforward, no-nonsense books and videos teaching casino games like craps, blackjack, roulette, slots, video poker, and baccarat. He positioned himself as a professional gambler who stressed practical play over theory, often appearing on cable TV and producing instructional content.
Background and Career
Born and raised in West Orange, New Jersey, Patrick lived most of his life in the Garden State before relocating to Florida (reportedly around 2005, with some mentions of Lutz, Florida). He was active in gambling education starting in the late 1970s/early 1980s, around the time Atlantic City casinos opened, running seminars that taught game basics and emphasized that gambling is about winning money—not entertainment (he famously suggested roller coasters for fun instead).
He hosted a national cable TV show called "So You Wanna Be a Gambler!" (which aired on channels like the Financial News Network), taking live calls and breaking down strategies. He also produced numerous instructional videos and DVDs, including series on charting tables, specific games, and money management. Some of his content has a retro, enthusiastic style that fans describe as entertaining or "cheesy" in a charming way, with clips still circulating on YouTube today.
His approach focused on the "Big 4": bankroll management, knowledge of the game, money management, and discipline. He advocated systems like regressing wins (pulling back part of a winning bet to lock in profit rather than always pressing) to help players last longer, and he broke down individual bets in detail. He developed or popularized things like the "Patrick system" for craps. Critics sometimes noted his advice was more about minimizing losses or extending play time than beating the house edge long-term, and his math or strategy depth drew mixed reviews—praised for accessibility to beginners, but occasionally called basic or suboptimal by more advanced players.
Books
Patrick authored around 15–24 books (depending on counting editions/variations), many under titles like John Patrick's [Game]: So You Wanna Be a Gambler. Popular ones include:
John Patrick's Craps: So You Wanna Be a Gambler (detailed on the "Big 4" and practical play)
Books on blackjack (including Blackjack for the 21st Century and advanced versions)
Roulette, slots, baccarat, video poker, casino poker, and money management/discipline
His works were published by houses like Lyle Stuart/Kensington and remain available used or as e-books. They often blend instruction with his personal philosophy on gambling discipline.
Later Years and Status
He maintained an online presence into the 2010s, including a Facebook page for "Gamble to Win by John Patrick" (last notable activity around 2019) and websites that have since lapsed. Forum discussions from 2020–2022 show conflicting reports about whether he was still alive—he would have been in his mid-to-late 80s by then. A niece reportedly confirmed he was living in Florida and "funny as ever" as of early 2021, but rumors of his passing circulated without a widely confirmed obituary matching his profile exactly (some obits linked in discussions appear to be for different people). No definitive recent confirmation turns up as of 2026, so his exact status remains unclear, but his content lives on through reprints, videos, and fan references.
Legacy
Patrick represents the "old-school" era of gambling education—pre-internet boom, heavy on personality, TV appearances, and motivational-style advice rather than deep advantage play or simulations. Fans appreciate his emphasis on discipline and bankroll protection; skeptics view some strategies as more recreational than profitable. Clips of his shows and breakdowns (e.g., on craps mistakes or video poker) still get shared and discussed on gambling forums and YouTube.
If you're looking for specifics—like recommendations on a particular book, video links, or strategies he promoted—let me know more details! His material is easy to find secondhand or streamed in parts online.
