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Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling Operation | 
 enlarge | Author: James Jeffries
Creator: Charles Oliver
Publisher: Paladin Press
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $9.96
You Save: $8.04 (45%)
New (16) Used (4) from $9.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 110362
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 1581600704
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781581600704
ASIN: 1581600704
Publication Date: May 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Item is in new condition. Fast and reliable shipping. Great buy!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
If you have ever wondered why the bookie always wins and you always lose, or how your bookie adjusts point spreads and in which direction, The Book on Bookies is for you. In it, you'll find all the answers you need to come out a winner, no matter what you bet on - football, baseball, horse racing, boxing, golf or any other sport. Go behind the scenes with J.J. to see how a professional sports book is set up and run. Find out all about point spreads, straight bets, half-points, parlays, exactas, teasers, exotics, sweeps money lines - everything you need to know to wager wisely . . . or to become a bookie!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 waste of money April 5, 2008
Book On Bookies: An Inside Look At A Successful Sports Gambling OperationI really resented the time I spend reading this book, I could have caught up on some sleep, watched paint dry - useful stuff. This was without doubt the worst book on gambling and bookmaking I have ever read, I learned nothing, it was very out of date and if anyone laid a bet with this guy they were an idiot with the books he made up. If you are looking for an insight into how to be a bookie or how to beat them stay clear of this.
 somewhat revealing December 10, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first thing to make clear about this book is that it is meant to cover sports betting from the bookie's side, not the players, and is therefore very definitely NOT about how to make money betting sports. I have no idea what book the reviewers talking about how this made them better gamblers are talking about, unless they mean to say that they quit playing after reading it (a very reasonable course of action).
The second thing is that there are a few technical details on the lines that are inaccurate or out of date. Further, the idea of manually grading 150-200 customers, many of them playing multiple games and non-straight bets, is a joke in the year 2006. Doing this yourself is nuts, giving it to a clerk (who the author assumes will rob him blind given the chance) doesn't seem like an ideal option either.
Finally, the author in trying to come off clever or hip or wise or whatever his attitude is supposed to convey comes off instead as a 24-carat butt hole, with his utter and complete contempt for gamblers (his customers). Despite all admonitions to keep it professional and courteous in treatment of those making him money, his disgust and condescension drips off page after page, eventually becoming quite annoying.
If you are a gambler, the only point in reading this book is as a form of intervention. If you are a bookie, you learn little or nothing. If you are neither, it is an unusual glimpse into the mind of ONE bookie, anyhow. Not many books cover this subject from this angle.
This book is joke. April 5, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
People buy this book thinking that they will get great advice about how to become a bookie.
What kind of advice you get? None, unless you consider advice not to take the phone calls at your home, or how to fill a piece of paper with the information. It seems that this guy have not heard of spredsheets.
Anyway, the worst of all, is that he tells you basically that you should not worry because people only take favorites and you will make tons of money because underdogs are not taken into account by the bettor.
I agree that in certain sports like football there is a bias towards favorites, but if you take the data the underdog cover about 52% (or the favorite 48% ATS). This guy talks like 90% of the people bets on the favorite. But even if that it is the case, if the remaining 10% are wiseguys with a huge bankroll your days as a bookie will be counted.
By the way, unless you lived outside the US, his advice not only could make lose money but you could end up in jail!
Do not waste your money on this.
Out of date and inaccurate January 10, 2004
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
"The Book on Bookies" is a manual on how to run a sports book in America. It must be noted that such an enterprise is illegal and carries various risk. The book constantly mentions large tax free income which adds tax evasion to your list of criminal activities.My biggest gripe with the book is its deviation from factual and useful content. The "basics" chapter is riddled with glaring deficiencies - here are a few that I noted (a) Book: there are no winning gamblers - truth: there are few winning gamblers, but the few winners can really hurt the bottom line
(b) Book: you cannot specify pitchers in baseball - truth: the standard way to book baseball is to offer listed pitchers
(c) Book: Dime line baseball is booked at -110 a side - truth: dime line baseball is booked at -105 a side
(d) Book: Soccer is booked without totals - truth: soccer is booked with totals, 2.5 being the most common number
(e) Book: Nascar is an easy money spinner - truth: Nascar is a sport where the lines are weak and the "wiseguys" can eat you alive
(f) Book: The "field" bet never wins in golf - truth: "No name" golfers are beginning to proliferate the winner's list at PGA and European golf tournaments Aside from the factual inaccuracies, the book simply doesn't mention many of the important developments that have taken place in the bookmaking world. Important terms such as "beard", "middle" and "steam" are only mentioned in the glossary. Each term quite possibly deserves a chapter of its own. Finally, there is no mention of the ubiquitous "Don Best" screen, which governs the betting line from Vegas to the Caribbean. The way the author describes grading the wagers manually is almost comical. The lack of professional writing skill is evident and the only thing that kept me reading to the end was the author's quirky sense of humour. My favourite line in the book is when he casually mentions "If you are going to be hiring someone to work with you in this business, you must...accept that at some time, he will probably steal from you". Although the author has a number of character flaws, this nonchalant attitude is something we could all use at times. In summary I really cannot recommend this book to gamblers and especially not to anyone thinking of becoming a bookmaker!
 A glimpse into the secret world of bookies September 12, 2002
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book makes for fascinating reading, and as far as I know is the only book of its kind, thoroughly explaining how a sports book is set up and run. It's written in an interesting, story-telling style that will hold your attention. You don't have to be a sports junkie to read this book; if you've ever bet on a game or wondered how bookies get rich, check it out.
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