Top 10 best sports betting books in 2024

Many punters are about learning lessons. It’s a long journey – perhaps a lifetime. Fortunately, those who bet before us have learned many lessons that we need. And some are good enough to put them on paper. If you want to explore some betting books, the first thing you’ll notice is that there’s no shortage of them! Regardless of the topic – whether it’s betting or gambling in general, horse racing, sports betting, or any other topic – there are plenty of titles available. So, to help you get started, premiumsoccertips.net has compiled a list of 10 sports betting books that every bettor should read.

Top 10 sports betting books

Sharp Sports Betting (Stanford Wong, 2001)

A great instructional book if you’re getting into sports betting with a zero-risk betting strategy, Wong’s Sharp Sports Betting details the basics of the game and the calculations that drive everything from break-even odds to what later became known as Wong’s teasers.

Like in any how-to guide for the 21st-century youth, there are parts of the book that have become outdated (though reading about the Wire Act in detail might be an interesting nostalgia trip), but there are still timeless fundamentals and truths here that all serious sports bettors should know. Understanding how to measure your advantage or compute anticipated worth will always remain relevant.

Market Wizards (Jack Schwager, 1989)

This book interviews some of the world’s most successful stock market traders and explores how their calculated decision-making helped them succeed. Much of the content is highly relevant to sports betting and/or Betfair trading. The book provides many inspiring stories, including how some traders attempted to recover from the brink of failure.

One of the key focuses of the book is having a long-term vision to succeed in the trading environment and never giving up. That’s certainly something we can all adhere to.

Interception (Ed Miller and Matthew Davidow, 2023)

Miller and Davidow follow up Logic with Interception, a must-read for any sports bettor beginning to seriously consider how to profit from the vast menu offered by many entertainment books. The focus of this book is a simple observation: very few markets truly exist at modern sportsbooks. Those that do are sharp and react to good information. The rest of the menu? Mostly derived from traders and models.

And those may still be missing the mark. How do you analyze them and find the weaknesses? Learn how to and you might find all the points to help you build your bankroll. (We even consider some ways to apply Interception angles to reality.)

Sharper: A Guide to Modern Sports Betting (True PokerJoe, 2016)

As practical and solid a book as you’ll find in any sports betting library, bettor (and Unabated Discord contributor) PokerJoe adeptly breaks down advanced concepts like predicting the value of independent players and calculating home-field advantage without resorting to how much effort it takes to become a successful bettor.

While he offers practical, actionable tips like spreadsheet formulas you can plug into your own software, where Joe truly shines is in the hard-won insight into what it takes to truly think about betting beyond the superficial.

He writes: “Many people like math because they think they’re avoiding discomfort. It’s just a matter of perspective.” The mistake they’re making is: math leaves no room for opinions on calculated outcomes but rather asks questions? That’s different, and those are interesting questions.

Statistical Sports Models in Excel Vol. 1 and 2 (Andrew Mack, 2019 and 2020)

Self-taught statistician Mack authored this two-volume set as a pathway for those interested in exploring modeling but haven’t taken the initial steps into the quantum life.

Excel may not boast as many superior features as R or Python, but it’s a significantly user-friendlier experience. Mack aims to help you confidently build your spreadsheet. Just be prepared to revisit sections if certain concepts aren’t inherently your forte.

If concepts like R Squared don’t intimidate you, your perseverance will be rewarded by stepping into the modeling world in a practical manner.

Then One Day… 40 Years of Bookmaking in Nevada (Chris Andrews, 2019)

The South Point sportsbook has an undeniable imprint you often don’t find in properties outside the strip. Jimmy Vaccaro and Chris Andrews, two bookmakers with nearly 100 years of combined experience setting odds and writing tickets in Las Vegas, are the reason.

Then One Day… might not make you a sharper bettor, but it’s a cool journey through the days when sports betting involved JB Smoove less trash-talking Peyton Manning than a group of pirates behind the betting counter taking names. Professional advice surely from Andrews if you find yourself running a sportsbook: don’t let your sportsbook manager roll out NHL 6-point teasers. It happened and played out just as you’d think.

Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman, 2013)

The first book doesn’t directly address sports betting. Kahneman’s bestselling book discusses how you approach problem-solving and critical thinking. Much of sports betting involves seeking value and identifying inefficiencies. This book is a great way to learn how to approach the necessary self-learning to become a strong sports bettor.

It’s certainly not the first book you should read on your sports betting journey, but it’s an excellent supplementary book to help you develop both personally and professionally.

Conquering Risk: Attacking Vegas and Wall Street (Elihu D. Feustel and George S. Howard, 2010)

Similar to Wong’s Sharp Sports Betting, this book is somewhat outdated for the modern sports betting industry. However, the concepts still stand the test of time. Feustel does a great job presenting rational approaches to gaining an edge in sports betting.

If you’re struggling with some “why” questions related to sports betting, this book will help you understand that. Financial investing has been around longer than sports betting. However, if you’re looking for a solid theoretical foundation in sports betting, this is the foundational book.

A new book by Feustel is set to be published in the coming year. Perhaps it will also be a must-read book.

Squares & Sharps, Suckers & Sharks (Joseph Buchdahl, 2016)

Have you ever wondered why you’re drawn to gambling? Or have you ever questioned why some people choose to gamble and lose instead of taking small steps to become a more educated bettor? Buchdahl’s book will help you understand the psychology behind gambling.

If you’re already an educated bettor, this book will help you fine-tune your approach and avoid pitfalls in the future. It’s the kind of book you read once and then ponder over. You’ll find yourself revisiting certain parts of this book to understand why you act the way you do regarding your gambling.

Fortune’s Formula (William Poundstone 2005)

If you’re a serious gambler, you’ve probably heard of the Kelly Criterion: a betting system that seemingly every professional gambler uses some version or derivative of. This book tells the story of its inception and how two founders, Claude Shannon & John Kelly, developed the money management strategy in 1956.

They brought the Kelly Criterion to Las Vegas, and it worked. They realized they could even make more money in the stock market. The Kelly system was wildly successful, and Shannon became a prosperous investor, even outperforming Warren Buffett’s rate of return.

Fortune’s Formula tracks how the Kelly Criterion caused controversy as it created fortunes in horse racing, casinos, and trading floors. Shannon believed that an intelligent investor could beat the market – and this book will convince you that he was right!

Conclude

In conclusion, this series of books provides a deep insight into the world of gambling and trading, from the psychology behind decisions to specific strategies and complex mathematical formulas. From understanding the psychology of players to applying money management methods and statistical tools, these works provide a solid foundation for those interested in researching and improving their betting skills. It’s important not only to read the books but also to apply the knowledge and strategies you’ve learned in practice. Only through practice and patience can you progress far along the path to becoming a successful bettor or trader.

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