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 How to Find a Black Cat in a Coal Cellar
by Joseph Buchdahl
How do we
know if we can beat the bookmaker? That's easy: just look at our bank balance.
But how do we know if we've not just been lucky? More specifically, how do we
know that someone who says he can do it, and who is selling his 'expertise',
can keep doing it again and again, through talent, skill and hard
work?
This book examines the techniques available to answer that
question, to identify those qualities and to help the punter find value for
money in an industry that appears to be largely built on trust and the
influence of chance; to uncover the truth about sports tipsters and ultimately
how to find the best tipsters – the 'Black Cats'.
Joseph Buchdahl
runs a website independently verifying online sports betting advisory services
to provide a measure of quality control and a means of demonstrating
transparency, validity and reliability for a sports tipping industry that is
otherwise unregulated. His previous book: Fixed Odds Sports Betting is a
perennial best selling gambling book.
Paperback - 424 pages - Portico (6 Jan
2013) £13.39
Kindle - 433 pages - Portico
(25 Jan 2013) £8.54
 The Hidden Mathematics of Sport
by Rob
Eastaway
The Hidden Mathematics of
Sport takes a unique and fascinating look at sport, by exploring the
mathematics behind the action. You ll discover the best tactics for taking a
penalty, the pros and cons of being a consistent golfer, the surprising
connection between American Football and Cricket, the quirky history of the
league tables, the unusual location of England s earliest football and how to
avoid a repeat of the Isner-Mahut tennis marathon at Wimbledon. Whatever your
sporting interests, from boxing to figure-skating, from rugby to horse-racing,
you will find plenty to absorb and amuse you in this insightful book. This book
is a new edition of Beating the Odds
Accessible, interesting and full of
historical as well as mathematical curiosities. Was alerted to this book by a
good review in The Times. Be warned, this book came out under a different title
('How to Take a Penalty') when it was a hardback so don't buy both books
thinking they are different..
For anyone, like me, who happens to be
independently interested in maths and sport, this book is nerd heaven. My
personal obsessions are cricket, football and snooker, so I was thrilled to see
chapters explaining interesting mathematical facts and approaches to all three
of these sports. This is the best 'loo' book you could wish for - and I mean
that totally as a compliment!
Hardcover - 200 pages - Portico (2 Jun
2011)  £6.89  $15.95
 Conquering Risk - Attacking
Vegas and Wall Street
by Elihu D. Feustel
How do you win at sports betting? Hard work and lots
of modeling. This book walks you step by step through four winning computer
models in NFL, WNBA, MLB and NCAA Football.
All manners of gambling are
becoming increasingly popular in our society. Whether a person places a bet on
sports or gambles on a stock, he is making a decision on risk. Most people need
much more information than they have to make good decisions on either. A
majority of the book focuses on sports betting. Four in-depth winning models
are demonstrated for MLB, NFL, NCAA Football and WNBA. In addition to methods
for handicapping these sports, there are explanations of a variety of
approaches to exploit sports market inefficiencies and incorrect assumptions of
bookmakers. The approaches to stock betting challenges commonly accepted
knowledge.
How important is diversification? Are investors in individual
stocks just gambling? Is maximizing your portfolio growth worth taking on added
volatility? Is sports betting a better investment than stocks for some people?
The approaches offered to risk taking, especially sports betting are ground
breaking, with more fresh ideas than ever seen in a single coherent
publication.
To elaborate, this is a book that is more of a guide to
thinking about gambling in an advanced sense as opposed to a cookbook detailing
recipes of how to do various bets. Finally a sports gambling book worth
reading.
Paperback - 288 pages -
George S. Howard (August 16, 2010) £24.99 $24.95
 The Fix: Soccer and
Organized Crime by Declan Hill
The Fix is the most explosive story of sports corruption in a
generation. Intriguing, riveting, and compelling, it tells the story of an
investigative journalist who sets out to examine the world of match-fixing in
professional soccer.
Declan Hill chronicles his experiences with Asian
gamblers who claimed to have fixed all kinds of football matches, from
low-level Belgian league games to England's 1-0 victory over Ecuador at the
last World Cup. The allegation was made by the respected French newspaper
Libération. It said that the greatest football match in recent memory
– the 2005 Champions League Final in which Liverpool, 3-0 down at
half-time to AC Milan, came back to win on penalties – was
fixed.
“Declan has written a well-researched book of investigative
journalistic brilliance. A book that deals with the unseen and often shadowy
world of soccer’s match-fixing. . . . A world the authorities try to
ignore; the effects of its existence swept under the carpet in the name of
preserving the game’s image.” –Shaka Hislop, ESPN soccer
commentator and former English Premier League and World Cup goalkeeper.
Declan Hill has written a book which is astounding in all its parts;
the meticulous research, skill in following leads, tying up various and diverse
pieces of information, a thorough and intelligent analysis of the game, the
power structures of corruption, the legal obstacles and the people. Not only is
his writing fluid and his reasoning logical, it is also accessible.
Paperback - 400 pages (2 Sep 2008)
£15.34 $19.11
 Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino by Paul Kimmage
This book is the most praised
football autobiography in a very long time. Reviewers' jaws dropped at "the
searing honesty ... and the breathless style" (The Saturday Times); The
Observer Sport Monthly gasped "It's Angela's Ashes with half-time oranges
... a footballer's autobiography like no other. The most astonishing sports
book of the year." "Autobiography" of course means ghost-written: though told
in the first person it was put together by award-winning Irish journalist Paul
Kimmage
Making the book compulsively readable Kimmage structured it
brilliantly, guarding the series of secrets that Cascarino reveals so that the
reader is tantalised by cryptic glimpses then made to wait until each
revelation in turn is suddenly unveiled. What are these secrets? Suffice to say
that some are personal, some professional, some minor and quirky, one major
enough to generate heated debate in the press. At times the book reads like the
confession of a man who's lived with too much guilt for too long.
The
Guardian said, "Compared with the standard-issue footballer's
autobiography, this is Tolstoy." Perhaps not quite, but it's brilliant
storytelling, and gives a shockingly honest portrait of one footballer and his
world. .
Paperback - 208 pages (1 Aug 2005)
£7.99 $9.63
 John
Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough
by John Daly
The 1995 Open Champion and legendary wild man
of golf recalls the best and worst of his life: his inspirational play on both
US and European tours; the demons that afflicted him on the course and his
addiction to gambling and drink; and the trashed hotel rooms and spectacular
marital problems. John Daly took professional golf by storm when he came out of
nowhere to win the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana. A big
hitter, Daly quickly became a favourite with PGA crowds for his long drives and
no-frills philosophy of 'grip it and rip it.' Almost as quickly he became a
controversial figure thanks to his on-course fits of temper and off-course
bouts of drinking and gambling.
He overcame erratic play to win the 1995
British Open, then suffered through six years of poor play and personal turmoil
before winning the BMW International Open in Munich in September of 2001. In
February of 2004 he returned to the winner's circle on the PGA Tour, winning
the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.
Daly has been married four
times, and his spectacular marriage bust-ups have attracted endless media
headlines. His fourth wife, Sherrie, and her parents were indicted on federal
drug and gambling charges in 2003; they were accused of selling cocaine,
marijuana and methamphetamines from 1996 to 2002 and of laundering the proceeds
through local banks.
Daly talks openly in his book about his
controversial private life, the tantrums, the additictions to drink, gambling
and women, and reflects on a new course in life in this richly entertaining
read.
Hardcover - 356 pages (June 5, 2006)
£11.38 $15.57
 Tournament Week : Inside the Ropes and Behind the Scenes on the Pga
Tour by John Strege
This
chronological, anecdotal excursion reveals surprising facts about golfers'
habits and secrets, following them every step of the way during this hectic
week. Tournament Week begins with the red carpet unrolling for them on Monday,
to the gambling practice rounds on Tuesday on to Wednesday's dealing with
amateurs, straight through Sunday, the ultimate payday in professional golf,
when the press mounts and even the most poised golfer is prone to choke. Unique
behind-the-scenes perspective also examines the practice round, where often
more is going on than one would suspect including high-stakes gambling games.
Paperback - 240 pages (May
2001) expected price £8.75
Buy
This Book
 Nice Shot, Mr.
Nicklaus : Stories About the Game of Golf by Michael Konik
From the author of "The Man with $100,000
Breats". Excellent book about golf for fanatics as well as ignoramuses. I liked
how Konik reminds us that the high stress of competition and money and stardom
don't excuse a rotten attitude on the golf course, or in life in general. The
way he describes some golf courses makes you want to log onto the Internet to
instantly buy an airplane ticket. There are also some clever chapters --
describing equipment in the style of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and
rewriting the Canterbury Tales to include golf.
Hardcover - 230 pages (1 November, 2000)
expected price £14.97 Buy
This Book
 Playing
the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks
This supposedly originates from an obscure bet. This time, Hawks bets
he can track-down the Moldovan football team and beat them all at tennis. The
loser must perform the Moldovan national anthem naked on Balham High Road.
However, knowledge of tennis and/or football isn't required to enjoy the book.
It is an entertaining, easy read that will make you chuckle.
Paperback - 248 pages new edition (4
January, 2001) expected price £5.59
Buy
This Book
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 The
Great Encyclopedia of Formula 1 1950-2000 - 50 Years of Formula 1
by Pierre Menard, Bernard Cahier (Illustrator), Jean-Francois Galeron
(Illustrator), Chronosport (Translator), Bernad Cahier (Introduction), Nigel
Roebuck (Introduction) 
This book is
a result of enormous amount of work. The statistics include also lap charts of
every race run until today. Paintings include almost every model of each
manufacturer. The pictures on the book could have been perhaps a bit larger,
but in the contrast there are lots of them and enourmous amount of information.
The book tells the history of every team until today. I would say, this is not
quite race by race covery, but most important races for each team each year.
Notice that the book is TEAM based, not RACE based, although there is a short
common history. The profiles of frontrunner drivers throught the years are also
included. The circuits are covered in their every form raced. Even different
chicane shapes are shown. Of course some very slight changes to chicanes are
missing. A must for the statistics.
Paperback - 864
pages (16 November, 2000) expected price
£67.50 Buy
This Book
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 It's Not
About The Bike: My Journey Back to Life
by Lance Armstrong with
Sally Jenkins
The best sporting stories
are human dramas, and Lance Armstrong's is one of the greatest. At 25, the
American cyclist was diagnosed with cancer. He fought it, beat it and three
years later, amazingly, won the Tour de France. This is a gripping story: from
tough, fatherless childhood (he pointedly calls his absentee father a "DNA
donor"), through devastating illness, to triumph in the toughest endurance test
in the world.
Paperback - 314 pages New Ed
(3 May, 2001) expected price £6.40
Buy
This Book
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 Guide to
the 2006 World Cup
by Terry Pratt
This is the most revealing form guide to Germany 2006. In tandem with
the "BBC/FIFA World Cup Stories", which looks back on the rich history of the
world's biggest tournament, Interact Publishing and the BBC also look forward
to the World Cup 2006. The Match of the Day team, led by Gary Lineker, will be
the viewing public's first choice when they settle down to wallow in the 2006
World Cup. This guide will be the perfect accompaniment to that TV coverage.
The MATCH OF THE DAY GUIDE TO THE 2006 WORLD CUP has been tracking 4000 of the
world’s top players to produce a unique World Ranking system so every key
player going into the World Cup will be ranked for their form over the
preceding year.
Paperback - 160 pages (April 13, 2006)
£3.49 no US version
 Complete
Encyclopedia of Soccer
by Keir Radnedge 
A celebration of the world's No.1
sport, providing essential information on not only the world's leading
international and club competitions, but the famous players, the great clubs
and the classic matches. Contains comprehensive statistical coverage of the
world game and all the principal records.
Hardcover - 648 pages (1 September, 2000)
expected price £31.24 Buy
This Book
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 Total Football II : The Official Encyclopedia of the National
Football League (Total Football, 2nd Ed) by Bob Carroll (Editor),
Michael Gershman, David Neft, John Thorn (Editor)
The book is extremely well organized into interesting categories such
as: 1. The 300 Best Players 2. The 100 best Games - outside of the play-offs 3.
The details of every draft for every team since the draft was initiated. This
feature is my personal favourite since it allows one to objectively analyse the
process of building or not building a winner and who did it. 4. The history of
every player whoever played - teams - position - performance. Mandatory as a
source for all serious discussions on the performance of a player - How we
remembered it versus what they really did - very helpful and interesting.
Overall this is a MUST book for any serious fan of the NFL.
Hardcover - 1664 pages (September 1999) expected
price £37.58 Buy
This Book
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 A Lot of Hard Yakka
by Simon Hughes
Beneath
professional cricket's monotonous, poorly paid routine is a soap opera of
diverse characters living together through their ups and downs. A Lot of Hard
Yakka takes you behind the scenes for a real insight into how the household
names of the last two decades--Botham, Brearley, Gatting, Gooch--have made it
through. Simon Hughes followed them for 15 years, riding the peaks and troughs
with the great, the good and the ghastly. This series of warts-and-all
vignettes is revealing,...
Paperback - 311
pages new edition (12 March, 1998) expected
price £5.59 Buy
This Book
 500 -1 The
Miracle of Headingley '81
by Rob Steen, Alistair McLellan, Mike
Brearley
The events of 1981 hold a
matchless place in the hearts of English cricket fans. For the only time in
nearly fifty years, the whole country stood transfixed by the course of a Test
series, and the fortunes of the English cricket team became a common topic of
conversation in homes, schools, offices and pubs throughout the country. Over
the course of that summer, during the Third Test, England came from 1-0 down to
retain the Ashes 3-1. The events of that match, and the exploits of Ian
Botham........
Hardcover - 267 pages (8 June, 2001) expected price £13.59 Buy
This Book
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 The
Mystery Spinner
by Gideon Haigh
Jack Iverson played five Tests for Australia half a
century ago. His first-class career lasted barely three years. Not obvious
material for a 376-page biography, but Gideon Haigh has written a superb book
about him. Iverson didn't play top-flight cricket until he was 31. His rise
thereafter was meteoric, but he never quite believed in himself and quickly
abandoned playing for both Australia and his state, Victoria. He had a key role
in retaining the Ashes for Australia in 1950-51 but then declared himself
unavailable.
Hardcover - 376 pages (20 May, 2000) expected price £16.14 Buy
This Book
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 The Great
Olympic Swindle
by Andrew Jennings
Andrew Jennings has spent a
decade rooting out the "culture of corruption" endemic in the International
Olympic Committee. This book is a blow-by-blow account of how Salt Lake City
bribed its way to winning the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the crisis this
produced within the IOC. His energy in pursuing his quarry is
remarkable....
Hardcover - 390 pages (24 July, 2000) expected price £13.59 Buy
This Book
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