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Best Sports Betting Books

The Top 10 Best Sports Betting Books

If you want to brush up on your sports betting strategy, or you're just interested in how the best online sports bettors operate, these 10 books on sports betting should be top of your wish list.

The Smart Money: How The World's Best Sports Bettors Beat The Bookies Out Of Millions

Penned by Journalist Michael Konik, and published in 2006, The Smart Money (for space's sake we'll use its shortened title) details Konik's time spent betting on sports with legendary sports bettor Rick (aka Big Daddy) Matthews. This gripping real life story takes place over one summer in the U.S., when Konik shadowed Matthews. Opening the reader up to a roller coaster world of money, paranoia and how it feels to wager $1 million on a single sports bet.

Sharp Sports Betting (by Stanford Wong)

This War and Peace-sized book is not for the faint-hearted, but it's long been considered a sports bettor's bible. Written by Stanford Wong it gets down to the nitty gritty of what sports betting is all about. Taking readers back to the very basics of reading odds and making bets, all the way through to betting lingo and the different types of wagers you can stake. It's had a few additions since its original publication in 2001, but it's still a great place for any newbie bettor, or anyone looking to scrub up on strategy, to start.

Weighing The Odds

If maths isn't your strong point than this book can help you make sense of the odds offered at bookmakers. Written by King Yao, like Wong's Sharp Sports Betting, it covers a lot of the basics behind making real money wagers on sports. But it goes a little deeper into calculating odds, so it's perfect for anyone who struggles in this area. Plus it's a fraction of the size of Wong's sports betting bible too. Great if you want a general overview without going too deep into detail.

Sports Betting To Win

If you want a bookie's perspective, or to hear from the most successful sports bettors online then pick up Sports Betting To Win by Steve Ward. Ward's take on the industry draws on opinion from the key players. From those who run the show and call the shots, to those who have made their fortunes beating the bookmakers at their own game. It's full of great advice for both serious and first time bettors. And it teaches you the secret to building a long-term strategy that hinges on changing the way you think about gambling.

Sports Trading On Betfair

If you think you can't become a successful sports trader online, think again. Author of Sports Trading On Betfair, Wayne Bailey, had no prior experience of Internet sports gambling before he started out. But fast forward 15 years, and he's mastered how to make a hefty profit from doing just that. His book focuses on the systems he's devised for online betting success, that Bailey himself has put into practice on a daily basis for more than a decade. It's an inspirational read and great for helping novices learn how to get ahead.

Matched Betting: 20 No Lose Strategies To Make Money Fast

One of our newest selections to hit the stands, Jack Green's attention grabbing title promises to teach readers how to take advantage of free bet offers, in order to net yourself a tidy little profit. Matched betting has become a popular phenomenon online in recent years andGreen is just one such bettor whose bottom line has benefited from implementing a matched betting strategy. In this self-penned debut he aims to teach others how to mirror the same success he's experienced using this guaranteed profit technique.

Taking Chances: Winning With Probability

Written in 2005, John Haigh's Taking Chances explores the subject of probability, not just within online sports betting, but also in regards to casino gambling, and even TV game shows. His writing aims to unveil some of the fallacies around betting probability, demonstrating that even seemingly set odds can be manipulated. And unmasking the traps and tricks that are commonly used to trip up bettors of all disciplines.

How To Predict The Unpredictable: The Art Of Outsmarting Almost Everyone

In a similar vein to our previous top 10 entry, William Poundstone's How To Predict The Unpredictable, released in June 2015, aims to lift the lid on the concept of probability. Poundstone uses examples from real life situations, and concocts imaginary scenarios in order to demonstrate that probability is more predictable than we're led to believe.He claims that we're at our most vulnerable precisely when we try our best not to be.

The Perfect Bet: Taking The Luck Out Of Gambling

Released in 2017, The Perfect Bet is not an instructional guide on how to gamble successfully, but rather an anecdotal collection of stories of those who have had success doing so in the past. Its stories mainly centre on casino wins, but it does cover online betting, and makes for a highly entertaining read. If you're less interested in strategy and just looking more in the realms of a poolside book to take in on holiday, this one is highly recommended.

Squares & Shapes, Suckers & Sharks: The Science, Psychology & Philosophy of Gambling

This one is more for the brainiacs out there who have a vested interest in the psychology of gambling. But can just as easily be enjoyed by someone looking for a factual read. Squares & Shapes (as we'll refer to it for the sake of this review) uses scientific example, and behavioural psychology to illustrate what drives some people to gamble, and why a few will become hooked, while others can easily pull away. It's a fascinating insight into the human psyche.

The Football Code: The Science Of Predicting The Beautiful Game

This one is specifically for football sports bettors - which rules in about 99% of Brits who gamble online. It uses analysis, science, and data, to show how it can be easy to predict the outcome of popular football matches. While simultaneously revealing the systems and strategies that the top footy bettors use to beat the bookies online. If you want to become richer betting on football this is a book you can't afford to ignore.

Editor's Choice: 4 Bonus Book Picks

4 more gambling titles cherry-picked by our Online Betting Ed.

Speculation: A History Of The Fine Line Between Gambling And Investing - A mind boggling read that aims to get to the bottom of what separates a good bet from a bad one, with a little history thrown in.
The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football Is Wrong - A book that could make you look at football in a whole new light. Co-written by an ex-goalie and a baseball pitcher, this one aims to unravel the key to predicting wins versus losses.
Gambling For Life - The extraordinary biography of long-time sports gambler Harry Findley, who turned sports gambling into his 9-5, and made a ton of money in the process.
Fixed Odds - Dating back to 2003, Joseph Buchdahl's book teaches readers how to beat the bookie's odds, through guided examples and his own first-hand experience.