The world of the casino has been the protagonist of numerous films, but also of interesting books. Some are born to do a manual vocation, to teach strategies and tricks for us to gain skill and with it our roulette or blackjack bets. However, there are also more entertaining readings that tell us the vicissitudes and anecdotes of famous players, not to mention Dostoevsky’s The Gambler.
On our list of recommendations, the books that win by a landslide are the specialised casino books in the form of guides, which are very useful for novice players to learn new strategies, or the art of card counting if blackjack is your thing. The biggest problem is that these books are not translated into Spanish, so you will only be able to enjoy them if you are fluent in Shakespeare’s language, although if you search you might find a translation of some of the more interesting chapters.
The best casino books
American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways, by Andrew Brisman
Probably the best book on casino gambling, and it’s a few years old. It was published in 2004 but it’s by no means out of date.
Each chapter focuses on a type of game as a practical manual: blackjack, roulette, baccarat, video poker, slots, and there is even a section on sports betting. Each game is rigorously explained and the mechanics and odds of winning are described in an entertaining way for both novices and more experienced players.
But there are other essential chapters on how to enjoy online gambling without putting your wallet at risk. Sections such as “How to become an efficient player”; “You and your money”; “How much does it really cost to play”; “Managing your money: myths and realities”; “Understanding casino advantages” or “Luck” are a must-read.
This book has 272 pages, its price is €58 and you can buy it on Amazon.
Gambling 102: The Best Strategies for All Casino Games, by Michael Shackleford
Gambling 102 is a clear and simple guide to the casino world, its games and the best strategies for playing. This book is very useful for any casino enthusiast and super suitable for those who are just starting out and don’t want to go into too much detail.
This book has 19 chapters focusing on the various typical casino games. Its great value is that it offers proven strategies for all casino games – from baccarat to video poker to sic bo to craps – in terms that are easy to understand and implement.
It gives you the odds of winning and then goes into the basic strategies, answering your most specific questions, such as “When to raise in Three Card Poker?” and “How to choose the best blackjack game?” It is a book for those players who believe in mathematical analysis, and as this science is the only one that can help you win in the casino. It is certainly not your book if you believe in hunches.
You can find this book in both electronic and paper editions on Amazon at a cost of $6 and $12 respectively.
Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, by Edward Thorp
Another of the best casino books is Beat the Dealer. It is the red book for blackjack players, a bestseller since its publication in 1963. It is advertised as the book that made Las Vegas change the rules.
Edward O. Thorp is the father of card counting. He worked at IBM where he began formulating about blackjack outcomes, probabilities and variables. He also lived his passion for blackjack from the other side, as he was also a blackjack dealer for years before he began writing this book. His writing has become a classic guide that explains in a memorised form the point system that has been used successfully by professional and amateur card players for generations.
In addition, the book contains a historical review of blackjack, along with basic rules of play, tricks and strategies, including methods for overcoming casino measures and detecting cheating.
In total there are eleven chapters including: “The Basic Strategy”; “The Winner’s Strategy”; “The Point Accounting System” and “How to Beat the Cheats”. A fascinating read and an indispensable resource if you want to get into blackjack.
You can find this book considered to be the bible for blackjack players for just over £13 in paperback on Amazon, if you prefer hardback it’s over £46.
The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble
I don’t know if it’s the best book in the world on blackjack but it’s certainly a highly recommended read as it explains in a clear, simple and very detailed way some of the best basic blackjack strategies. It is also a very enjoyable read as the author intersperses countless anecdotes.
This book focuses on explaining the main blackjack strategies such as card counting but also devotes several chapters to the possibility of being cheated by the casino, and how to prevent this from happening.
For less than €15 you can get the softcover edition on Amazon. Hardback and Kindle versions are also available.
The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky
Sklansky is a true authority on poker, having published no less than nine books on this game that has no mystery to it is this title that has elevated him as the world’s foremost poker specialist and lecturer. Many of today’s top players have pointed to “The theory of poker” as their first book and for many it is the best book ever written on the subject.
In this book, the different varieties of poker such as Seven Card Stud and Texas Hold’em are explained. Bluffing, raising, slow play, the value of position at the table, odds, confusing your opponents… all these topics are analysed by the author.
If you are not fluent in English you can find this book in Spanish under the title “Ganar al poker nuevo”, priced at less than €10.50 to get your hands on another of the best casino books.
However, there is a lot of literature on poker, so why not take a look at our Top Ten Poker Books feature with the best recommendations on the card game.
Win at Roulette by Mario Sebastian Teresano
Teresano knew nothing about roulette until the moment he entered a casino for the first time. He noticed the gamblers sitting around it, placing bets that almost always lost and trying to apply supposedly miraculous methods to their game. He studied these methods for a while, coming to the conclusion that they were far from infallible.
He decided to create his own system and spent several years consulting with mathematicians and roulette scholars. With the knowledge he learned during his study, Teresano published “Win at Roulette”, which almost immediately became one of the must-reads for anyone who wants to win at roulette.
With this book you will learn roulette strategies for online casinos, right from the sofa at home! This book is like an online course to learn how to optimise the outcome of any system you wish to use, i.e. you will be able to improve the results of any gambling strategy. The course contains the techniques used to adapt the systems and a variety of strategies where they can be applied. To complement the work, you will also find a series of tips to keep in mind when applying the techniques learned, including the correct management of capital. In conclusion, this is a complete, simple and easy-to-learn course that does not require the reader to have to read a hundred pages to learn how to play better at online casinos.
The price of this book is €10.15.
The fabulous story of the Pelayo family, by Iván and Gonzalo García Pelayo
A curious book narrated by its protagonists, who practically need no introduction. The García Pelayo family tells us their story, which begins when the patriarch of the clan finds his own system to win at roulette. Without much effort, he recruits members of his family for the mission, starting by observing a particular roulette wheel for days on end to find out its most common numbers. As they unseated casinos across the globe, they were banned from entering. Their story has also been made into a film under the title Los Pelayo.
A pleasant and didactic read, because more than a manual on how to play roulette, it is a biography of the family, or a novel about the game. By the way, they also wrote “Aprende a jugar al poker con los Pelayo.” This is another one of the best casino books.
The price of this book is 10€ on Amazon.
On our website you can find many articles with strategies to win at casino roulette and blackjack, so be sure to read them!
Which is the best casino to play online?
We can’t say goodbye to this article without giving you some tips to consider when registering at a casino. Here we are going to give you some names of the most important casinos that you can find on the internet. All of them have an official licence to operate in Spain granted by the Dirección General de ordenación del Juego (DGOJ). These are some of the most recommended: Codere, Betsson, Mr Green and Sportium.
The big question is: which one is the best of them? The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. You will have to find the answer yourself based on the analysis of a series of sections that we consider key at ApuestasFree. Below we explain which sections we take into account the most when deciding which bookmaker to choose.
Gambling offer
Obviously, our first stop should be the gambling offer available from the gambling operator we are interested in. Do you only want to play casino games? Or are you a gambler who likes to gamble from time to time? Are you also interested in poker? Depending on what you are looking for, you will have to choose a specific gaming room or a more general gaming room with a wider range of games. We recommend that you first determine your needs in this respect before making your decision.
Payment methods
One of the most common areas of mistrust among users are the methods for making deposits and withdrawals from their gaming account. To prevent this from happening to you, we recommend that you take a look at the options offered by the operator you are interested in. In our opinion it should have at least the most basic ones such as VISA and Mastercard credit and debit cards, PayPal and Paysafecard. In some of them we are already starting to see the Bizum option, a new addition to take into account.
Mobile App
The importance of mobile devices in this day and age goes unnoticed. In this respect we have to tell you that gambling operators offer two possibilities: a specific app for mobiles or tablets or a responsive website that adapts to all types of screens. In our experience, it is better to have a specialised app, but playing through a browser has its advantages, such as not having to download any updates.
Customer support
You may be wondering what’s so important about the customer service of an online gaming room. A lot more than you might think. I’m sure you’ve had a problem with a mobile operator and when it came to resolving it, you’ve had a hard time. Well, so that the same thing doesn’t happen to you, take a look at the fact that you can solve your problem or doubt quickly through a live chat, an email or even a free telephone number.
Promotions and offers
You may be wondering if the online casinos you are interested in have promotions and offers for you to take advantage of. The answer is yes. However, you will have to meet a number of requirements set out in the Gambling Act which came into force on 1 May 2021 and which also prohibits welcome bonuses or promotional codes for new users.
It won’t take you more than a few minutes to complete the whole process that will allow you to qualify for these promotions and offers. The first step is the most obvious: create a gaming account with your chosen operator. Once you have done so, you must send your ID or NIE to the gaming room so that they can check that you are the person you say you are in your contact details. We therefore recommend that you check your details thoroughly before completing your registration. And finally, you will have to wait until you have been a registered user for 30 days.
When you have completed the verification process, you can go to the ‘Promotions’ section of the house and take a look at the offers available at that time for users who meet the requirements. We recommend that you carefully read the terms and conditions of each one before choosing the one that best suits your preferences as a player or your tastes.
Other advantages of verifying your account
In addition to everything we have just told you about promotions and offers, the process of verifying your account has become an essential step in order to gain access to other features. The Gambling Act will not allow you to request withdrawals from your gaming account until you have done so. Nor will you be able to make deposits of more than €150.