Gambling Theory and Other Topics

Gambling Theory and Other Topics is a book from well known gambling publisher 2 + 2 Publications.  It was written by Mason Malmuth, a well known and respected gambler and poker player.

Gambling Theory and Other Topics is largely a collection of various essays written by Malmuth ovr many years.  It's a bit dated now, but much of the information is relevant, and it's a great beginning book for many gamblers and poker players alike, as it discusses topics not usually covered in other texts.  There are essays on how weighting strategies affect games, bankroll management (a very very important concept for any gambler), and tournament strategy (specifically rebuy strategy and making deals). 

There are tons of anecdotes in the book, which actually makes this fun to sit down and read.  However, there are also sections which probably should have been omitted, like talkign about how you can't win in the long run with the lottery, bingo, or how to arrange your chip stack at the poker table.  It really makes you scratch your head sometimes.  Also Malmuth seems to have this thing for Civil War generals and how they are the greatest gamblers of all time because of tactical moves they made during the war.  Also he discusses games I've never heard of before, and then at the end states that the games are impossible to find now!

Gambling Theory and Other Topics is a nice intro to many subjects, and it's probably one of the most fun gambling books to read, but the actual amount of useful information is relatively small.  For the armchair poker player or gambler, it's worthwhile, but it's certainly not a staple in professional gambler & poker player libraries.