Books About Betting

3S.INFO has compiled a selection of the best books on betting.

Publication date: 24 November 2025

3S.INFO has compiled a selection of the best books on betting. This useful and engaging information is valuable for anyone looking to gain deeper insights into sports and betting, analytics, and the functioning of bookmakers.

The rating of the best books on betting will be interesting both for professionals seeking to build their strategy based on data and for enthusiasts curious to understand what’s behind the game and team results. These books will help you grasp the industry from the inside, delve into the psychology of players, spot patterns, and learn to assess risks calmly and mindfully.

Top 15 Books on Betting, Bookmakers, and Sports Betting

What are the beneficial books on betting? There’s no book with a “secret formula” guaranteeing wins. These top books provide you with tools and mindset to stop being a “gambler” and start being an “analyst” who approaches betting as an investment activity based on data, discipline, and risk management.

  • Professional Player / by George Miller

This book stands out because its author is one of the world’s most recognizable analysts in betting. Having professionally dealt with betting for many years, Miller writes not theory but his own experiences. The central character is a player who treats betting as a job: tracks statistics, analyzes lines, looks for discrepancies. Miller portrays the daily life of a pro without unnecessary glamor or drama: here it’s more about discipline, routine, and maintaining a cool head. The book captivates readers by providing insight into betting from the perspective of someone who truly understands it.

  • Trading Bases: How a Wall Street Trader Made a Fortune Betting on Baseball / by Joe Peta

This book is particularly valuable because its author is a former Wall Street trader, a man who knew how to manage risks long before he entered the world of betting. Peta uses stock market logic to reinterpret baseball betting, turning intuition into a mathematical model. At the center is his journey from injury and career pause to creating his own analytical system based on the same principles as trading assets. The book combines entertaining stories from the world of sports with a clear understanding of probabilities, showing how discipline and analysis can give an advantage where many see only luck.

  • Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets / by Nassim Taleb

The author illustrates that success often masks mere luck, while failures reflect wrong conclusions drawn. Taleb writes vividly, drawing examples from finance, science, and everyday life, explaining why people tend to overestimate their control over events. This is not a textbook on statistics, but an insider’s view on how the world of probability works and why it’s vital to comprehend the role of randomness to make better-informed decisions.

  • Soccermatics: Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game / by David Sumpter

This book explores how mathematics can provide a new explanation for soccer. The author reveals that every pass, movement, and decision on the field follows patterns that can be measured and understood. He explains why some teams generate more dangerous moments, how effective combinations arise, and what makes a player genuinely valuable. 

  • Sport and Money / by Maxim Pokrovsky

The book examines the relationship between sports and finances, demonstrating how commercial interests influence professional competitions. Pokrovsky provides a thorough analysis of sponsorship, broadcasting, marketing, and team economics, explaining why money often determines the course of events and strategic development in sports. What’s intriguing is that the book blends facts, analysis, and examples from various sports, making the material comprehensible for both professionals and enthusiasts alike.

  • The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime / by Declan Hill

This book uncovers the dark side of professional sports, where money and influence often trump fair play. Declan Hill meticulously investigates match-fixing mechanisms, corruption, and manipulations, revealing how major events and championships can be rigged. Through real-life investigations and stories from various countries, the author exposes how athletes, bookmakers, and organizers become entangled in intricate webs of conspiracy and corruption.

  • Thinking in Bets / by Annie Duke

This book discusses how to make decisions in uncertain conditions and why betting serves as an ideal model for life. Duke argues that every decision is a combination of skill and luck, and it’s crucial to distinguish between the two. She explains how to think probabilistically, avoid mental traps, and evaluate actions based on whether the choice was reasonable at the moment of decision-making, regardless of the outcome. 

  • The Last Express / by Alex Kerwi and Dmitry Fakovsky

This book differs from others in that it is closer to fiction than to a betting manual. The protagonist spends much of his time in betting shops and strongly believes in superstitions: dividing cashiers into lucky and unlucky ones, adhering to personal rituals. “The Last Express” doesn’t teach how to win but instead captures the psychology of a gambler and the tense moments of the betting world seen through the eyes of an insider.

  • The Smart Money: How the World’s Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions / by Michael Konik

The book details how professional bettors seek value in odds and construct strategies based on data analysis. Konik elaborately explains bankroll management, event selection, and emotional control, illustrating how to think like a professional rather than a casual gambler. Practical advice is interwoven with real-life examples, making the material understandable and applicable.

  • Chances to Win / by Phil Birn

This isn’t a book about betting, but it’s the best guide to sports analytics. It teaches how to use statistics and data to evaluate the strength of teams and players. A solid foundation for any serious analysis.

  • Standard Deviations: Flawed Assumptions, Tortured Data, and Other Ways to Lie with Statistics / by Gary Smith

An essential read that critically examines common pitfalls and false patterns in statistical thinking. Teaches how to differentiate genuine signals from statistical noise, a crucial skill for identifying true value.

  • Information: The New Science of Betting / Capital of Temptation: The Secret Science of Winning / by Adam Kucharski

A modern take on how data, technology, and modeling have transformed betting. The author demonstrates how math and information theory are applied to predict outcomes in sports, finance, and epidemiology.

Kucharski’s second brilliant work exploring universal principles of winning strategies — from poker and the stock market to sports betting. The book delves into finding and utilizing an “edge.”

  • Score and Cash: The Logic of Sports Betting / by Tony Salbi

A classic written by a successful professional player. Focus on practical aspects: bankroll management, psychology, and discipline. Contains numerous real-world examples and hard truths.

  • Fixed Odds Sports Betting: Statistical Forecasting and Risk Management / by Joseph Buchdahl 

Buchdal is one of the most respected researchers in the industry. His work is a deep dive into the mathematics of betting: calculating probabilities, margin, correlations, assessing betting value, and, most importantly, critical models for managing bankroll.

  • Gambling: The Winner Speaks Out… / by Barry Greenstein 

Though focused on poker, the lessons about psychology, reading opponents, controlling emotions, and bankroll management are invaluable for anyone involved in betting. It’s a manifesto of a professional approach to money games.

Getting Started with Betting Books: Recommendations from 3SNET

  1. Start with Psychology. Begin with Kahneman (“Thinking, Fast and Slow”). Until you’ve learned to recognize your cognitive biases, all your analytical efforts will be nullified by emotions.
  2. Next, move on to Data Analysis. Proceed to Birn (“Chances to Win”) to understand how to uncover real advantages.
  3. Finally, focus on Money Management. Read Buchdahl (“Fixed Odds Sports Betting: Statistical Forecasting and Risk Management”) to preserve and multiply the found benefit.

These books will transform you from a gambler hoping for luck into a calculated analyst who understands probabilities, manages risks, and acts strategically. Good luck! 

Reading books on betting is not a guarantee of winning, but an investment in your educational foundation. It’s the best way to transform yourself from a “gambler” relying on luck into a “knowledgeable player” who understands risks, manages them, and acts according to a well-thought-out strategy.

Upgrade your approach to sports betting with our curated collection of the best books on betting and sports wagering. Here you’ll find everything from building data-driven strategies for pros to fundamental sports analytics for beginners. Understand the industry, psychology, and risks to make informed bets, not just emotional ones. Read, study, enjoy! 

Alternative to Best Betting Books: Films and Series about Betting and Bookmakers

Prefer watching over reading? We’re ready for that too! On 3SNET, we’ve got collections of the best films and series about the betting industry, covering bookmakers’ operations, sports betting, players, and wins. 

Watching movies and series about bookmakers and betting is not merely entertainment. It serves several practical and educational goals, especially for those interested in the subject. Although cinema often dramatizes, some films are based on real events and show the work of professional teams that employ analytics and exploit vulnerabilities in systems. On 3S.INFO, you’ll find a selection of the best films and series about the bookmaking business. Perhaps a fresh idea will flash by?

Sports films are all about stories of overcoming. You witness heroes battling their own limitations, conquering external circumstances, and pursuing their goals with incredible discipline and persistence. After watching, you’re inspired to move forward! If you want to ‘reboot,’ release emotions, and receive a positive boost, visit 3S.INFO for a 2025 selection of the most thrilling films and series about sports: football, hockey, chess, figure skating, wrestling, and tennis! Read and watch!

Documentaries about casinos and betting have captured audiences because they reveal a hidden universe where fortunes are at stake and fates are decided in seconds. Viewers tune in for the rush of adrenaline: they’re fascinated by ordinary people’s rise to millions and their equally dramatic downfall. These films don’t shy away from exposing the darker side of the industry — fraudulent schemes, gambling addiction struggles, and criminal disputes, adding depth and intensity to the narrative. The genre’s secret lies in its universality: even without betting themselves, viewers can imagine stepping into the hero’s shoes — dreaming of hitting the jackpot or feeling the bitter taste of loss. Here’s the best selection of documentaries on gambling and betting. Just the facts. Unvarnished truth.

Reading books about betting isn’t a guarantee of winning, but an investment in your educational foundation. It’s the best way to transform from a ‘gambler’ who relies on luck into a ‘knowledgeable player’ who understands the risks, manages them, and acts according to a well-thought-out strategy.

Level up your approach to sports betting with our selection of the best books on betting and sports wagering. It covers everything: from building data-driven strategies for pros to the fundamentals of sports analytics for beginners. Understand the industry, the psychology, and the risks to place your bets with confidence, not emotion. Read, learn, and enjoy.

FAQ

Why read books on betting?

Books on betting help transition from a purely impulsive approach to disciplined analytical thinking. They provide insight into the industry, player’s psychology, teach data analysis, and risk management, thereby increasing the chances of making thoughtful and successful bets.

Is there a book with a guaranteed winning formula?

No, there is no book with a guaranteed winning formula. The best books provide tools for analysis, bankroll management, and strategic thinking. They teach approaching betting as an investment rather than a game of pure chance.

What books should a beginner start reading?

It’s recommended to start with books on decision-making psychology, such as Kanheman’s work, to understand cognitive errors. Then proceed to data analysis (Birn’s book) and money management (Buchdahl’s works). This structured approach helps organize knowledge and enhance discipline.

What's useful about "Professional Player" by George Miller?

The author shares the experience of a professional bettor, presenting betting as a job requiring statistical analysis, line evaluation, discipline, and emotion control. It provides an authentic look at the professional approach, free from excessive hype and melodrama.​

What topics do the best books on betting cover?

The books cover a wide range of subjects: from player psychology, game statistics, and analytics, to bankroll management and combating cognitive biases. Some books also address issues like corruption in sports and the impact of finances on athletic events.

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