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

Additional The Smart Money: How the World's Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions Information

When journalist Michael Konik landed an interview with Rick "Big Daddy" Matthews, the largest bet he'd placed on a sporting event was $200. Konik, an expert blackjack and poker player, was no stranger to Vegas. But Matthews was in a different league: the man was rumored to be the world's smartest sports bettor, the mastermind behind "the Brain Trust," a shadowy group of gamblers known for their expertise in beating the Vegas line. Konik had heard the word on the street -- that Matthews was a snake, a conniver who would do anything to gain an edge. But he was also brilliant, cunning, and charming. And when he asked Konik if he'd like to "make a little money" during the football season, the writer found himself seduced . . .

So began Michael Konik's wild ride as an operative of the elite Brain Trust. In The Smart Money, Konik takes readers behind the veil of secrecy shrouding the most successful sports betting operation in America, bypassing the myths and the rumors, going all the way to its innermost sanctum. He reveals how they -- and he -- got rich by beating the Vegas lines and, ultimately, the multimillion-dollar offshore betting circuit. He details the excesses and the betrayals, the horse-trading and the paranoia, that are the perks and perils of a lifestyle in which staking inordinate sums of money on the outcome of a single event -- sometimes as much as $1 million on a football game -- is a normal part of doing business.

What Customers Say About The Smart Money: How the World's Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions:

While Konik's book does not give a complete breakdown of the system used to completely beat the Vegas sports books (the bettors would never have allowed that) he does present an interesting story about the lengths some bettors will go to in order to beat the lines. The book describes an interesting cat and mouse game between the top sports gambler who are trying to place as much money on games as possible, and the casinos and online sports books who refuse to take action from a winning player. Konik provides great insight into a world in which $10,000 bets are commonplace. Very quick and enjoyable read.

I very much enjoyed the Smart Money. Just look at the ending of the Steeler's-Charger's game, with the "illegal pass." The spread made the news for the whole week. I'd always followed sports, but never knew much about the gambling side of it. And although nowadays the gambling side doesn't, or shouldn't, influence the sports too much, shades of it are everywhere. Thanks to Michael Konick, I knew what the whole story was about. And, while this lifestyle is definitely not for me, I greatly appreciated the window that Konick provided for me.

The only thing bigger than the sports betting consortium that Michael Konik writes about is his ego. If you enjoy books about people who act like jerks to other people while borrowing someone else's thunder, this book is for you. This book is an exercise in self-importance and self-aggrandizement. There really is no danger, it exists only in the mind of the writer. This book has hardly anything of interest about sports gambling. For an interesting book about sports betting, read The Odds, by Chad Millan.

I would describe it as an eye-opener for anyone who thinks they can beat the Oddsmakers at their own game. You are able to get an understanding of how a Sportsbook really works, and the lengths they will take to keep anyone with an edge from winning their money.I found the book to be a real page-turner.

It does not even attempt to tell you how to make money betting sports, so if that is what you are looking for. If you think you can beat the Sportsbooks, this is a must read.

especially if you plan on betting over a Dime on your wagers.This book is more or less a biography of one man's experience at betting big money in a Sportsbook; however it contains insights and behind-the-scenes perspectives that most of us will never see. this book is not for you.

If however you want to get a glimpse of what it is like to play cat and mouse with the bookmaker, I highly recommend this book. I have a great interest in sports betting, and this was my first inside view of what it is like to be big/smart money.

It is a good read, and I for one highly recommend it to all sports bettors.Bob

Probably the worst book I have ever read in my life. I read the first 2/3 of this book, then came here to see if the book got any better. Boring, poorly written and repetetive. The good reviews here are complete frauds, from either friends, family of publishers. It clearly does not. What a piece of garbage.