Any books that anyone would reccomend about Handicapping theory?

[S.M.C.M.B]

I only bet the NFL, but I would like to get into betting baseball, and maybe even hockey. Are there any books that have been written about handicapping strategy in those three sports that anyone could recommend?

[Louie]

Good topic as any I guess...

Most of what I know, I have learned from other handicappers (actually, one in particular) that showed me how to use the law of averages to their advantage by testing and utilizing systems (ie: playing when they are due or begin changing directions), looking for value, shopping for lines, playing middles, hedging, etc...

There are lot of books out there on the topic of sports betting. However, a lot of them will expect you to take the author's word alone that it's a 100% profitable way to bet sports. My advice would be, make sure you understand that basics of sports betting first. If you don't, then find a good book that teaches the basic fundamentals of sports betting. There's one called "Weighing the odds" by King Yao (or something like that) that I know teaches you the basics and gets you on the right path of understanding value. If you find other books that have systems and strategies, make sure you understand them and diligently test them (as there are also a lot of useless crap out there too)

If anyone else has any advice on this topic, please feel free to contribute.

[NattyBumpo]

Ive read a lot of handicapping books. Like Louie said, a lot of them have little real merit.

There's a great bookstore in Vegas called the Gamblers Bookstore. You can google it and order books online. This is your goldmine for everything about and on gambling.

The book that got me started in baseball and ultimately has proven to be the most valuable is the smallest, cheapest and oldest one they have.
Its called "Betting the Bases" by Mike Lee. It's only $11.95. Basically it suggests a number of angles and value rules which are very solid. The book details a method for logging starting pitchers and teams results and certain statics out of box scores on every game. You pretty much need to create a couple of notebooks to log these or find game logbooks for all the teams. They have a pretty decent teams logbook at the bookstore every season that I like to use, but I have to do the pitchers log book on my own. This is a bit of work. About 1 to 2 hours a day spent on box scores. Depending on how much detail you want to put into it. You could just look at statistic web sites for the log info, but doing the work yourself will yield invaluable feels and allow you to make notes that you won't find or remember online. Especially later in the season. This book is old. So some aspects of the game have evolved (like the increase in bull pen relevance) but you can see what still works and the nice thing about baseball is that not a lot really has changed in the game over time.

Even if you don't do everything the book instructs. It is still pretty good at teaching you some good stuff on basic angles, money management and value.

Don't let the cover fool you, it looks like a cheap little piece of crap. This book is worth every penny and more.

[Louie]

http://www.amazon.com/Betting-Bases-.../dp/0896506231

[NattyBumpo]

I checked out this amazon link... I'm agahst!

Someone is actually trying to sell this book used for 59 bucks! I know its paid for itself quite a few times over for me, even at this price but seriously...... Its available for 11.95. Which is still cheaper than the lowest used price available at Amazon. Just a heads up.

But yeah... you can see from picture. It really does look like a cheap piece of crap. But it's priceless.