The Smart Money: How the World's Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Konik
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $4.79
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Rating:  62 reviews
Sales Rank: 72017
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4
ISBN: 0743277139
Dewey Decimal Number: 795
EAN: 9780743277136
ASIN: 0743277139
Publication Date: November 14, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
"A riveting inside look at the lucrative world of professional high-stakes sports betting by a journalist who lived a secret life as a key operative in the world's most successful sports gambling ring. 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."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 57 more reviews...
Not a lifestyle for me, but thrilling to read about November 24, 2008
David Pincus (Fort Lee, NJ USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I very much enjoyed the Smart Money. 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. 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. 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.
GOOD BOOK FOR THE MONEY November 21, 2008
SAM000 (Los Angeles, CA USA)
IT'S A GOOD BOOK FOR THE MONEY AND HAS A LOT OF HELPFUL INFORMATION.I ENJOYED READING THE BOOK.
 LA BS October 9, 2008
Mike Culbertson (Portland, OR)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The only thing bigger than the sports betting consortium that Michael Konik writes about is his ego. 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. 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 has hardly anything of interest about sports gambling. For an interesting book about sports betting, read The Odds, by Chad Millan.
 Great book for the money. $5.99? How can you go wrong October 4, 2008
The Capper (South Dakota USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great book for the money. $5.99? How can you go wrong. I was recommended this book by a friend and it had some very helpful information. I own a lot of handicapping books and this one is one of my favorites.
Must read for anyone thinking of making sports betting a profession August 16, 2008
R. Thomson (Woodland Park, CO)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you think you can beat the Sportsbooks, this is a must read! It does not even attempt to tell you how to make money betting sports, so if that is what you are looking for... 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... 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. 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. 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. I would describe it as an eye-opener for anyone who thinks they can beat the Oddsmakers at their own game. It is a good read, and I for one highly recommend it to all sports bettors.
Bob
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