All About Sports Betting: The Definitive Guide
Written by Blair Rodman with Frank B and Anthony Curtis
2026, Huntington Press, 368 pages, $39.95
This is one of those important books that belongs on the shelf of everyone in our industry – because there’s no hotter casino topic than sports betting these days. So where can you learn more about the details of this segment, or simply improve your own betting skills?
As with many things in gaming, it’s hard to know where to begin. Are you placing your first bet ever with your dorm room RA? Do you want to know more about what is happening online or in the casinos? Or did you just start a new job as a “mover” for Billy Walters?
No matter where you fall in that spectrum, you’ll find this book extremely valuable. Let’s begin with the end of this “Definitive Guide,” which features an excellent 23-page glossary. There you’ll learn that a “mover” is “someone who makes bets for big bettors.” It’s also worth knowing the difference between a “beard” and a “straddle.” You’ll find many pages earlier in the book mentioning the legendary status of the acknowledged biggest and baddest sports bettor ever: Billy Walters (see our review of Walters’ autobiography).
In addition to that wonderful glossary, another unique feature of the book is frequent QR codes that you can scan for further information. For example, on Page 37, you can hover your phone over the code to see the CBS “60 Minutes” interview with the aforementioned Billy Walters. One final perk is the many links to important sports betting “calculators” you can use to evaluate odds and promotions. They are outstanding, and you shouldn’t place a bet without using them.
But, just like this book, you should begin with the basics. The first few chapters give you some history and a detailed explanation of the various types of bets. And Chapter Four starts at ground zero with you standing at a sports desk and explains how not to sound like an idiot. Saying you want to “bet $20 that the 49ers will win next weekend” will almost always get you some eye rolls and a few silent curses from the writer. Using that same line on a busy NFL Sunday may get you 86’ed. Learn how to do it right with this book.
Author Blair Rodman
The other extreme of the professional sports gambler is detailed in the middle of this book as Rodman explains how his “computer group” made a decent living as pro bettors for nearly a decade. You’ll find out that their winning ways were no accident. They required dedication and discipline. And they involved sophisticated computer simulations, advanced injury reports, tip lines, sports interviews, and even access to detailed weather forecasts of both wind speed and directions relative to the stadium layouts.
Rodman is no stranger to risk taking. He is also a top pro at tournament poker tables where he is a World Series of Poker bracelet holder. In the few areas of sports betting that he is not considered expert (like “contests”), he turns to Anthony Curtis or Frank B. (No, the latter is definitely not a pseudonym for Buddy Frank). Their contributions are equally enlightening.
The last quarter of the book is probably the most valuable for the “average” bettor who simply is looking to improve their outcomes. You can pick and choose the techniques which seem helpful, or at least those you can employ without having to sacrifice a normal life.
If I had any criticism of this work, it is that they devote too few pages to the emerging “exchanges and prediction markets.” However, that may be because this subject is far from stable and is facing almost daily legal challenges. The rules and regulations could change drastically between your reading this and the time your book order arrives.
They do point out (validly) that the principles stated throughout the book apply to any form of sports betting (and that includes predictions and sweepstakes). Overall, you’ll get a better return using this book whether you’re betting online, using FanDuel/Kalshi/Polymarket, or in person at South Point, Circa, or any other casino.
Growing up in Nevada, I was betting on sports parlay cards from the Reno Turf Club since before these authors were out of diapers (maybe I started in middle school and a family member helped out – RIP Dad). That said, I learned something new on almost every page of this book. And as mentioned above, the glossary is golden.
The cover price is $39.99. It is $2 cheaper on Amazon, but I highly recommend you buy it directly from Huntington Press. The publisher is also one of the co-authors: Anthony Curtis. Not only does he help sponsor more great books on gambling than anyone else; he also edits the invaluable “Las Vegas Advisor” newsletter which is the bible of “Sin City.”
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