Any books or other resources out there anyone would recommend on handicapping baseball?

I know general sports betting principles and am not looking for something that gives a baseball specific slant on sharp sports betting or weighing the odds. I'm looking more for something along the line of what factors to consider in determining that a certain team has a 62% chance to win a game as opposed to a 60% chance, etc.

Better off going the betting targeted ones or something like baseball prospectus?

"Betting the Bases" by Mike Lee is a great book on handicapping baseball...been at least 15 years since I read it so I don't know if it's still available

Betting Baseball 2009

When I moved to Vegas to bet on baseball back in 1983 this was the main 'weapon' in my arsenal. Even if you could get your hands on it I'm not sure how relevant the strategies would still be.

Any gambling book that is 15+ years old will now only be good for entertainment/historical interest. It's really quite amazing how much gambling markets have changed since the rise of the offshore sports betting industry during the last decade.

Unfortunately for me I refuse to change with the times...I still bet the same way I did in 1990.

1.Make own line
2.Make bet at best available number if there is a large enough difference

You are absolutely correct about sports betting industry changing the last 10 years...in the early-mid nineties if you called 5 bookies you got 5 different lines and had a minimum 1 point spread every game...you could lay 3 or take 4.5 or both if you wanted..The explosion of the internet has pretty much syncronized bookies lines from offshore to Vegas to Illegal books...but the bettors have access to much more info with the internet....trade off I guess

anyone know this book? is horse racing generally considered beatable with the fees/breakage/etc.??

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?s...A&pid=20601093

Veitch Is ‘Enemy Number One’ to Bookies: Joe Saumarez-Smith
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Commentary by Joe Saumarez-Smith

May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Patrick Veitch has made 10 million pounds ($15 million) profit in eight years from betting on British horseracing. He’s one of the most successful bettors in the world and bookies try to avoid taking his bets.

He lives a comfortable life in a large house in the English countryside. Veitch’s helicopter sits in the garden, ready to take him to any one of the country’s 59 racecourses.

But, as he details in “Enemy Number One,” his autobiography published last month, being a professional gambler has its downsides.

tough to win at US tracks due to the things you mentioned
look for carry overs in exotic pools IMO

Ditto. Wagering on British horseracing vs. American are 2 different worlds.

ok, thanks guys...... in a few words, why is british betting different?

can sportsbooks just post odds on horseracing and completely ignore any financial interest with track? i.e. the big sports books in vegas. are they running their own pools or is it combined with the general off-track network (which i assume gives money to the tracks)???.. not sure though.

thanks again, guys!!

Someone is sure to correct me if I'm wrong, but here is what I know.

Yes. All online sportbooks ie: Bodog, Sportsbook, Bookmaker, etc. do not co-mingle their money with the pari-mutuel pools of the track. The fact of the matter is that overall horseplayers lose money due to the takeout of taxes from the top. It's so hard to win these sites are able to give a return on your money wagered (approx 5%) and still not worry about losing money. They cap payouts and no Pick 6 betting is available. All money lost at horseracing at these sites is liquid cash for them.
TVG, Youbet, Twinspires, etc. combine the money wagered there with the track pools and give full payouts.
Vegas books also co-mingle money wagered with race tracks, but it didnt use to be that way. About 20 or so years ago Vegas use to NOT co-mingle the money wagered. That changed when people started to fix races at Bay Meadows. They would fix a race, then have someone drive to vegas and place the bets there. That way the parimutuel odds didnt change and they would get premium payouts and Vegas would get screwed. Vegas then had enough of that and started to co-mingle money wagered with the tracks. I believe that there are some places in Vegas that still offer a house quinella. ...And if you dont believe horseracing was fixed at Bay Meadows back then, just ask Ron Hansen's friends. May he rest in peace.

British racing is profitable because the takeout is like 5%. Where U.S. it's around the 27% area. Enough said.

cefis, thanks.... one last question/clarification. the tracks in UK and US take 5% and 27% respectively???

Yes. Not exactly sure of the U.K. takeout, but it's really low. U.K. doesnt frown on gambling like they do here in the states. Plus U.K. has bookies right there at the track taking bets.

Uk racing offers fixed odds, so once you've bet , your odds are locked in

i dont think there is any US book that offers fixed odds, if there is please post here

Cefis is correct about everything he said, except the takeouts aren't that high at U.S tracks. Certainly alot higher than UK but the NYRA tracks are 14% on WPS wagering and 17.5% on exactas and doubles and 25% on Tri's,pick3's and pick4's. Most other tracks in the country are between 15%- 17.5% on WPS and 25% on Pick 3, 4, 6's. So while not 27% across the board alot higher than the UK.

Also I guess that's why Ron Hansen took his own life awhile ago. Crazy stuff.

For those who want to read about Ron Hansen, here's a link. I'm not sure if they ever proved if it was murder or suicide. He was the main factor in the fixing since he was the one doing the riding. Did the higher ups get rid of the main witness? It is crazy stuff. Thanks for the exact takeouts Simon.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/14/sp...ce-fixing.html

re: Vegas betting pools: If I recall correctly what was happening in the early 80's before Vegas went to parimutuel wagering was that agents were betting races at tracks where the handle was very low and influencing the odds with a minimal amount of money. They would bet on a long shot at the track to drive the price of what should have been the favorite up. Partners in Vegas would bet the max at various books right before the race started on the horse that should have been the favorite at better odds. They weren't actually fixing races but they were gaming the system and manipulating the odds. I remember there were arrests and a trial. Shortly thereafter the Vegas books went to the parimutuel system.

Thanks for the link, Cefis, I only vaguely remembered this when you mentioned it. I thought I remembered it being said he jumped from the San Mateo County Bridge. I guess he could have had help in his swan dive. Either way I didn't know all the background stuff and I am very intrigued. Thanks again.

This is a pretty good read on the subject. Very interesting and sad.

http://www.thoroughbred-world.com/ar...ter_2068.shtml

Hello,

I'm new to sportsbets, kinda got hooked up after I read a bit about it on 2p2, I am ordering the Sharp Sports betting and Weighing the Odds in Sports Betting books from amazon, I was wondering if anyone can recommand me some reading specifically on soccer (football).

Also I would like to learn something about the football buisness, I found this : The Economics of Football : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Economics-Fo...6&sr=1-3-spell

Is it any good, i dont have any real economic skills or background - just superbasics from college.

Thanks!

Try Conquering Risk.

Read Jacques Black's stuff. His books should be available on Amazon.

I saw School of Rock. Decent.

Fixed Odds Sports Betting: Statistical Forecasting and Risk Management by Joseph Buchdahl is excellent.

I am searching to buy a new book regarding european football betting.I came across with Wong book but it is related to american football.Do you have any suggestions worth reading?

Soccernomics was interesting, though only marginally related to betting.