Bet the House: How I Gambled Over a Grand a Day for 30 Days on Sports, Poker, and Games of Chance - Hardcover

Roeper, Richard

3.52

65 ratings by Goodreads

9781569762479: Bet the House: How I Gambled Over a Grand a Day for 30 Days on Sports, Poker, and Games of Chance

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1569762473 ISBN 13: 9781569762479

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2010

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Over 30 days in early 2009, Richard Roeper risked more than a quarter-million dollars on practically every method of gambling currently available in America. Bet the House chronicles his wild journey. Follow Roeper as he travels from celebrity-filled Vegas tournaments to podunk dog races, negotiates illegal sports bets with shadowy bookies, trolls overseas-based Internet gaming sites, wagers against a radio comedian, haunts blackjack tables, and flips coins at a bar. As the wins and losses mount, you’ll share his suspense over that next big bet, the one that might, just might, get him back to black by the end of his odyssey.

Bet the House also explores:

� What it’s like to bet money you don’t have, knowing that if you lose, you’re in some serious trouble.

� The worst referee’s decision in the NFL in the last decade, and how it cost the author thousands of dollars.

� The time Roeper won more than $20,000 on a single horse race.

� Why the slots are such a bad play, why Roeper hates baccarat, and why state lotteries are worse than any numbers game run by the mob.

� The 10 best gambling movies of all time.

The true national pastime isn’t baseball or football or basketball. It’s gambling--on fantasy football, March Madness, poker, slots, the lottery, keno, church raffles, bingo, and more. Bet the House recounts with humor and pride the ultimate thrill ride of one American gambler.

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About the Author:

For eight years, Richard Roeper was the cohost of Ebert & Roeper. He is a regular contributor to ReelzChannel and reviews movies for Starz. Roeper’s daily newspaper column has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times since 1987 and has been syndicated to newspapers throughout the world. He has contributed to Esquire, TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, Maxim, and other publications. Roeper is also the author of seven books, including Sox and the City and Debunked!

From Booklist:

Roeper, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 20 years, has been a gambler for even longer, cutting his teeth as a teen in basement poker games and sports betting with a neighborhood bookie. He defines the rules of his project upfront—see the subtitle—and then begins with a series of bets on the 2009 NCAA college basketball tournament. He bets on horse races and dog races; plays poker in Vegas, in pals’ basements and online; hits the casino blackjack tables; and bets on coin-flipping contests. He relates stories from his past gambling life, including the time an NFL official’s horrible call cost him thousands. He’s at his best when revealing the mentality of the gambler—e.g., watching sports events on two levels: the actual score and the score modified by the spread. Some of the jargon may befuddle nongamblers—especially poker babble—but Roeper does a pretty fair job supplying definitions and context. Readers who seldom gamble can vicariously experience a new world and meet some unforgettable characters; gamblers will nod their heads in recognition. It’s even money you’ll like the book. --Wes Lukowsky

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