The gamblers and the gambling games have been studied by scientists, mathematicians, historians, and other scholars for many years and the work continues today. A large body of information has been compiled about gambling and the gamblers, yet few people know much about the work, or how it relates to today's gambling culture. It is puzzling why the educational community has ignored this growing business. Here is a non-bias look at the gambling industry, the gamblers, and those who provide the opportunity for gamblers to gamble. How does this system really work? Here in Volume Three, The Gamblers and The Games, you have your chance to come out of the dark on this subject. Who are the people, what games are they playing, and where are they being played. In the mix are a few gambling stories and facts that will amaze you.

Some people think that trying to predict the result of a football match is largely a waste of time. They instinctively know that 'anything can happen in those 90 minutes and often does'. It's true that you can never predict the result of a football match with any degree of certainty, but that doesn't mean that football is wholly unpredictable. A football match is probabilistic in nature and always involves an element of 'God plays dice'. Freak results happen and they are largely unpredictable, but they happen no more often than they should and the best teams win more often than not. To be profitable betting on football it's important to evaluate probabilities rather than predict winners and to use a value based approach to betting. You'll need to establish what factors are important and therefore what information is relevant and you'll need to understand the nature of the problem space. The traditional approach to data processing for football is to use ratings and statistics, however neural networks provide a more sophisticated approach. The subconscious mind can also be very powerful when trained and used in the right way. Some people rely too much on their 'gut feeling' when gambling and other people not enough. Sometimes we feel more certain about a decision than we should and we tend not to think in terms of probabilities, however it is possible to train our minds to be more effective. It's also important to take a disciplined and intelligent approach and to always learn and evolve. One thing that you must accept is that the process involves losing and you can't force your luck. You also need to be realistic: luck is completely random and impersonal. You can be lucky after the event, but not before. You can't see the future in a dream. Dreams are windows to the subconscious, not the future. Whether you plan to take a systematic approach to betting on football or not, this guide will help you to understand what's important and what's not and how best to proceed. There is also a small, easy to understand introduction to neural networks describing what they are and how they work by way of a simple example.

If I asked you. " Do you know what the odds are of winning the European Lottery?" You probably would not even be able to hazard a guess. It is in fact 116,541,800 to 1. There is a way to reduce these odds. If I told you that there are 30 main ball numbers from which the 5 main numbers have come out and scored 60 times for the winning jackpots in 525 draws. Which is about once every 8 to 9 draws. The odds from these 30 numbers is142,506 to 1. So picking 5 main numbers out of 30 plus covering all the star balls over six lines for a total odds of 855,036 to 1. Which would with 5 winning main numbers guarantee you a minimum of 2 lines with five numbers in each line, with each line having at least one Star Ball each. Your winnings might likely be a total of between 0.4 million and 3 million. Worst still, you could even hit the jackpot.

Why is there a twelve on the cover of this blackjack book instead of the usual twenty-one? No blackjack author in their right mind would put a hand of twelve on the cover. Glen Wiggy did--he is full of surprises like that. Part how-to manual, part memoir, 1536 Free Waters and Other Blackjack Endeavors--Finding Profit and Humor in Card-Counting chronicles Wiggy's amusing experiences while playing blackjack during more than eight hundred casino visits from January 2001 until June 2008. It also introduces blackjack card-counting in a fun and easy-to-learn format.

In addition to the everyday casino patrons, starving puppies, angry pit bosses, French doughnuts, talking sea gulls, and 1536 bottled waters make unforgettable appearances in these entertaining stories tailored for casual blackjack gamblers. For players pursuing the game for serious profit, Wiggy also presents practical tips on

- Aspects of blackjack basic strategy- Fundamentals of card-counting- Techniques for managing money- Dangers of greedy gambling behavior

Unlike most blackjack strategy guides, 1536 Free Waters and Other Blackjack Endeavors won't teach you how to "kill" the dealer or make a living playing the game. Instead, you'll learn basic strategy and introductory card-counting skills that give you enough confidence to approach the table with a positive attitude and reasonable expectation of winning. Plus, you'll learn what to expect from the cards and the wonderfully strange people and places you may encounter. Enjoy the ride.

"Undoubtedly, the most enjoyable blackjack book I've read in my twenty years as the editor of a gambling publishing company. It had me laughing out loud."--Deke Castleman, editor for Huntington Press

Read more at www.blackjackstories.com.