More Book Reviews

Best Selling Poker Books of 2014How did the new books compare to the old classics? Well, we will let the data speak for itself. Take a look at the list of the best selling poker books of 2014.Deal Me In and Eat Professional Poker Players Alive ReviewedThere isn't a clear path by which people become professional poker players. There aren't any good courses at the local vo-tech for a person to study. The road to becoming a poker pro is inevitably difficult, circuitous, and filled with setbacks. Deal Me In is a book describing the course by which twenty top poker players became professionals. Poker Winners Are DifferentThere is a big difference between what's typical human behavior and what is called for to play poker at a high level. There aren't a lot of people for whom maximizing their expectation in poker games comes naturally. Poker Winners Are Different by Alan Schoonmaker examines this conundrum.

2009 Baseball Forecaster

by Ron Shandler

Sections of this annual include Fanalytics (Foundation Principles, Forecaster's Toolbox and Research Abstracts); Gaming (Research, Strategies and Formats); Major Leagues (The Teams, Batters, Pitchers, PQS Pitching Logs, Bullpen Indicators and Injuries); Prospects (Essays, Top Prospects, Top Japanese Prospects and Major League Equivalents); Ratings, Rankings, Cheat Sheets; Sabermetric Tools (One Glossary, The Other Glossary and Cheaters Bookmark). This is the book preferred by many Fantasy players. 267 pages, paperbound, 2009.

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Baseball Prospectus 2009

Packed with statistics, analysis, and attitude, this annual is the essential guide for the serious fantasy baseball player, and the perfect season-long companion for those looking to understand the inside game. Includes extensive performance analysis of more than 1,500 playerscovering the majors, the minors, 40 prospects, draft choices, and rookie ballplus in-depth, insightful essays on all major league clubs and gimlet-eyed evaluations of their top 50 players. With ballpark-adjusted stats, a deadly accurate projection system for forecasting a players performance, and more. Information is gathered a team that includes, among others, 602 pages, paperbound, 2009.

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Four Books That Provide the Edge on Baseball Betting

by Howard Schwartz

Baseball books offer the fantasy league enthusiast, trivia buff or bettor an informational edge, and their popularity remains steady year after year. With the 2009 season less than a month away, hereHoward Schwartz, the "librarian for gamblers," is the marketing director for Gambler's Book Club in Las Vegas, a position he has held since 1979. Author of hundreds of articles on gambling, his weekly book reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the gaming industry. Howard's website is www.gamblersbook.com <a rel='nofollow' href='http://www.readybetgo.com/phpadsnew/adclick.php?n=abcc77e6' target='_BLANK'><img src='http://www.readybetgo.com/phpadsnew/adview.php?n=abcc77e6' border='0' alt='Advertisement'></a> are some fresh resources packed with unusual information about players and teams which should whet everyone's appetite:

Always popular, Who's Who in Baseball (360 pages, paper bound, $9.95), is back with its 94th edition, and it contains the lifetime, regular season and post-season record for 775 players and includes photos with birthdates and nicknames and injury listings along with trade data from Abreu to Zumaya.

Baseball Prospectus 2009, edited by Christina Kahrl and Steve Goldman (628 pages, paper bound, $21.95) examines past performances and tries to project what more than 1,600 players might do this year. It answers questions such as which teams lack offense; how have trades impacted opponents; which are "hitter's parks" and which players are about to blossom as stars. It's an excellent resource for fantasy league players looking to isolate "sleepers" and those on the downhill side of their careers. The book examines top prospects, managers and their approach to the game and how new faces might impact teams expected to improve this season.

Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster (271 pages, paper bound, $24.95) is a highly sought-after fantasy league guide. Edited by Ray Murphy and Roger Truesdell, this 23rd annual edition goes five years back for players, offering their strengths and weaknesses, ratings of their health and consistency and a look at first half vs. second half of season in 2008, It offers advice on who to bid on cautiously and whose value will fade. This is excellent material combining off-season jury reports and (believe it or not) a five-year injury log!

One of the most valuable sections is titled Bullpen Indicator Charts including a "Close Volatility Chart" looking as far back as 2002 indicating how players performed up to four years back with men on base and their pitch counts. It includes super on participating in a fantasy league and how to use the book's data to find an edge.

The Hardball Baseball Annual (377 pages, paper bound, $21.95) analyzes each team statistically, but its real strength is in its variety of mind-stretching essays.
Included are trade analyses; a look at the ethics and business of baseball; a variety of ways team performance can be measured statistically; some history of the game; the importance of defense and which players are likely to be over-valued or under-valued at fantasy league's moment of truth.