When you hear about famous card counting teams, such as the MIT group, you're getting only part of the story. The weapons in the arsenals of these players are truly amazing-and they're described in detail here. In addition to blackjack strategies, Zender writes about biased roulette wheels, playing with hole-card information in Three Card Poker, and the latest debate on whether dice can be controlled with “rhythm rolling” (he's dubious). For video poker players, there's a big section on combining return percentages, cashback, and promotions to gain an edge (Bob Dancer style).

How does a man with no phone, no office, and no files become the most powerful man in politics? This book is an explosive story of the criminal underworld and its covert takeover of American politics, business, and entertainment. It's the tale of a cadre of powerful men who, over the course of decades, secretly influenced nearly every aspect of American society, including such famous (and infamous) folks as Jules Stein, Ronald Reagan, Abe Pritzker, Lew Wasserman, and John Jacob Factor -- as well as numerous other meticulously low-profile members. At the heart of it all is was the Chicago Outfit and its fair-haired boy, Sidney Korshak, aka 'The Fixer'" who from the 1940's until his death in the 1990s, was not only the most powerful lawyer in the world, according to the FBI, but the enigmatic, almost vaporous player behind some of the shadiest deals of the 20th century: from hitherto undisclosed California land grabs (the real 'Chinatown' story) to Hollywood quid pro quos, from casino monopolies to underhanded hotel deals. As the underworld's primary link to the corporate upperworld, Korshak's backroom dominance and talent for anonymity remains unparalleled.