Gambling Book’s Secrets Revealed

In today’s New York Times, Edward Wyatt has a story about an upcoming book, "The Smart Money: How the World's Best Sports Bettors Beat the Bookies Out of Millions."

The book, which Simon & Schuster will publish next year, tells the true story of “The Brain Trust,” a group of professional gamblers that bets hundreds of thousands in Las Vegas each week on college and professional football. Together “The Brain Trust” acts as one of the most influential forces in the gambling world.

The Times goes on to disclose the name of the anonymous author, identified in the book proposal only as “44” so as to protect the privacy of the participants in the gambling ring. 44, a participant in the group for seven years, as a courier betting the syndicate's money, then as the operator of his own affiliated gambling ring, is outed as Michael Konik. Konik’s previous literary works include THE MAN WITH THE $100,000 BREASTS AND OTHER GAMBLING STORIES, as well as the following praise for my memoir AMERICAN ROULETTE:

"American Roulette provides the titillating thrill of being welcomed inside a forbidden world… Marcus and his gang of thieves have a brazen ingenuity, and enterprising criminal spirit that’s hard to resist. AMERICAN ROULETTE is as fun as it is revealing."
- Michael Konik

Although I have more than dabbled in sports gambling, and know a bit about groups such as “The Brain Trust,” I’ll leave my insights into that world to myself for now. Rest assured when 44/Michael tells the tales of the super analytical high-dollar sports bettors, it will be required reading for anyone who even casually bets on their NFL, or alma mater, football team. And, as 44’s own gambling ring is said to include several as-yet-unidentified celebrities, it will likely draw in many more non-sports gambling readers.

We are sure to hear more about this book before it hits the shelves. I look forward to it.