BJ21 recently added Richard Munchkin's great book. It has interviews with the top world advantage players in blackjack, poker, sports, horse racing and backgammon. Here's a surprise - these guys mostly know each other. They have played together on blackjack teams, or in poker games, and pooled bankrolls. Many of them started in blackjack. It was once strange to me that a good poker player could translate skills to sports. But world class poker players are smart and versatile. They switch games all the time (hold'em, stud, etc.), and will play anything with an advantage.
In fact, poker players will give action with a disadvantage just to stir the pot and generate action. You see, those guys are so good they can sit in a new game and learn as they go. They don't mind giving action to get action. In contrast blackjack players are typically "nits" who hate to gamble or make negative EV plays. Also, the great gamblers understand the need for game selection and cover. By playing occasional loose games with negative EV they get to play their specialties with weak players. It's very much like cover and camouflage at blackjack.
The relative ethics are interesting. Backgammon players rarely cheat, but may slow-pay or even stiff opponents. Some poker players will hustle and cheat friends but will pay scrupulously. Blackjack players are stereotypically honest. But blackjack players will "take shots" at books with slow lines because they view bookies as evil casinos. In contrast many posters at The Prescription feel this is unfair because the bookie is an intermediary who is risking jail to provide you with a service, and not trying to take the other side of your wager.
There are funny stories about these guys leaving vast amounts of money lying around. One player was so rich and loose he bet $100K a male friend wouldn't get breast implants, and lost!. Cathy Hulbert acted like a rich blackjack bimbo and constantly attracted a different kind of "heat" at the tables. Doyle had a chilling story about Johnny Moss getting rescued by friends with shotguns in Bugsy Siegel's old Flamingo. A hint of this stuff has appeared in Michael Konik's articles in Cigar Afficianado. But Gambling Wizards is longer and aimed at knowledgeable players. It is a fascinating glimpse into the lives and fortunes of the very best gamblers alive.
