Mathew Carver is a Kentucky bloodstock breeder. The reader is immersed in the world of racing: the bloodstock sales at Newmarket; countryside of Normandy; Bluegrass of Kentucky; and mansions of Virginia. Racing’s aristocracy and its hard men, the touts, fraudsters, stable lads, tipsters and jockeys all provide action with many sub-plots.

"Bad Bets" exposes the false promise of economic revival that has lured communities to depend on gambling for jobs and for a fiscal fix, and the criminal connections of many of its leading companies.

Louisiana is our most exotic state. It is religious and roguish, a place populated by Cajuns, Creoles, Rednecks, and Bible-thumpers. It is a state that loves good food, good music, and good times. Laissez les bons temps rouler -- let the good times roll -- is the unofficial motto. Louisiana is also excessively corrupt. In the 1990s, it plunged headlong into legalized gambling, authorizing more games of chance than any other state. Leading the charge was Governor Edwin Edwards, who for years had flaunted his fondness for cold cash and high-stakes gambling, and who had used his razor-sharp mind and catlike reflexes to stay one step ahead of the law. Gambling, Edwin Edwards, and Louisiana's political culture would prove to be a combustible mix. Bad Bet on the Bayou tells the story of what happened when the most corrupt industry came to our most corrupt state. It is a sweeping morality tale about commerce, politics, and what happens when the law catches up to our most basic human desires and frailties.

"Eloquent and detailed...It's hard to have hope, but the organized observations and plans of Hoffman and people like her give me some. Read her book -- and listen." -- Jane Smiley, The Washington Post In her late 40s, Beth Hoffman decided to upend her comfortable life as a professor and journalist to move to her husband's family ranch in Iowa--all for the dream of becoming a farmer. There was just one problem: money. Half of America's two million farms made less than $300 in 2019, and many struggle just to stay afloat. Bet the Farm chronicles this struggle through Beth's eyes. She must contend with her father-in-law, who is reluctant to hand over control of the land. Growing oats is good for the environment but ends up being very bad for the wallet. And finding somewhere, in the midst of COVID-19, to slaughter grass finished beef is a nightmare. If Beth can't make it, how can farmers who confront racism, lack access to land, or don't have other jobs to fall back on hack it? Bet the Farm is a first-hand account of the perils of farming today and a personal exploration of more just and sustainable ways of producing food.

Should chronically disruptive students be allowed to remain in public schools? Should nonagenarians receive costly medical care at taxpayer expense? Who should be first in line for kidney transplants—the relatively healthy or the severely ill? In T argeting in Social Programs , Peter H. Schuck and Richard J. Zeckhauser provide a rigorous framework for analyzing these and other difficult choices. Many government policies seek to help unfortunate, often low-income individuals—in other words, "bad draws." These efforts are frequently undermined by poor targeting, however. In particular, when two groups of bad draws—"bad bets" and "bad apples"—are included in social welfare programs, bad policies are likely to result. Many politicians and policymakers prefer to sweep this problem under the rug. But the costs of this silence are high. Allocating resources to bad bets and bad apples does more than waste money—it also makes it harder to achieve substantive goals, such as the creation of safe and effective schools. And perhaps most important, it erodes support for public programs on which many good bets and good apples rely. By training a spotlight on these issues, Schuck and Zeckhauser take a first step toward much-needed reforms. They dissect the challenges involved in defining bad bets and bad apples and discuss the safeguards that any classification process must provide. They also examine three areas where bad apples and bad bets loom large—public schools, public housing, and medical care—and propose policy changes that could reduce the problems these two groups pose. This provocative book does not offer easy answers, but it raises questions that no one with an interest in policy effectiveness can afford to ignore. By turns incisive and probing, Bad Draws will generate vigorous debate.

New expanded edition is a great first book for beginning players and a powerful winning tool for experienced ones as well. It includes complete coverage of blackjack, craps, slots, video poker, roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Let it Ride. Using Cardoza's easy-to-follow advice, winning becomes both easy and fun at the same time. Includes casino basics and money management sections, and packed with charts and illustrations throughout for easy comprehension of all the winning strategies. 352 pages

Rhys went to Las Vegas to marry his fiancée, but ended up walking down the aisle with his best man instead. That bad idea was the best decision he ever made.

table { }td { padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; color: windowtext; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: bottom; border: medium none; white-space: nowrap; }.xl67 { font-family: Times; text-align: left; border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; }.xl68 { font-family: Times; text-align: center; border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; }.xl69 { font-family: Times; text-align: center; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; border-style: none solid solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; } Lee's classic describes the importance of comparing opposing teams and analyzing statistical trends, including freak occurrences. Covers strategies for beginning baseball handicappers and more experienced bettors. How to bet teams on a streak, peaking teams, the effect of home stands, betting on doubleheaders and the effect of a layoff on starting pitchers. Among the first books to concentrate on handicapping baseball, this classic has stood the test of time with information that can be applied to today's game.

Penned by a reputable authority on casinos, this guide provides the tools of the trade in order to perform a successful climb to the top of the gaming mountain. A step-by-step instructional approach is presented, going beyond the standard handbooks on blackjack, craps, and slots to include tips and tricks on baccarat, roulette, and more. A must-have for both casual and professional gamblers throughout the nation, this invaluable companion is guaranteed to provide the winning edge to beat the house.