A Bettor Way of Thinking: How Risk and Reward Have Shaped My View of Gambling, Life, and Movie Theater Popcorn

by Matt Miller

There have been many great books about playing the horses. Most focus on the analytical side of the game - which horse is going to win and why. This book turns that equation around. It's much less concerned with which horse is going to win and a lot more concerned with how you should wager on the race in question.

 

Matt Miller looks at the world differently and this contrarian point of view, though sometimes controversial, has led to betting success. Ten years ago, Matt was not a winning player. But the betting-focused, goal-oriented approach he's developed by following his particular instincts has changed that. In this book, he wants to share his winning approach with others, particularly those bettors who remind him of the player he used to be.

 

Too many horseplayers and sports bettors are their own worst enemies when it comes to setting and accomplishing their goals. A Bettor Way of Thinking serves up a new approach to decision-making with step-by-step instructions, including radical approaches to goal-setting and bankroll management, as well as new techniques for finding value with favorites, playing two tournament entries, and what he calls emotional over-hedging (i.e., playing cash on the side in tournaments). Matt pulls examples from the worlds of games, sports, and even pop culture. His lively takes on nine ball, Rain Man, The Matrix, blackjack, and Wheel of Fortune will change the reader's sense of the relationship between risk and reward for good.

 

And Matt's way of looking at the world has applications far beyond sports betting and gambling. His advice will help you become a better boss, a better employee, a better partner, a better thinker. Whether you are looking to take your gambling game to the next level or for a new approach to life, this book is filled with advice you can use.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2024

About the author

Matt Miller is a financial planner, decision-making strategist, and the author of Waypoints: Tools and Tactics for Life’s Toughest Choices. With more than twenty years of experience helping people wrestle with complex questions about career, money, identity, and purpose, Matt brings a clear and compassionate voice to life’s most defining moments.

He’s the founder of Upleft, an advisory firm based in Port Angeles, Washington, and a trusted guide to clients navigating change, uncertainty, and reinvention.

Waypoints is his field guide for the rest of us—the thoughtful, stuck, or just plain overwhelmed—who want a better way to move forward. When he’s not working with clients or writing, Matt can usually be found walking with his wife and their two rescue dogs or exploring street food stalls in all corners of the world.

Reviews

[Brian Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems to be most beneficial for someone who is exclusively playing in tournaments. While there are some sections that are helpful for reframing the way someone might attack a bet on a single race or multi races, the book primarily focuses on the authors personal experiences In tournaments and the routes he chose to be successful. It’s interesting to get into the mindset of what made him successful, but I also found there were many sections of tangents where the connection to being more efficient in betting seemed like a stretch.