Interception: The Secrets Of Modern Sports Betting Paperback – 17 Oct. 2023

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest, and the $18 spent on this book stands testament to that. This insightful volume has not only enriched my understanding but has also yielded tangible returns in a matter of days. It’s packed with valuable information that makes it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the subject.

KISS, my mantra philosophy -keep it simple, stupid. The casual bettor wants a few tricks for the edge.Unfortunately they went deep in the weeds where I speed read half of the book.Granted learning about the content providers, the algorithm models used for odds and the sports book keeping a profile on you were interesting.

As a bookmaker for more than 30 years I'm just amazed at the insight provided by Ed and Matt here. There is something for sophisticated and new bettors alike. Books like this make it hard for my side of the counter. Not only that, it's a great read from two of the most knowledgeable in our industry.

If you have read the authors first book about the subject and want to learn more, than this book is perfect. Having worked in the sports betting industry, this is a good behind the scenes look at the nuts and bolts of the industry if you're looking to make it betting sports.

So I'll start-off by saying my bias is that I've been successful extracting money from soft sportsbooks for years. If you're basically involved in any sort of forum with sharp(-ish) gamblers, you'll know this is actually quite easy if you have reasonably good tools. The easiest of which is steam chasing (which I could teach anyone is <1 week), but it's also the most obvious and you'll get a short leash from any soft book for doing so.So that's where this book comes in. It discusses other methods that aren't super obvious. SGPs. In-Play. Cash-out... then says to focus on edge cases for these markets. These markets look square on the service, it's tougher to chase steam, and generally has 0 CLV for books to easily catch you. That's it -- that's the alpha this book leaks (note that it doesn't go into explicit detail on *how* to do the math to beat these). And it's not wrong.But as someone who's been doing this awhile, this is all obvious and was being advertised everywhere for a year now by the likes of Unabated and OddsJam who offer tools to beat these markets. Beating these markets are harder than just chasing steam, but it's also fairly easy once you build a good database/model. The problem is, sportsbooks are becoming better and better at detecting sharp action in these areas too, and books like this broadcasting how beatable they are certainly doesn't help. The venn diagram of people who have the knowledge base / talent to beat these markets v. who is currently limited at all major soft sportsbooks is a circle IMO. Elihu, a 5-star reviewer for this book, obviously fits into this circle--there is absolutely no way he personally gained value from this since he has publicly stated he's limited at all soft books, and he would certainly never beard into a soft book!So who is this book written for? I have no idea. Maybe those with a lot of beards who are running into hard walls steam chasing? It's a very very small subset of people in this industry is my point.I respect Ed/David and what DeckPrism/Huddle was doing, but it's clear Ed is way too optimistic on the direction of the industry. Even in his latest podcast interviews, he's stated he's missed the mark several times and struggled to sell executives at major books on improving odds accuracy--"why would I do that when I could just limit the customer that beats us?" they tell him. Now he goes on advertising where these books are weak. This book is just going to get these soft books limiting people who beat these markets more quickly now.