American Gambler Book Club

David Hill
  • 5.0 (7)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

Each week I invite friends and guests to discuss a gambling-themed book (however loosely-defined) and whatever else may come up. Writers, entertainers, bon vivants and other smart and interesting people help me figure out what all belongs in the canon of books about gamblers as I work on my own contribution to whatever that is. Presented by InGame.com. davidhill.substack.com

  1. Jun 1

    The Natural with Charles Star

    I finally broke my standing rule of “No Fiction” in this episode to read Bernard Malamud’s debut novel The Natural. If you’ve seen the 1984 film adaptation starring Robert Redford but, like me, had never read the novel, you will be shocked at how radically different the story in the 1952 novel is from that of the feel-good film. Joining me to discuss is the co-host of the No Homework podcast Charles Star. We recorded this episode live from the cheap seats at a Mets game with terrible microphones, so just pretend it’s 1952 and cut me a break if it sounds bad. Listen to No Homework Buy The Natural American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 19m

  2. May 25

    On the Edge with Jennifer Shahade

    Nate Silver’s 2024 bestseller On the Edge: Risking it All is a deep-dive into the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of our modern-day gambling-obsessed America. In nearly six hundred pages he examines everything from poker to cryptocurrency to AI, and presents an ontology that divides American elites into “The River” and “The Village”: risk-takers and risk-averse. Joining me to discuss it is the chess and poker player Jennifer Shahade, author of the new book Thinking Sideways: How to Think Like a Chess Player and Win at Life. Buy Thinking Sideways Buy On the Edge Subscribe to Jen’s Substack Donate to Chess in the Schools American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 25m
  3. Book Club: Something for Nothing Chapters 4 & 5

    May 8 ·  Bonus

    Book Club: Something for Nothing Chapters 4 & 5

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidhill.substack.com Our current book club pick is Something for Nothing: Luck in America by Jackson Lears. We’re trying something new for this book: weekly livestream discussions. Tune in live each week to watch for free or subscribe and get access to the archived videos. This week we continue with a discussion of Chapters 4 & 5. American Gambler is a reader-supported publ…

    3 min

  4. Apr 27

    Book Club: Something for Nothing Chapters 1-3

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidhill.substack.com Our current book club pick is Something for Nothing: Luck in America by Jackson Lears. We’re trying something new for this book: weekly livestream discussions. Tune in live each week on Mondays at 2pm to watch or subscribe and get access to the archive. This week we kick it off with a discussion of the Introduction and Chapters 1-3.

    3 min

  5. Apr 12

    The Gambling Animal with Kit Chellel

    Two experimental economists spent decades studying the way human beings evaluate risk and probability by doing gambling experiments on people all over the world. Then they repeated those experiments with elephants. What they learned might hold the key to some of humanity's most pressing issues - including climate change. This week we read The Gambling Animal: Humanity’s Evolutionary Winning Streak - and How We Risk It All by Don Ross and Glenn Harrison. My guest to discuss it is the London based senior writer at Bloomberg Kit Chellel, whose new book Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game is out this week. Buy Lucky Devils Buy The Gambling Animal Read an excerpt of Lucky Devils at Bloomberg American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 1m
  6. Gamblers and the Public Gaze with Danny Funt

    Mar 18 ·  Bonus

    Gamblers and the Public Gaze with Danny Funt

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit davidhill.substack.com After reading the recent Atlantic cover story on sports gambling I knew I needed to vent about it to someone, so I asked my friend Danny Funt to come on my substack and have a friendly debate about it. He’s the author of the book Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling and has been covering the gambling beat for many years. You’ve probabl…

    6 min

  7. Mar 16

    Bookie with Roxy Roxborough

    Gary Mayer’s first (and only?) book came out in 1974 when he was 29 years old. It was an account of the two and a half years he spent working for his bookie to pay off his debts called Bookie: My Life in Disorganized Crime. It was darkly funny and at the time it was well received. Over the years it has faded into obscurity, and its author and subject both gone with little trace of the rest of their lives. Roxy Roxborough, a former bookmaker whose life has been anything but obscure and anonymous, joins me this week to talk about Gary Mayer, “Al Talcum,” and the good old days and current strange ones. Buy Bookie: My Life in Disorganized Crime American Gambler Book Club SALE: Use the code BSO15 for 15% off these titles until April 1st American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 6m

  8. Feb 2

    Jimmy the Greek with Peter Richmond

    We’re kicking off the second season of AGBC with the memoir of perhaps the most famous American gambler of all time: Jimmy the Greek Snyder. Known as the “Oddsmaker to the Nation” during his twelve-year run on CBS, his life was a high-stakes drama defined by a presidential pardon, the tragic loss of his children, and an abrupt 1988 downfall that he claimed “carved his guts right out”. This episode dives into the “Steubenville Way” of a man who lived through seven cycles of being broke and rich, only to end his life in bewilderment after the network world he craved for legitimacy finally pulled the trap door. Joining me to discuss Jimmy the Greek is the writer Peter Richmond. Peter is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of six books including “Badasses” about the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s. His piece on Jimmy the Greek, “Jimmy the Greek: The Living Dead,” was published by the National Sports Daily in 1990 and was selected for the inaugural edition of The Best American Sportswriting. Follow Peter Richmond on Substack Read “Jimmy the Greek: The Living Dead” Purchase Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders Purchase Jimmy the Greek by Himself American Gambler is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidhill.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 21m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Each week I invite friends and guests to discuss a gambling-themed book (however loosely-defined) and whatever else may come up. Writers, entertainers, bon vivants and other smart and interesting people help me figure out what all belongs in the canon of books about gamblers as I work on my own contribution to whatever that is. Presented by InGame.com. davidhill.substack.com

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