Edwin Silberstang Dies at 82

We just lost one of the most influential gambling writers. From the Las Vegas Review Journal: Edwin Silberstang, author and gambling expert, dies.

Silberstang was one of the most prolific gambling writers. I have his Winner's Guide to Casino Gambling on my self. Of all the authors who cover the all the major games, Silberstang was among the best, if not THE best. He was outstanding with the English language and was good at mixing in personal stories with the dry rules and odds of the games.

When I first created my Odds site I used Silberstang's book as a reference. His style of covering as many games as possible, with a mixture of math and autobiography, probably had a big impact on my own site and style, now that I pause and think about it.

There are a few things I take issue with Silberstang about. For one thing, using variants of the word "win" for titles in books of games you can't win at, without cheating, like Winning Casino Craps. He also did not include ties in his house figures sometimes, as in the case with baccarat. I find that to be an outdated way, going back to John Scarne, of defining it. His basic blackjack basic strategy also had some minor errors, on borderline plays. However, these are all extremely minor compared to the overall good he did for players. No two gambling writers are going to agree on absolutely everything, including matters of style.

The LVRJ article mentioned his son is Avery Cardoza. I didn't know that until now. It also says he lived in Henderson. At the Global Gaming Expo several years ago I met him and we had a friendly chat. Very nice guy. RIP.

Sad to hear that. I know when I first started out in the playing of casino games, Craps was always interesting to me, but I was "scared" to play it. I picked up his Winning Casino Craps and studied and studied it. I read it so much, I broke the spine of the book. I used it as my play for a long time.

Quite interesting to know that Avery Cardoza was his son. I have a number of his books, too.

RIP.

Quote: Wizard

For one thing, using variants of the word "win" for titles in books of games you can't win at, without cheating, like Winning Casino Craps. .

I read several of his books years ago. He has 'winning' in like half
his titles, and he never ever tells you how to win. Its very misleading.
He tells you how to play, and how to get comped, but he has no idea
how to win, if he did he'd be doing it. It says in blurbs that he's a
'professional gambler' but it never says at what. Whats his game?
He was a NY lawyer and came west, was he a poker player? Does
anybody know?

It's very sad when someone you admire dies.

Quote: Wizard

There are a few things I take issue with Silberstang about. For one thing, using variants of the word "win" for titles in books of games you can't win at, without cheating, like Winning Casino Craps.

Don't blame him too much for that. Including "win" in the title is the way to sell such books. If he gave sound advice in it, that's enough.

Quote: EvenBob

I read several of his books years ago. He has 'winning' in like half his titles, and he never ever tells you how to win.

Considering the body isn't even cold yet, I thought your post was rather harsh. You can see from my own post I don't approve of some of his titles either, but I tried to put on my velvet glove in how I said it. Silberstang would probably say it was just a little puffery to sell the book, and everybody should know to have a little skepticism about such things.

No, I don't know what his game was, but he wrote books on sports and poker, so maybe one of those.

Quote: Wizard

Considering the body isn't even cold yet, I thought your post was rather harsh.

Well, I bought his books with winning in the title
because I thought they would tell me how to win.
When they didn't, I was kinda pissed. I never
bought any others. So if I sounded harsh, its
because my experience wasn't the greatest. But
he did publish 45 books on gambling, how many
people have done that. Now its driving me crazy
on what he was a pro gambler at. Dang..

Quote: Wizard

Considering the body isn't even cold yet, I thought your post was rather harsh.

Just looking at the introduction to his book, I would agree that it is puffery. He says you "can" win, but the house will still have a small edge that is the payment for running a game. In another place when describing the "don't pass" he says the 12 is "barred" because otherwise the player would have an edge.

Considering the amount of outright deception in the world, I consider the use of the word "winning strategy" as long as you clearly state that the edge remains with the house, as relatively minor zealotry.

Be careful what you do or say about the dead
Because if you are rude, it reflects on them.

Quote: EvenBob

Well, I bought his books with winning in the title because I thought they would tell me how to win. When they didn't, I was kinda pissed.

Surely, you jest.

I also owned a copy of WINNERS GUIDE TO CASINO GAMBLING, and found it to be an excellent read and well-informed. It was the second book I purchased, after Revere's PLAYING BLACKJACK AS A BUSINESS. Ed's craps section was truly enlightening to a novice as I once was. I felt prepared to play craps after a few kilo-rolls in practice with pennies as wagers.
I very much agree with the WIZ's write-up, and I would recomment WGCG as a great novice's book... worth every penny invested.

edit: the post above based on OP. After reading the "rest of the story"...
MHO I think Ed Silbestang's games were Poker and Craps, with some 21.
I'm not critical of the titles... its a good hook for a purchase, and the EV is explained.
After a good read, one realizes that most House Advantages remain just that, except for 21. /MHO

Quote: MrV

Surely, you jest.

Why? It was the early
80's, why wouldn't I think that. There was no Amazon,
you had no reviews to read, you bought a book on
its face value.

I have his Winner's Guide to Casino Poker on my shelf, and I think I had his more general guide to Casino Games at one point. Like his style, is definitely one of the better and more honest writers I have on my shelf.

honestly, i think anyone who wants to criticize mr. siberstrang should just go back under their rock.
when you have written over FORTY books, get back to me with your two cents.

thank you mr. shackleford for your post about mr. silberstrang.
we are all walking in the footsteps of a giant,
may he rest in peace

Quote: pacomartin

... In another place when describing the "don't pass" he says the 12 is "barred" because otherwise the player would have an edge.

Silberstang is exactly right. The don't pass, as the opposite of the pass line, would be +1.41% for the don't player otherwise.
By barring the 12 on the come-out for the don't side, that subtracts 2.78% from the +1.41% player advantage to produce the house edge for the don't side.
If you wanted a crap game that had NO house edge for the line bets and come/don't come, either side, then having a 12 produce a half-loss on the pass line/come, and a half win on the DP/DC would do it.

Winning Casino Craps was the first gambling book I ever purchased from Amazon.

I pored over the entire book, cover to cover, multiple times. It was my primer for learning craps. It's travelled to Vegas many times and been referenced in many hotel rooms.

It's been lent out to many over the years but always comes back to me.

Quote: EvenBob

Quote: Wizard

For one thing, using variants of the word "win" for titles in books of games you can't win at, without cheating, like Winning Casino Craps. .

He tells you how to play, and how to get comped

.

Getting comped is the way to "win" in Vegas!

The only way to always win, is to make sure you are having fun. If you're enjoying yourself and you lose, then you were just paying for entertainment.

That's how my book of "Winning at ...." would read.

Quote: Paigowdan

If you wanted a crap game that had NO house edge for the line bets and come/don't come, either side, then having a 12 produce a half-loss on the pass line/come, and a half win on the DP/DC would do it.

Might be a good experiment for a casino to run sometime: No Edge Craps ... with the Stickman still pushing the Center Bets but the Line Bets all at zero house edge. (Sort of a Paco-like admission charge to a No House Edge Casino, but with the "admission charge" being in the form of a "sin tax" of the usual high-edge bets that gamblers often want.).

Sure would take a long time for a bankroll to be trimmed.

Quote: NowTheSerpent

Getting comped is the way to "win" in Vegas!

Comps are a sort of sweetener.

We no longer live in a world wherein a woman who wears make up is referred to or even addressed as a Painted Woman. We live in a world where women are expected to be freshly-bathed and properly adorned with cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry and appropriately revealing garments.

Now some curmudgeonly old fool might long for the days of yesteryear but no one really wants a return to what might be termed the Dark Ages.

Its the same way with a casino. Some places used to be peanut shells on the floor type joints where women were few and far between and likely as not to be tattooed and to talk like a sailor. The Paradigm shifts. Casinos now offer comps that go well beyond the free peanuts. We expect carpets on the floor, not sawdust. We expect free drinks and moreover we expect quite a range of choice. We now even expect casinos to cater to whims and to tolerate temper tantrums. Things change. So now a part of the casino experience is not just the bottom-line won or lost but the "running tally" of the Comps.

Drinks, table reservations or variations (formal or informal), various "services" all get added up to some sort of "Comp Level" as part of the experience and therefore as part of the "win".

We no longer get that darned bag of free peanuts from the airlines, we often no longer even get the half-can of soda from them, we no longer focus on just our "winnings" since mentally we expect a split focus on "bankroll winnings" and "comp winnings"

Its the time we are in. Comps are part of the equation. Whether this be good or bad is irrelevant.