There are plenty of books about M.I.T. whiz kids who have beaten blackjack and won big money but those math geeks don't have a clue about the business of running a casino or how Las Vegas coaxes guests into gambling away more than $7.6 billion every year. <p>A good pit boss, on the other hand, can tell you exactly why the house always wins. Pit bosses supervise the dealers, identify con artists, approve insanely high wagers, and (more than anything else) protect the casino's money. In <i>Casino Confidential</i>, a licensed pit boss reveals how casinos stack the odds in their favor and how you can improve your own chances of winning. You'll discover tricks and traps used to disorient players (there's a reason you won't find any 90-degree angles in modern Las Vegas casinos) as well as essential strategies of blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, baccarat, pai gow, slot machines, and video poker. Plus you'll learn why many of the most popular gambling systems (like card counting) are barely worth the effort. <i>Casino Confidential</I> is filled with information that Las Vegas doesn't want you to know.