Casino gambling is an integral part of modern society. The opportunity to try fortune is appealing because it is risky, to some extent even adventurous. Each of us, at least once, but played (no matter, where it card games or slot machines), that’s why stories, novels and movies about casinos are of interest to us. The protagonists make us understand how much risk there is, how likely it is to be cheated in a gambling establishment, how many chances you have to cheat the casino. Books and films perhaps reveal to us another side of the casino, not visible to the average visitor.
Because it’s human nature to stand out from the crowd, UK-based online publication CasinoOnline has named the best work of literature that deals with gambling in its subject matter. The book has been named the best casino book of all time. The title was awarded to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, written by renowned American journalist Hunter Thomas.
“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is a sort of autobiographical novel, which the journalist wrote in 1971 and provided his editorial board instead of another reportage on the conference of district attorneys and the race “Mint 400”. It was a series of documentary articles about a trip to Las Vegas, the strange and surprising events that can only happen there, a rambunctious life and its consequences. The tale is so autobiographical that even the fictitious names could not hide the author himself.
Hunter Thomas’s work has always been distinguished by its realism, and this novel has simply won the hearts of many readers. The book reveals not only the beautiful truth about gambling, but also reviews Las Vegas casinos and their impact on human morale. The book makes it clear that Las Vegas is not only about glamour and glitter, but it’s also a danger, above all, to a person’s conscience and honour.
Sadly, Hunter Thomas was honoured to receive such an award posthumously for his work. In 2005 the journalist took his own life.
In the late 90s, a movie of the same name was made based on Hunter Thomas’ book, starring iconic actors Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. By the way, Hunter Thomas himself appeared in one episode where he played himself.
The film had a definite success among the fans of cinematic art. Big box office movie can not boast, but its relevance remains to this day.
Number two on the list of best films is the equally famous Casino Royale, the story of the adventures of James Bond. In fact, it was Ian Fleming’s first novel about the famous 007 agent. It was this book that started the iconic series. Eleven more novels and several short story collections followed. Fleming’s baton was also picked up by other writers, identifying James Bond as a major character in their books.
“Casino Royale is about a blameless secret agent whose target is the Russian spy Le Chiffre. However, it’s not so easy to uncover him. In order to win, Agent 007 will have to fight the villain at the card table. The game will turn out to be baccarat. But, of course, not everyone plays by the rules. So Bond will have to bluff, and even reveal their cards. But invincible agent always and all leads to the truth.
“Casino Royale was filmed and, like all James Bond epics, was hugely popular. The work Casino Royale is truly an iconic book that reveals both medals of gambling. The book pays more attention to the casino than the film, which makes it more interesting.
In third place, the judges placed Professor Edward Thorpe’s book Beat the Dealer. This book is a kind of self-study on the game of Black Jack. The book describes the strategy of the plus game. Edward Thorpe explains the game in terms of mathematics and probability theory. This handbook is interesting for beginners as well as experienced players. It is believed that it was thanks to Thorpe that Black Jack gained its popularity. When this book was published in 1962, many gambling houses included Black Jack in their main list of games. And, of course, this book is popular and remains relevant today.
All of the reviews of these books that are noted by the British online publication were written relatively long ago. Does this suggest that contemporary writers aren’t interested in the subject of casinos, or that their works don’t reach world-class levels? No, it doesn’t. It’s just that these works have not yet found their readers – their audience.
In many works, casinos are shown as symbols of luxury, incredible spending, adventure and even debauchery. However, for modern man, the casino is one way of having fun. Some spend money and some win. And with the advent of online gambling, many people have given up going to a classic casino. Many prefer to try their luck in the comfort of their own homes. Maybe it is time to write a novel or make a film about online casinos. We think it is a topic for the future and someone will take our advice soon.