Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games [Paperback]

Jörg Bewersdorff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1568812108 | ISBN-13: 978-1568812106

The mathematical underpinnings of games, whether they are strategic or games of chance, have been known for centuries, but are usually only understood by players and aficionados who have a background in mathematics. The author has succeeded in making that knowledge accessible, entertaining, and useful to everyone who likes to play and win. The information applies to such diverse and popular games as Roulette, Monopoly™, Chess, Go, numerous card games, and many more. He reviews the mathematical foundations, probability, combinatorics, and mathematical game theory, the field that won John Nash of A Beautiful Mind the Nobel Prize, and emphasizes the implementation of these techniques so that players can put them to work immediately. An extensive bibliography and sections describing the historical developments are welcome features to put the subject in a broader context

Editorial Reviews

Review

" This book serves as an introduction to the mathematics of games. It seeks to show to the reader how it is that games have their power--how they manipulate chance, hidden information, and combinatorics... -Musings, Ramblings, and Things Left Unsaid, February 2005
most interesting and unique book, encompassing games of chance and games of perfect and imperfect information, stimulating and thought-provoking both to the sophisticated layman and to the well-informed expert."" -Aviezri Fraenkel, April 2005
in plain terms, Luck, Logic, and White Lies teaches readers of all backgrounds about the insight mathematical knowledge can bring and is highly recommended reading among avid game players, both to better understand the game itself and to improve one's skills."" -Midwest Book Review, April 2005
""Anyone who has ever tried to analyse a game mathematically knows that things can get very complicated very quickly..."" -Marianne Freiberger, Millennium Mathematics Project, University of Cambridge., May 2005
""The aim is to introduce the mathematics that will allow analysis of the problem or game. This is done in gentle stages, from chapter to chapter, so as to reach as broad an audience as possible. . . . Anyone who likes games and has a taste for analytical thinking will enjoy this book."" -Peter Fillmore, CMS Notes, May 2005
""The best book I've found for someone new to game math is Luck, Logic and White Lies by Jörg Bewersdorff. It introduces the reader to a vast mathematical literature, and does so in an enormously clear manner..."" -Alfred Wallace, Musings, Ramblings, and Things Left Unsaid, August 2005
""The book is well-written and can be recommended to all readers with interest in game theory."" -EMS Newsletter, June 2005
""He reviews the mathematical foundations, probability, combinatorics, and mathematical game theory, and emphasizes the implementation of these techniques so that players can put them to work immediately."" -L'Enseignement Mathematique, August 2005
""Ce Livre est bon. . . pour un coup d'oeil général sur le domaine, je ne pense pas qu'on puisse mieux trouver."" -Robert Bilinski, Lu pour vous, October 2005
""This book is a must for anyone interested in gaming... Students with an interest in mathematics will find this book to be of interest."" -Holly Flynn, E-Streams, August 2005
""I would recommend this book to high school and college teachers for their own enrichment, as a resource book for good students, and as a source for classroom activities."" -John Leamy, Mathematics Teacher, December 2005
""Translated (by David Kramer) from German, this book continues Martin Gardner's tradition of explaining how to play and to win at various mathematical games..."" -Paul J. Campbell, Look Smart, February 2006
""It is really good news that J. Bewersdorff's successful book has now, after the enthusiastic reviews of the previous three German editions been translated into English to reach the worldwide readership it deserves."" -Zentralblatt MATH, March 2006
""For anyone interested in what's really going on in games they play, this is an extremely interesting book. "" -January 2007
""This book is unusual in making the illustrative examples and the more technical and theoretical aspects of probability equally interesting and clear... What I liked particularly was the clarity, yet non-triviality of the examples used, leading to a well-founded understanding of these ideas."" -The Mathematical Gazette, November 2006
""The author (successfully) addresses a broad audience of readers interested in games."" -SpringerWienNewYork - Monatshefte fuer Mathematik, May 2008"

About the Author

Dr. Jorg Bewersdorff received his PhD in Mathematics from the Univeristy of Bonn (Germany) and the Max-Plank Institute for Mathematics. Since 1988 he has been General Manager of Mega-Spielgerate, where he previously held the positions of director of R&D and game design.

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: A K Peters/CRC Press (November 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568812108
• ISBN-13: 978-1568812106
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended reading among avid game players, April 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games (Paperback)

Written by the general manager of Mega-Spielgerate, a game design company based in Limburg, Germany, Luck, Logic & White Lies: The Mathematics Of Games is a no-nonsense instructional in basic probability, geometry, and mathematics as they apply to popular games. Topics discussed include popular myths among those who the lottery, to the question of whether it is possible to reconcile chance and mathematical certainty, to testing dice, the possibilities of distribution in a roulette, modern theories as applied to the classical game of Go, whether bluffing in poker can be done without psychology, and so much more. Written in plain terms, Luck, Logic & White Lies teaches readers of all backgrounds about the insight mathematical knowledge can bring and is highly recommended reading among avid game players, both to better understand the game itself and to improve one's skills.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Math, but you don't have to be a Mathematician, January 8, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games (Paperback)

As this book points out, games fall into three broad categories:

1. Games of Chance
2. Games with a large number of combinations of different moves
3. Different states of information among the individual players.

And this book is broken into three main sections, one for each of these.

Before you get too turned off, yes, there is some math in this book. But it is really not heavy duty. (After all, John Nash of A Beautiful Mind won the Nobel Prize for his work on game theory and his work was not simple math.) The authors explanations of the situations described in the games are very good are very good, and the minimal amount of math is really helpful.

Virtually all of the common games from from the lottery to chess and even Monopoly, as well as the casino games such as blackjack and Roulette are discussed in detail. For anyone interested in what's really going on in games they play, this is an extremely interesting book.

The author knows whereof he speaks, he is the general manager of a game design company based in Germany.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the mathematics of games, August 16, 2005

By 

Alfred H. Wallace (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games (Paperback)

So many books about the mathematics of games are either long out of print, hard to find, or fairly esoteric and not something I'd recommend to just anyone. The best book I've found for someone new to game math is Luck, Logic and White Lies by Jörg Bewersdorff. It introduces the reader to a vast mathematical literature, and does so in an enormously clear manner, which never takes one very far away from either the math or the games behind them. I love Winning Ways and On Numbers and Games, but they're definitely not for the faint of heart. LL&WL is the perfect book for gamers who are interested in the mathematics that underlie the choices they face and decisions they make. Just great stuff.