The Mathematics of Games and Gambling (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks) [Paperback]

Edward Packel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 088385628X | ISBN-13: 978-0883856284 | Publication Date: September 5, 1996

You can't lose with this MAA Book Prize winner if you want to see how mathematics can be used to analyze games of chance and skill. Roulette, craps, blackjack, backgammon, poker, bridge, lotteries and horse races are considered here in a way that reveals their mathematical aspects. The tools used include probability, expectation, and game theory. No prerequisites are needed beyond high school algebra. No book can guarantee good luck, but this book will show you what determines the best bet in a game of chance or the optimal strategy in a strategic game. Besides being an excellent supplement to a course on probability and good bed-side reading, this book's treatment of lotteries should save the reader some money.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The whole book is written with great urbanity and clarity ... it is hard to see how it could have been better or more readable.' The Mathematical Gazette

Book Description

No book can guarantee good luck, but this book will show you what determines the best bet in a game of chance or the optimal strategy in a strategic game. Learn the mathematics behind roulette, craps, blackjack, backgammon, poker, bridge, lotteries and horse races. Besides being an excellent supplement to a course on probability and good bed-side reading, this book's treatment of lotteries should save the reader some money.

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: The Mathematical Association of America (September 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088385628X
• ISBN-13: 978-0883856284
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic, yet thorough intro to the theory of games of chance, October 3, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mathematics of Games and Gambling (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks) (Paperback)

When I was teaching full-time in the `80s, the math topic that students found most interesting was the analysis of gambling. One student in particular had written a program that analyzed the past history of racing greyhounds in an attempt to increase his odds of winning at the dog track. The students were also the most attentive in class when I was working through an analysis of either casino games or the state run lotteries. We held several discussions on various ways to "beat" the games that were suggested by the students or explained in class. I received and answered many questions about the odds of winning in many scenarios, sometimes to the disappointment and disbelief of the person asking the question. From now on, I will direct students with such questions to this book if they find my answers unsatisfactory.
It is a brief, yet thorough analysis of the mathematical foundations of some basic board and casino games. Problems for further testing and study are given at the end of most sections, so it is possible to use it as a textbook in short courses in basic probability theory. The level of difficulty is consistent with that of a beginning course, and the only mathematical prerequisites are the most basic of algebraic operations.
Gambling is an activity that will continue to be a part of the human experience as long as humans have their present form. To many, it is an activity of addiction, to others one of recreation and to mathematicians it can be both. I fall in the latter category, as I often point out to people how their opinions about the possibility of success are exactly what the gambling companies want them to be. This book is an excellent description of how the games work and how billions are made by being on the right side of slightly favorable odds.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Advanced High School Level Textbook, December 18, 2004

By 

Fred Corsiglia (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian Federation) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mathematics of Games and Gambling (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks) (Paperback)

This book is written as a school text book, probably targetting high school through sophomore level college students. There are some interesting pieces of the book about the history of games and analysis of games like backgammon and poker. Other games such as bridge and state lotteries are discussed. The treatment of game theory was new to me, but a lot of the content of this book is basic probability & statistics.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will help you win?, December 9, 2003

By 

Physicsmind "Physicswish" (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mathematics of Games and Gambling (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks) (Paperback)

This is one of the most entertaining books on the subject of game theory! Highly recommended. Of course, you may not win all the time in any gambling games but if after studying it, you will have a sense of how it works! THat is it!