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What's Luck Got to Do with It?: The History, Mathematics, and Psychology of the Gambler's Illusion Hardcover – June 6, 2010

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Joseph Mazur (Author)
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Joseph Mazur (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 13 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1St Edition edition (June 6, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0691138907
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691138909
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,013,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
All About Gambling and Gamblers
By George Poirier on June 21, 2010
Format: Hardcover
As explained in this fascinating book, the subject of gambling has intrigued humanity for millennia. The taking of risks, for whatever reason, has always instilled some level of exhilaration in the minds of many - occasionally with disastrous consequences. The author, a professor of mathematics, has succeeded admirably in touching upon most aspects of gambling that may be of interest to both the general reader as well as the most dedicated gambler. The book is divided into three main sections. In the first (about 70 pages), the history of gambling and risk taking is covered from earliest times up to the 2008 economic crisis. In the second section (about 80 pages), the author examines the mathematics of probability and calculates the odds of winning at various types of games, e.g., cards, dice, roulette, horse racing, etc. In the final section (about 60 pages), the author discusses the psychological aspects of gambling. Here, questions like: "What makes a problem gambler?" and "Why do gamblers often gamble against overwhelming odds and risk losing everything?" are addressed.

The writing style is clear, lively, friendly and authoritative. The author's many personal anecdotes add a special touch. Regarding accessibility, the first and last sections can be enjoyed by anyone. On the other hand, the math section may present problems to those who are math phobic. Fortunately for them, this section may be skipped without any loss in understanding the other two sections. Although most math principles are clearly explained and supplemented with useful appendices, I did do some occasional head-scratching, often (but not always) resulting from the odd misprint.

This book would likely be of most interest to anyone fascinated by gambling - from those who enjoy gambling very occasionally to professionals. Math buffs with a fascination for statistics and probability theory are also likely to thoroughly enjoy this book.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A great look at luck
By Dave Schwartz VINE VOICE on August 9, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Joseph Mazur is a mathematics professor who's written books about math for the popular audience, and his writing style is wonderfully suited to discussing a complex subject in a friendly way. Maybe the greatest compliment I can pay Mazur is that he doesn't come across like a professor in his writing-he's more like a very interesting guy sitting next to you on a plane ride out to Las Vegas, who's got several hours worth of anecdotes and an occasional mathematical proof to back them up.

WHAT'S LUCK GOT TO DO WITH IT? tackles what might be the million-dollar question when it comes to gambling: why do people consistently bet against the odds? Demonstrating that he's not approaching his subject from too great a distance, Mazur treats the reader to a debate between his uncles-two of whom are racetrack devotees, one of whom insists that gambling is a sure path to ruin and warns against feeling to sure that luck is on your side. The book essentially seeks to identify just what luck is, and reconcile it with the dry mechanics of probability and the law of large numbers. Involving history, psychology, and several examples from popular culture,the book uses its mathematical backbone to ask and answer some key questions about gambling and luck.

The book is divided into three parts. The first is an outstanding brief history of gambling from the dawn of time to about 2008. No matter what you've read about the topic, you'll probably still learn something new here. Then Mazur looks into the math of gambling and luck, and relates the underlying theoretical truths that make gambling work the way it does. Along the way Mazur works in several personal anecdotes that keep the reading lively.Read more ›
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
History, Art, Psychology and most of all Insight
By Donald Limuti on June 2, 2010
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
My dad had a gambling addiction that I just could not understand.
This book gave me key insights into the whys of this with a multi-dimensional tour of the universe of gambling.
I opened the book to the index for an initial random look and found Benjamin Franklin, then on to page 52 to find out he ran a lottery! And George Washington and Thomas Jefferson participated in lotteries. My notion that gambling in the US was something new is now revised.
The book does not avoid mathematics, but the math does not interrupt the history, and psychological insight.
A spectacular tour of the universe through gambling.
PS: The book is physically a coffee table art book with beautiful illustrations.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Masterful telling on the Gambler's Illusion
By Sorina Eftim on November 22, 2010
Format: Hardcover
This is another great beautiful book by Prof. Mazur that is sure to entertain, inform and intrigue in equal measure. I am not a math phobic, on the contrary, but I cannot help admire how he manages to make the subject (and probability!) easily accessible to a broad number of people with his stories and clever examples and figures. Any aspiring author wishes he/she could be that gifted. In the same conversational style as in his previous works, Dr. Mazur takes us on a research trip on gambling.
The book is divided in three parts, the first two are about the history and mathematics of gambling (fascinating telling of the ways and means gambling came about, most likely the result of painstaking rummaging through seventeenth century original texts and letters - the references are amazing! At some point I felt as if walking through a museum with the text as explanatory notes for the exhibits - beautiful historical reproductions). The last part of the book is a fascinating (and I suspect for most people the most popular and intriguing part) "analysis" of gambling psychology. As someone else also mentioned, I agree that this part deserves a more extensive treatment, you just to keep on reading.
This is one of those books that leaves you with an amazing feeling of accomplishment upon finishing it. You feel as if you just finished reading three books, all in the space of about 200 pages. I loved the illustrations, the notes and the novel "balloon callouts", but then I love this kind of detail. This is a perfect general audience book. I also liked the fact that the author clearly does not have an agenda , he's not pro or against gambling. This is a scientifically sound and comprehensive review of gambling - past, present, future. In my view, this is Dr. Mazur's best book so far. Can't wait for the next one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Excellent!

Published 9 months ago by james hall
Three Stars

grate

Published 12 months ago by Kenneth L. Moore
Not well done

great idea for a book. Poorly written and explanations are obscure. Worse: the notes do not clarify any of the worki in the main text.

Published 14 months ago by Patrick Martin
Really well explained key concepts

Really well explained key concepts about fundamentals, where I picked up key points.

The history section of gambling was nothing new. Read more

Published on May 25, 2013 by Thomas
An in-depth look at why humans gamble and why even intelligent people...

The mathematics behind most casino games and lotteries can be understood by everyone except the most mathematically naive. Read more

Published on June 22, 2011 by Charles Ashbacher
Entertaining snapshots of the psychology of gambling

For being well written, accurate, interesting and entertaining to the general reader this book deserves 5 stars, though I have some idiosyncratic criticisms. Read more

Published on November 12, 2010 by David J. Aldous
The Best Explanation of the Financial Meltdown Yet

This is a fascinating, easy to read book about many facets of our culture related to gambling, risk taking, and superstitious beliefs surrounding luck. Read more

Published on November 7, 2010 by Vivian Port
VERY GOOD BOOK ON THE ILLUSIONS OF GAMBLERS

Probability not luck is the rule. The knowledge of the odds is a great understanding of how luck is not personal. To believe otherwise is an illusion. Read more

Published on November 7, 2010 by K. Humphrey
A mathematical idiot loves this book

I am a mathematical idiot, but I love this book! I read it over two months ago, and have needed to step back in order to figure out why it appeals to me. Read more

Published on September 2, 2010 by An admirer of well written books

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