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Calculated Bets

Calculated Bets

Calculated Bets

Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win
Steven S. Skiena, State University of New York, Stony Brook
August 2001
Available
Hardback
9780521804264

    This is a book about a gambling system that works. It tells the story of how the author used computer simulations and mathematical modeling techniques to predict the outcome of jai-alai matches and bet on them successfully - increasing his initial stake by over 500% in one year! His results can work for anyone: at the end of the book he tells the best way to watch jai-alai, and how to bet on it. With humour and enthusiasm, Skiena details a life-long fascination with computer predictions and sporting events. Along the way, he discusses other gambling systems, both successful and unsuccessful, for such games as lotto, roulette, blackjack, and the stock market. Indeed, he shows how his jai-alai system functions just like a miniature stock trading system. Do you want to learn about program trading systems, the future of Internet gambling, and the real reason brokerage houses don't offer mutual funds that invest at racetracks and frontons? How mathematical models are used in political polling? The difference between correlation and causation? If you are curious about gambling and mathematics, odds are this book is for you!

    • Exciting story of a successful gambling system
    • Entertaining introduction to mathematical modelling techniques and methodologies

    Reviews & endorsements

    "Interesting, informative..." American Mathematical Monthly

    "I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. The book is written in a leisurely, relaxed style. The author doesn't assume any mathematical, statistical, or computer science knowledge of the reader, and gives plenty of background material on the subject." The American Statistician

    "It is a clearly written case study on the use of mathematical modeling...it may be useful as a text for a course in applied mathematics or simulation...I recommend this book for anyone who is curious about how mathematics and simulation can be used to learn how to win at gambling." The American Statistician

    See more reviews

    Product details

    August 2001
    Hardback
    9780521804264
    248 pages
    235 × 158 × 23 mm
    0.486kg
    35 b/w illus. 32 tables
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Preface
    • Acknowledgements
    • 1. The making of a gambler
    • 2. What is Jai Alai?
    • 3. Monte Carlo on the Tundra
    • 4. The impact of the internet
    • 5. Is this bum any good?
    • 6. Modeling the payoffs
    • 7. Engineering the system
    • 8. Putting my money where my mouth is
    • 9. How should you bet?
    • 10. Projects to ponder
    • Glossary
    • For further reading
    • Index.
      Author
    • Steven S. Skiena , State University of New York, Stony Brook

      Steven Skiena is Distinguished Teaching Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. His research interests include the design of graph, string, and geometric algorithms, and their applications (particularly to biology). He is the author of five books, including The Algorithm Design Manual and Calculated Bets: Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win. He is co-founder and Chief Scientist at General Sentiment (www.generalsentiment.com), a media measurement company based on his Lydia text/sentiment analysis system. Skiena received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois in 1988, and is the author of over 130 technical papers. He is a former Fulbright scholar, and a recipient of the ONR Young Investigator Award and the IEEE Computer Science and Engineer Teaching Award.