Mark Bollman – författare

There are thousands of books relating to poker, blackjack, roulette and baccarat, including strategy guides, statistical analysis, psychological studies, and much more. However, there are no books on Pell, Rouleno, Street Dice, and many other games that have had a short life in casinos!

While this is understandable — most casino gamblers have not heard of these games, and no one is currently playing them — their absence from published works means that some interesting mathematics and gaming history are at risk of being lost forever. Table games other than baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette are called carnival games, as a nod to their origin in actual traveling or seasonal carnivals.

Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games is a focused look at these games and the mathematics at their foundation.

Features

• Exercises, with solutions, are included for readers who wish to practice the ideas presented

• Suitable for a general audience with an interest in the mathematics of gambling and games

• Goes beyond providing practical ‘tips’ for gamblers, and explores the mathematical principles that underpin gambling games

There are thousands of books relating to poker, blackjack, roulette and baccarat, including strategy guides, statistical analysis, psychological studies, and much more. However, there are no books on Pell, Rouleno, Street Dice, and many other games that have had a short life in casinos!

While this is understandable — most casino gamblers have not heard of these games, and no one is currently playing them — their absence from published works means that some interesting mathematics and gaming history are at risk of being lost forever. Table games other than baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette are called carnival games, as a nod to their origin in actual traveling or seasonal carnivals.

Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games is a focused look at these games and the mathematics at their foundation.

Features

• Exercises, with solutions, are included for readers who wish to practice the ideas presented

• Suitable for a general audience with an interest in the mathematics of gambling and games

• Goes beyond providing practical ‘tips’ for gamblers, and explores the mathematical principles that underpin gambling games

Mathematics is the basis of casino games, which are the bedrock of a $100 billion/year industry. Mathematics of the Big Four Casino Table Games: Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, & Roulette takes an in-depth look at the four biggest table games in casinos: blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette. It guides readers through the mathematical principles that underpin these games and their different variations, providing insights that will be of huge interest to gamblers, casino managers, researchers, and students of mathematics.

Features

Mark Bollman is Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and has taught 116 different courses in his career. Among these courses is "Mathematics of the Gaming Industry," where mathematics majors carefully study the math behind games of chance and travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to compare theory and practice. He has also taken those ideas into Albion’s Honors Program in "Great Issues in Humanities: Perspectives on Gambling," which considers gambling from literary, philosophical, and historical points of view as well as mathematically. Mark has also authored Basic Gambling Mathematics: The Numbers Behind the Neon, Mathematics of Keno and Lotteries, and Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games.

Mathematics is the basis of casino games, which are the bedrock of a $100 billion/year industry. Mathematics of the Big Four Casino Table Games: Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, & Roulette takes an in-depth look at the four biggest table games in casinos: blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette. It guides readers through the mathematical principles that underpin these games and their different variations, providing insights that will be of huge interest to gamblers, casino managers, researchers, and students of mathematics.

Features

Mark Bollman is Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and has taught 116 different courses in his career. Among these courses is "Mathematics of the Gaming Industry," where mathematics majors carefully study the math behind games of chance and travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to compare theory and practice. He has also taken those ideas into Albion’s Honors Program in "Great Issues in Humanities: Perspectives on Gambling," which considers gambling from literary, philosophical, and historical points of view as well as mathematically. Mark has also authored Basic Gambling Mathematics: The Numbers Behind the Neon, Mathematics of Keno and Lotteries, and Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games.

Basic Gambling Mathematics: The Numbers Behind the Neon, Second Edition explains the mathematics involved in analyzing games of chance, including casino games, horse racing and other sports, and lotteries. The book helps readers understand the mathematical reasons why some gambling games are better for the player than others. It is also suitable as a textbook for an introductory course on probability.

Along with discussing the mathematics of well-known casino games, the author examines game variations that have been proposed or used in actual casinos. Numerous examples illustrate the mathematical ideas in a range of casino games while end-of-chapter exercises go beyond routine calculations to give readers hands-on experience with casino-related computations.

New to the Second Edition

Basic Gambling Mathematics: The Numbers Behind the Neon, Second Edition explains the mathematics involved in analyzing games of chance, including casino games, horse racing and other sports, and lotteries. The book helps readers understand the mathematical reasons why some gambling games are better for the player than others. It is also suitable as a textbook for an introductory course on probability.

Along with discussing the mathematics of well-known casino games, the author examines game variations that have been proposed or used in actual casinos. Numerous examples illustrate the mathematical ideas in a range of casino games while end-of-chapter exercises go beyond routine calculations to give readers hands-on experience with casino-related computations.

New to the Second Edition

Intermediate Poker Mathematics provides a fascinating collection of mathematical questions set in the diverse world of poker. While it is absolutely possible that a poker player will glean some insight that will improve their skill at the table, this book is not intended primarily as a players’ strategy manual, but rather as a means of building up readers understanding of the mathematical concepts at play in the complex world of poker. Although the book is suitable for a general audience, it is formatted in the style of a textbook, with exercises included at the end of each chapter to help build understanding.

Features

Intermediate Poker Mathematics provides a fascinating collection of mathematical questions set in the diverse world of poker. While it is absolutely possible that a poker player will glean some insight that will improve their skill at the table, this book is not intended primarily as a players’ strategy manual, but rather as a means of building up readers understanding of the mathematical concepts at play in the complex world of poker. Although the book is suitable for a general audience, it is formatted in the style of a textbook, with exercises included at the end of each chapter to help build understanding.

Features

Mathematics of Keno and Lotteries is an elementary treatment of the mathematics, primarily probability and simple combinatorics, involved in lotteries and keno. Keno has a long history as a high-advantage, high-payoff casino game, and state lottery games such as Powerball are mathematically similar. MKL also considers such lottery games as passive tickets, daily number drawings, and specialized games offered around the world. In addition, there is a section on financial mathematics that explains the connection between lump-sum lottery prizes (as with Powerball) and their multi-year annuity options. So-called "winning systems" for keno and lotteries are examined mathematically and their flaws identified.