How Science And Math Are Taking The Luck Out Of Gambling

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Joe Donahue

Published March 23, 2016 at 10:10 AM EDT

In his new book The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling, mathematician Adam Kucharski reveals the long entangled history between betting and science. Weaving together ideas from mathematics, psychology, economics and physics Kucharski brings to life the game of chance. He introduces readers to a group of MIT students who made a fortune playing Massachusetts state lottery games, showing how PhD level pundits using methods originally developed for the U.S. nuclear program to accurately predict field goals and race times, and explains why poker is one of the ultimate challenges for artificial intelligence. Adam Kucharski is a lecturer in mathematical modeling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an award winning science writer.

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Joe Donahue

Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.

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