Calculated Bets by Steven Skiena, Cambridge, $49.85/£37.50 ISBN
0521804264
MOST students of maths must at some time fancy their chances of making a
fortune from gambling. A deep understanding of probability and statistics,
surely has to be a better road to riches than the hunches of the average
punter.
Someone who holds fast to this belief is Steven Skiena, a professor of
computing science at the State University of New York. He is a long-time devotee
of jai alai, a Basque form of handball. Professional jai alai is played in some
American states that allow betting on the outcomes…
