VerdugoJohn: Prof Ed Thorp of Beat the Dealer

[bfbagain]

I hope life is finding you and your wife in the best of health.

As you probably hear often when in earshot of advantage players, I too would like to thank you for your tireless work, as well as your courage both in testing your system, and of course, sharing it with the world.

Thank you.

However...

I think it would be of great interest to learn how you came to make the decisions you made, as well as the many relationships that clearly were entered into at that most interesting of times, both for casinos and gamblers.

Is there a "tell all" type biography in the works? It would be a very fascinating read, and one I would be certain to devour. I would hope that if there isn't, that you'd reconsider. And if there is, and I truly hope so, a date for publication?

Thanks again. There are a lot of people, both inside and out of the casino industry that owe many debts of gratitude.

Best Wishes to you Professor.
bfb

[ET Fan]

- Don't have your money.

- Don't have your looks.

- Not as smart as you.

Just a fan.

ETF

> They typically used cards with a uniform
> small diamond pattern and there were no
> borders. Perfect for second dealing, as it
> happens. The dealer looked at his hole card
> by bending up the corner--which led players
> to exploit "spooks" and
> "warps" and the eventual
> discontinuing of that dealer procedure.
> --Ed

[Ouchez]

[eothorp]

> Who was Shannon?
Claude Shannon, credited with the mathematical theory of information.

[eothorp]

> I hope life is finding you and your wife in
> the best of health.

> As you probably hear often when in earshot
> of advantage players, I too would like to
> thank you for your tireless work, as well as
> your courage both in testing your system,
> and of course, sharing it with the world.

> Thank you.

> However...

> I think it would be of great interest to
> learn how you came to make the decisions you
> made, as well as the many relationships that
> clearly were entered into at that most
> interesting of times, both for casinos and
> gamblers.

> Is there a "tell all" type
> biography in the works? It would be a very
> fascinating read, and one I would be certain
> to devour. I would hope that if there isn't,
> that you'd reconsider. And if there is, and
> I truly hope so, a date for publication?

> Thanks again. There are a lot of people,
> both inside and out of the casino industry
> that owe many debts of gratitude.

> Best Wishes to you Professor.
> bfb
It's a pleasure to hear from so many people that they have benefited from the work I did. A lot of bio material has appeared over the years in articles written by or about me. You can find a little bit on the internet. I'm thinking about perhaps doing an update of BTD with additional material along the lines of "what happened since 1966" but am not quite decided.
ed thorp

[ES]

Was he connected with blackjack or gambling at all?

[Edward O. Thorp]

> Was he connected with blackjack or gambling
> at all?
Yes re gambling;first wearable computer to beat roulette. Lots more info in a new book coming this fall by William Poundstone titled "Fortune's Formula."

[ES]

Thanks. It's an honor to "talk" with you on this board. The early printing of the paperback "Beat the Dealer" describe and carry an advertisement for a "Beat the Dealer" computer, actually a circular slide rule for the 10 Count. Is this device available anywhere? I KNOW THAT USING IT IN A CASINO IS ILLEGAL, but it my understanding that possession of it is not, much like antique slot machines.

[BillSchneider]

I loved the show. I enjoy expoiting minor arbitrage and opportunities the ca casinos sometimes give up. Successful on a small scale. Hard to want to stay in that environment for long. A friend of mine Tivoed the show, and surprised me with it yesterday at her house. I was refreshed, not surprised, and satisfied to see the account of Prof. Thorp.

I particularly identify with the aspect of taking the ideas, testing them, and putting them to practical use. I was employed at one time as a risk arbitrage trader, and now I those ideas I found then and I develop them. One of the aspects is learning to program, and then teaching the computer to run my system in financial markets. I liked seeing not just the gambling part of the show, but also how Dr. Thorp utilized the old punch card computer, taught himself to program in Fortran, and was able to successfully calculated the 21 probabilities. Also impressive to develop a system around it.

Anyway, the show was just what I needed to get over a current roadblock in my current project. I enjoyed it on many levels, given that even some of the specific facts may have been changed.