Luck, Logic, and White Lies

As the title indicates, Bewersdorff's book is intended to span the mathematics of games in general - not only games of chance but also including strategic and skill games. The author covers all the big categories of games - casino, tournament, and house or social games. In fact, the skill-strategic dimension of the games balanced with the chance-uncertainty dimension is the central element around which the author presents games as an important field of application of mathematics; he takes them as a good opportunity to advocate for the beauty and power of mathematics. To that point, the book is written so as to be both popular and scholarly, and these attributes are not at all inconsistent with each other for such a general topic, content, and style. [. . .] The book leaves the impression of its author's being a skilled advocate of the unlimited power of mathematics, shown through the examples of games. Not only is mathematics able to describe the games and the way we play them, but it is entitled to address fundamental questions beyond the problem-solving aspects of games and gaming. It is mainly game theory and probability theory that grant mathematics such a virtue. [. . .] Although the chapters can mostly be read independent of each other, and the mathematical content is not systematized throughout the book, the mathematically-inclined reader can put things together to have an objective overview of one of the most interesting fields in application of mathematics - games - which themselves shaped the development of mathematics. - International Gambling Studies A great variety of games are analyzed in an accessible way. The treatment of blackjack, in particular, is superb. - Stewart Ethier, Professor Emeritus, University of Utah and author of The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling People play games for fun and for profit. To become better at a game, you need to study it. In Luck, Logic and White Lies, Joerg Bewersdorff takes you, almost imperceptibly, from the history of numerous concrete games to their mathematical analysis. This touches upon a wide range of techniques, not only in mathematics, but also in computing and psychology. If you get the hang of it, you can apply these techniques to other areas of life, such as business, economics, biology, and sociology. - Tom Verhoeff, Dept. Math & CS, Eindhoven University of Technology Praise for the First Edition Luck, Logic, and White Lies teaches readers of all backgrounds about the insight mathematical knowledge can bring and is highly recommended reading among avid game players, both to better understand the game itself and to improve one's skills. - Midwest Book Review The best book I've found for someone new to game math is Luck, Logic and White Lies by Joerg Bewersdorff. It introduces the reader to a vast mathematical literature, and does so in an enormously clear manner. . . - Alfred Wallace, Musings, Ramblings, and Things Left Unsaid The aim is to introduce the mathematics that will allow analysis of the problem or game. This is done in gentle stages, from chapter to chapter, so as to reach as broad an audience as possible [. . .] Anyone who likes games and has a taste for analytical thinking will enjoy this book. - Peter Fillmore, CMS Notes