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View Full Version : Free math lecture "Blackjack: MIT vs. Casinos" Thursday 2/7


YanaBanana
02-05-2008, 04:16 AM
Anyone interested in this? :nerd



Student Math Society talk on "Making Millions the Easy Way"

*Author: Keith Devlin (Stanford)

*Abstract:

In the mid-1990's, a team of American science students took on the might of the Las Vegas casinos, and came home with millions of dollars.

Hardworking engineering students during the week, they became high-rolling gamblers by the weekend and proved that, in one game at least, the house doesn't always win.

The game was blackjack, and the students were from the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Their audacious winnings marked the climax of an arms race between casino and player that began 40 years earlier with a discovery by MIT math professor Edward Thorp.

In 2005, the BBC made a one-hour documentary about this story. Although shown in many countries, it was never broadcast in the US.

Keith Devlin took part in the program, and in addition to screening the entire documentary, he will talk about the making of the film and the mathematical issues surrounding the exploits of the students.

*When and where:
Thursday, February 7, 7:00PM

In Daly Science 2006, Santa Clara University
Directions (http://www.scu.edu/map/parking/directions.cfm) and campus map (http://www.scu.edu/map/).


Yana:banana

Nastradamus
02-05-2008, 05:54 AM
oooh for all the gamblers

sounds free

Hot Frog
02-05-2008, 09:55 AM
Read "bringing down the house" and "busting vegas" which are based on the true story of these MIT students taking on Vegas. Author is Ben Mezrich and it is the easiest reading for travel ever!

ex911
02-05-2008, 10:10 AM
^^^ +1

I also read it when I traveled!

Now....what are the odds of this lecture being interesting? :p

YanaBanana
02-05-2008, 01:59 PM
:laughing

I'm in for the movie.. :Popcorn

Yana:banana

altomista
02-05-2008, 11:14 PM
You sure you have the room number right? There isn't a room DS-2006, but a DS-206.

ex911
02-05-2008, 11:52 PM
You sure you have the room number right? There isn't a room DS-2006, but a DS-206.sounds like a math problem to me! :p

YanaBanana
02-06-2008, 12:08 AM
You sure you have the room number right? There isn't a room DS-2006, but a DS-206.

You're probably right - per the Campus Map (http://www.scu.edu/map/index.cfm), the Daly Science Center is #207, 210 and 211, while #206 is the de Saisset Museum next to it... and I don't know what the room numbers are at all. :dunno

I got the email via Mensa :nerd - they're not perfect, yaknow! :laughing :laughing

Yana:banana

altomista
02-06-2008, 12:15 AM
Those would be the building numbers. DS-206 would be found in #211.

I may stop by late, after I get out of my class to visit my alma mater. :teeth

ex911
02-08-2008, 04:05 AM
so how was the math lecture, while some of us were busy sending lead down range (and flirting with the bartender :p )

YanaBanana
02-09-2008, 01:15 AM
It was good - the BBC documentary has played all over the world - except the US. :laughing

Mostly about card-counters working the odds and making $$, and casino Mafia, and folks beating the system and the system retaliating, over and over, etc. :cool

Hopefuly it will be shown again, somewhere.:thumbup

Yana:banana