Fortune's formula : the untold story of the scientific betting system that beat the casinos and Wall Street / William Poundstone.

Author/creator Poundstone, William
Format Book
Edition1st ed.
Publication InfoNew York : Hill and Wang, 2005.
Descriptionx, 386 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Supplemental ContentTable of contents
Supplemental ContentContributor biographical information
Supplemental ContentPublisher description
Supplemental ContentSample text
Subjects

Contents Prologue : the wire service -- Entropy -- Blackjack -- Arbitrage -- ST. Petersburg wager -- Rico -- Blowing up -- Signal and noise.
Abstract In 1956 two Bell Labs scientists discovered the formula for getting rich. One was mathematician Claude Shannon, neurotic father of our digital age; the other was John L. Kelly, Jr., a Texas-born, gun-toting physicist. Together they applied information theory--the basis of computers and the Internet--to the problem of making as much money as possible, as fast as possible. Shannon and MIT mathematician Edward O. Thorp took the "Kelly formula" to the tables of Las Vegas. It worked. They realized that there was even more money in the stock market, specifically in the risky trading known as arbitrage. Shannon became a successful investor, using his wealth to drop out of the scientific world. This book traces how the Kelly formula sparked controversy even as it made fortunes at racetracks, casinos, and trading desks.--From publisher description.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (p. 357-367) and index.
LCCN 2005005725
ISBN0809046377 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN9780809046379

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks HV6710 .P68 2005 ✔ Available Place Hold