There are plenty of equations here, but the explanations are simple and lucid for those who are intimidated by the math. It’s actually a fun way to learn about probability and statistics, a lot more fun than counting black and white marbles or whatever it was my statistics textbook was always yammering about. Brisman goes through the rules of each game in detail, but then gives the strategies and the math behind them. This book is by no means some barely coherent get-rich-quick system like many gambling books. Out of curiosity I read this book, which explains the intricacies of the most common casino games. I was pretty suspicious of the whole thing, thinking that if the dealer always plays the same way, clearly there must be a correct strategy for the player. He seemed confident about what he was doing, but when I asked him how he knew what to do, he was clearly just winging it. It was the first time I had ever set foot in a casino, and I didn’t play anything, but he played blackjack. Several years ago my husband and I went to a casino in the Bahamas.

Mensa guide to casino gambling