Recommended Books in Computers, Gambling, and Mathematics

I hope you have enjoyed my book Calculated Bets: Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win. If so, you may also enjoy some of my favorite books on related topics in gambling, mathematics, and computer science. I have also listed the funniest books I know, in case you liked my sense of humor.

Gambling

Gambling is, by definition, an activity designed to make money for the people running the activity. Note that this does not include me or you. Still, gambling is a fascinating activity, and perhaps the most popular application of mathematics for the layman.

• What Are the Odds? : Chance in Everyday Life and Can You Win? the Real Odds for Casino Gambling, Sports Betting, and Lotteries by Michael Orkin -- Mathematically sound analysis of the probabilities associated with many forms of gambling.
• Insights Into Sports Betting by Bob McCune -- Betting on sports such as football, basketball, horse racing, and (yes) jai-alai involves different issues than pure mathematics of casino gambling.
• How Professional Gamblers Beat the Pro Football Pointspread by J.R. Miller -- My interest in computers and gambling began in high school with my program Clyde, which predicted the outcome of football games. It is much harder than it looks, especially with the point spread.
• Jai Alai Wagering to Win : The Complete Book for Jai Alai Wagering by Donald Lostritto -- I believe this book has been largely superseded by my own Calculated Bets. However, it deserves respect as the only other jai-alai book currently in print!
• Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp -- The mother of all mathematical gambling books, on the original card counting system to win at blackjack.

Humor

Writers are sometimes asked which books influenced them the most. These books are the funniest I have ever read, and I hope you can see some of their influence in Calculated Bets.

• The Most of P. G. Wodehouse by P. G. Wodehouse -- I find everything written by Wodehouse to be extremely funny, particularly the Jeeves and Psmith stories. But it is very hard to explain why. The plots are completely forgettable and every story is exactly the same. Indeed I often get to the end of a book before I realize I have read it before. Still, this is the man I turn to when I need a laugh. Read him for yourself to see why.
• Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need by Dave Barry -- I also laugh at everything Dave Barry writes, but at least I know why. It is the subtlety which he moves from a pithy observation about the human condition into the ridiculous. I see it coming, but he gets me every time.
• Wilkes: His Life and Crimes by Winston Schoonover -- This tale of the world's most corrupt lawyer will have you laughing and cheering as he fleeces clients and fights with judges. As a bonus, it captures the pulse of New York City better than Bonfire of the Vanities or any other NY novel I'm aware of.
• The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book by Brendan C. Boyd and Fred C. Harris -- This book is a hoot, a very special book you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy. Indeed, just like the movie Field of Dreams it has less to do with baseball than it does about life. The blurbs next to each of the pictured cards are priceless.

Mathematics

• Implementing Discrete Mathematics : Combinatorics and Graph Theory With Mathematica by Steven Skiena -- A tour of discrete mathematics through my computer program Combinatorica. Any math/CS-type who liked Calculated Bets may well like my discrete mathematics book as well. Be on the look out for a new edition, to be published by Cambridge University Press.
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte -- This is a guide to producing clear, coherent mathematical graphics. It will change the way you look at data presented in graphs, tables, and charts. A book that is beautiful to look at, as well as truly thought provoking.
• Men of Mathematics by Eric Temple Bell -- The most enjoyable and inspiring history of mathematics ever written. Like any good writer, he takes just enough liberties with the truth to tell the most enlightening possible tale.

Computer Science

• The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skiena -- A fun and practical introduction to the design of algorithms. It focuses on problems which arise in practice, and contains war stories showing the impact of algorithm design in the real world. Any programmer/computer scientist who liked Calculated Bets will like my algorithms book as well.
• The Art of Computer Programming by Don Knuth -- This is the collection of books that turned computer science into an intellectually exciting discipline. I get the sense that my students today are less familiar with Knuth's books than in the previous generation, but they are much poorer for it in understanding the interplay between mathematics and computing.
• Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley -- Terrific little essays on programming and algorithms by a master. Fun to read and easy to absorb.
• The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P. Brooks -- I've heard software engineering compared with teaching children to brush their teeth. But this is a software engineering book that is easy to sink your teeth into, consisting of interesting and enlightening essays on the fundamental aspects of building large software systems.