For years, mathematically inclined minds have tried to turn the tables by harnessing their knowledge of probability and game theory to exploit weaknesses in a rigged system.Īn amusing example played out when the American Physical Society held a conference in Las Vegas in 1986, and a local newspaper reportedly ran the headline “Physicists in Town, Lowest Casino Take Ever.” The story goes that the physicists knew the optimal strategy to outwit any casino game: don’t play.ĭespite the warranted pessimism about beating casinos at their own games, a simple betting system based in probability will, in theory, make you money in the long run (with a huge caveat described below that I’m compelled to warn you about now, lest you read only half of this article or half of its headline).Ĭonsider betting on red or black at the roulette table. Beneath the varnish of flashing lights and free cocktails, casinos stand on a bedrock of mathematics, engineered to slowly bleed their patrons of cash.
