I. Number and Title of Course

MAT 107 Casino Gambling

II. Reasons for Revision

We have updated the bibliography to better address and reflect the current work in this area, and we have redefined the major objectives of the course in terms of student outcomes. The course continues to serve the following purposes in our program:

A. To provide an intensive encounter with the behavior of the phenomenon of chance that pervades everyone’s life and that is an essential characteristic of the world in which we live. Life is said to be a school of probability.

B. To develop an intelligent approach toward the phenomenon of chance and an understanding of the calculation of risks involved in making a decision. Casino gambling games offer an excellent training opportunity for such knowledge just as Geometry is an excellent training opportunity for learning logic. Indeed, in all the affairs of life we must make decisions that are gambles because risk is involved.

C. To present the fundamental elements of Combinatorial Analysis and of Probability Theory, which is perhaps the single most important model of reality, in order to produce well-educated citizens who know and understand the basic facts of chance and the way it works.

D. To critically examine casino gambling, a topic that is currently gaining popularity and that, besides being a source of entertainment, offers a splendid model for a study of the workings of probability theory, leading to a comprehension of chance that is of real value when applied to many other phases of life.

E. To eliminate many common and widely held superstitions about the phenomenon of chance and the laws that govern it.
 
 

III. Major Objectives of the Course

A. Students will examine the pervasive phenomenon of chance and the laws of probability according to which this phenomenon behaves.

B. Students will develop the abilities of logical analysis and critical thinking concerning possibilities and decisions open to them by means of a thorough examination of the rules governing popular games of chance in gambling casinos.

C. Students will demonstrate how the laws of probability and mathematical expectation, together with careful analysis, can uncover the precise value of the player’s disadvantage in various gambling situations.

D. Students will understand the power and inexorability of the advantage held by gambling operators through their favorable House Percentages on each bet made.

E. Stduents will experience the contrasting emotional and intellectual reactions held by one who faces a real situation governed by chance and in which s/he must make a decision.
 
 

IV. Topical Outline

A. Nature of the phenomenon of chance and the laws of probability

V. Bibliography

Allen, J. Edward. The Basics of Winning Blackjack. New York: Cardoza Publishing, 1992.

Allen, J. Edward. Winning Craps for the Serious Player. New York: Cardoza Publishing, 1993.

Barnhart, Russell T. Beating the Wheel. Secaucus, N. J.: Lyle Stuart (Carol division), 1992.

Chambliss, Carlson R. and Roginski, Thomas C. Fundamental of Blackjack. Las Vegas, Nevada: GBC Press, 1990.

Epstein, Richard A. The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic (2nd edition). New York: Academic Press, 1995.

Freund, John E. Introduction to Probability. Mineola, N. Y.: Dover, 1993.

Gollehon, John. All About Roulette. New York: Perigee Books, 1988.

Griffin, Peter A. The Theory of Blackjack (5th edition). Las Vegas, Nevada: Huntington Press, 1996.

Humble, Ph.D., Lance, and Cooper, Ph.D., Carl. The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book (revised edition). New York: Doubleday, 1987.

Hutchinson, Robert J. The Absolut Beginner’s Guide t Gambling. New York: Pocket Books, 1996.

Levinson, Horace C. Chance, Luck and Statistics. New York: Dover, 1963.

Patrick, John. John Patrick’s Craps. Secaucus, N. J.: Lyle Stuart (Carol division), 1991.

Reber, Arthur S. The New Gambler’s Bible. New York: Random House (Crown division), 1996.

Revere, Lawrence. Playing Blackjac as a Business (new revised edition). Secaucus, N. J.: Lyle Stuart (Carol division), 1980.

Ross, Sheldon M. A First Course in Probability (4th edition). Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1994.

Scarne, John. Scarne’s New Complete Guide to Gambling. New York: Simonand Schuster, 1974.

Scoblete, Frank. Spin Roulette Gold. Chicago: Bonus Books, 1997.

Silberstang, Edwin. The Winner’s Guide to Casino Gambling (3rd edition). New York: Penguin Books USA (Plume division), 1997.

Sklansky, David. Getting the Best of It (revised edition). Henderson, Nevada: Two Plus Two Publishing, 1989.

Thomason, Walter. The Ultimate Blackjack Book. Secaucus, N. J.: Lyle Stuart

(Carol division), 1997.

Thorp, Edward O. Beat the Dealer (revised edition). New York: Random House (Vintage Books division), 1966.

Thorp, Edward O. The Mathematics of Gambling. Secaucus, N. J.: Lyle Stuart, 1984.

Weaver, Warren. Lady Luck, the Theory of Probability. Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday, 1963.

Wilson, Allan N. The Casino Gambler’s Guide (enlarged edition). New York: Harper & Row, 1970.

Wong, Stanford. Professional Blackjack. La Jolla, Calif.: Pi Yee Press, 1994.
 
 

VI. Presentation and Evaluation

A. Lectures, demonstrations and discussions will be used. An essential element in the classroom will be the actual playing of the major casino games so that the student gains first-hand encounters with the phenomenon of chance and the problems of making a decision in the face of uncertainty. This will be done initially to acquaint the student with the rules of play and betting procedures, and it will also be done after a critical examination of the game is made using the theory of probability so that the student may actually see this knowledge put to real use in the gambling decisions he or she then makes.

B. Evaluation will be made through written examinations of the student’s knowledge of the casino games and the elements of probability theory, and of how the latter affects decisions made in the former.
 
 

VII. Prerequisite

3 years of Regents high school mathematics or equivalent.
 

VIII. Credit

3 credits: (3:0)