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.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.
