This book is full of magic. It's brimming with clever people and clever ideas... The links between betting and science run deep and wide, allowing Kucharski to cover some thrilling intellectual territory.
New Scientist
Terrific: beautifully written, solidly researched and full of surprises
New York Times Numberplay blog
Elegant and amusing ... anyone planning to enter a casino or place an online bet would be advised to keep this book handy
Wall Street Journal
Kucharski's clear prose and eye for an entertaining historical anecdote give his book an accessible feel ... an enjoyable account.
Racing Post
[An] enjoyable... paean to human ingenuity, and a Robin Hood tale of wealth redistribution.
Daily Telegraph
Great stories of how smart people have used maths, statistics and science to try and beat the odds - legally'
David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, University of Cambridge A wild ride through the history, psychology, mathematics, and technology of gaming - a remarkable look behind the curtain of what most people think is intuitive, but isn't
Paul Offit, author of Bad Faith With an entertaining writing style, Adam Kucharski guides us through the history and state of the art of The Perfect Bet, showing us how mathematics and computers are used to come up with optimal ways to gamble, play games, bluff, and invest our money. Extremely well-written and carefully researched. I highly recommend it.
Arthur Benjamin, Author of 'The Magic of Maths' A lucid yet sophisticated look at the mathematics of probability as it's played out on gaming tables, arenas, and fields... Gamblers and math buffs alike will enjoy it for its smart approach to real-world problems
Kirkus Reviews