Ourbet

Fix Six

Fix Six Takes a Satirical Look at Horseplayers and Horse Racing Horse racing is a potentially lucrative game that is constantly hounded by cheats and manipulators who would do just about anything to get rich quick. With his new novel, Fix Six, author Noel Michaels invites readers to take a satirical look at the gamblers and opportunists who are always lurking on the fringes of Thoroughbred racing threatening to undermine the integrity of the Sport of Kings. Fix Six is a racy farce about a small-time professional gambler whose plans to go straight must take an unfortunate detour when his misfit college buddies land him in an overly ambitious race-fixing scheme that goes horribly and hysterically wrong. Many infamous real-life racing scandals are parodied when the band of degenerates goes in search of one of the biggest pick six jackpots in racing history. The story takes the would-be race-fixers on a wild ride of twists and turns that begins in New York and then winds its way through Las Vegas and Mexico before ending in Los Angeles at the scene of the ultimate crime stately Santa Anita race track. Along the way, the gang encounters a colorful cast of characters including a vigilante detective, a psychotic veterinarian, a motorcycle gang from South Central LA, a blood-thirsty mob of exotic dancers, an unsavory group of homicidal jockeys, and a dominatrix on the police payroll, who all get themselves involved in the plot, either to help the hapless degenerates or to stand in their way. Before its all over, some of those involved will be dead, some will be hospitalized, some will be arrested, and one person will end up filthy stinking rich. Who will get away with the loot? Read the book to find out.

Games, Gambling, and Probability

Many experiments have shown the human brain generally has very serious problems dealing with probability and chance. A greater understanding of probability can help develop the intuition necessary to approach risk with the ability to make more informed (and better) decisions. The first four chapters offer the standard content for an introductory probability course, albeit presented in a much different way and order. The chapters afterward include some discussion of different games, different "ideas" that relate to the law of large numbers, and many more mathematical topics not typically seen in such a book. The use of games is meant to make the book (and course) feel like fun! Since many of the early games discussed are casino games, the study of those games, along with an understanding of the material in later chapters, should remind you that gambling is a bad idea; you should think of placing bets in a casino as paying for entertainment. Winning can, obviously, be a fun reward, but should not ever be expected. Changes for the Second Edition: New chapter on Game Theory New chapter on Sports Mathematics The chapter on Blackjack, which was Chapter 4 in the first edition, appears later in the book. Reorganization has been done to improve the flow of topics and learning. New sections on Arkham Horror, Uno, and Scrabble have been added. Even more exercises were added! The goal for this textbook is to complement the inquiry-based learning movement. In my mind, concepts and ideas will stick with the reader more when they are motivated in an interesting way. Here, we use questions about various games (not just casino games) to motivate the mathematics, and I would say that the writing emphasizes a "just-in-time" mathematics approach. Topics are presented mathematically as questions about the games themselves are posed. Table of Contents Preface 1. Mathematics and Probability 2. Roulette and Craps: Expected Value 3. Counting: Poker Hands 4. More Dice: Counting and Combinations, and Statistics 5. Game Theory: Poker Bluffing and Other Games 6. Probability/Stochastic Matrices: Board Game Movement 7. Sports Mathematics: Probability Meets Athletics 8. Blackjack: Previous Methods Revisited 9. A Mix of Other Games 10. Betting Systems: Can You Beat the System? 11. Potpourri: Assorted Adventures in Probability Appendices Tables Answers and Selected Solutions Bibliography Biography Dr. David G. Taylor is a professor of mathematics and an associate dean for academic affairs at Roanoke College in southwest Virginia. He attended Lebanon Valley College for his B.S. in computer science and mathematics and went to the University of Virginia for his Ph.D. While his graduate school focus was on studying infinite dimensional Lie algebras, he started studying the mathematics of various games in order to have a more undergraduate-friendly research agenda. Work done with two Roanoke College students, Heather Cook and Jonathan Marino, appears in this book! Currently he owns over 100 different board games and enjoys using probability in his decision-making while playing most of those games. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking, coding, playing his board games, and spending time with his six-year-old dog Lilly.

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