We like to think not only that mathematicians are smarter than the rest of us but that by dint of their mastery of numbers, they hold the key to understanding the baffling mysteries of the universe. Alas, Paulos (Innumeracy) says that’s not always the case. As the author relates in this funny, insightful little volume about attempts to bring order and science to the free-for-all that is the stock market, he himself was once a big investor (in WorldCom). Despite strong evidence to sell, he desperately hung on to his stock as the price plummeted, proving that a head for numbers doesn’t always translate to Wall Street know-how. Through most of this book, Paulos discusses various methods for predicting markets and offers thoughts on why people keep trying to perfect them. Shocking in their obtuseness are the so-called Elliot Wave followers, who believe stocks operate according to an impossibly arcane series of numerical waves and cycles. The efficient-market theorists-many of whom believe the stock market is so inherently efficient that everything one needs to know about a company is reflected in its stock price-get the most thorough joshing from Paulos: never able to resist a joke, he tells one about how many efficient market theorists it takes to change a light bulb. “Answer: None. If the light bulb needed changing the market would have already done it.” Playful and informative, Paulos’s book will be appreciated by investors with a sense of humor. (more…)
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A collection of 125 particularly instructive and interesting positions from master play from the time of Anderssen to the present day, collected and annotated by a well-known player. The positions are grouped under Opening, Middle-game and End-game. Green cloth w/black spine lettering, 76 pages (including Index of Players). Mild slant, moderate wear to corners/spine ends, soiled/lightly foxed edges, general wear, in edgeworn dust jacket w/sunned spine, chipping to corners/spine ends. Good/Good.
The Queen’s Gambit Accepted is one of Black’s most trustworthy and yet dynamic ways of facing the Queen’s Pawn Opening. Black immediately accepts the invitation to open the position, leading to positions rich in positional and tactical complexity. Now, for the first time, Graeme Buckley uncovers the secrets behind the opening which ahs become a firm favourite amongst many of today’s top players. Cadogan’s new Easy Guide series represents a new approach to chess opening books: just enough detail and just enough explanation to enable readers to play an opening with confidence, without months of memorizing theory-the easy way to master a chess opening. Graeme Buckley caused quite a stir in his first year as a professional player, securing his International Master 
After a brief introduction, Sklansky spends a chapter on each street of the game, followed by a set of example hands, and a question-and-answer section recapping the material.
An encyclopedic look at the many methods of cheating at venues as diverse as casinos and card rooms to carnival games.
Very great player knows that success in poker is part luck, part math, and part subterfuge. While the math of poker has been refined over the past 20 years, the ability to read other players and keep your own “tells” in check has mostly been learned by trial and error.
Originally released in 1988, Sklanksy and Malmuth updated Hold em Poker for Advanced Players in 1999 and called it the 21st century edition. Poker has, and continues to change over the years, and the updated edition reflects some of those changes. The primary changes include updated hand rankings, as well as particular sessions about non-standard (Shorthanded, Wild, extra loose) games. As the rules of poker continue to change, adjusting your play for who you are playing against becomes more and more important, and the sections on these non-standard games are invaluable for the serious card player. 
