Joseph Buchdahl 
Squares and Sharps, Suckers and Sharks 
The Science, Psychology and Philosophy of Gambling

People have been gambling, in one form or another, for as long as history itself. Why? Money, entertainment, escape and a desire to win are all traditional explanations. Arguably, however, these are secondary considerations to a higher order purpose: a craving for control. Gambling offers a means of gaining authority over the unknown, granting us a sense of control over uncertainty. Almost always that sense is illusory – gambling, including betting and investing, is essentially random – yet for many it is nonetheless profoundly rewarding. This book attempts to explore the reasons why.
Along the way, it examines:

– The science of probability and uncertainty
– Why gambling is often condemned
– The difference between expectation and utility
– The irrationality of human beings
– Evolutionary perspectives on gambling
– Luck and skill
– Market efficiency and the wisdom of crowds
– Why winners take all
– Cheating
– Why the process matters more than the outcome

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For 20 years, Joseph Buchdahl has worked as a betting analyst, providing historical sports data and betting odds through his websites Football-Data.co.uk and Tennis-Data.co.uk. He is the author of Fixed Odds Sports Betting, How to Find a Black Cat in a Coal Cellar, Squares & Sharps, Suckers and Sharks and Monte Carlo or Bust published by High Stakes Publishing, and has been a regular contributor for the online sportsbook Pinnacle, with over 60 betting-related articles. He continues to tweet regularly via 12Xpert.