
They invented basic strategy (2008) - jonbaer
https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan/04/the-inside-straight-they-invented-basic-strategy-j/
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dmurray
Basic strategy in blackjack just doesn't seem that hard to deduce. There are
only 23 non-trivial possibilities for the player (hard 12 through hard 20,
soft 17 through soft 20, double ace through double 10) and 10 starting
possibilities for the dealer. For each of the dealer's possibilities, figure
out the chance of each of the 5 possible outcomes (18, 19, 20, 21 or bust).
Evaluate each of the player's possibilities for each of his choices (stick,
twist, or split) starting with 20 and working down. The problem is of the
dynamic programming genre: by working down from 20 you avoid a combinatorial
explosion.

I'd say it could be done in a few hours by a bright teenager with no
calculator. It's not the Manhattan project.

Of course, you can look at the work of Euclid or Euler or Pascal or Napier and
say the same thing. The real genius lies in seeing that it can be done.

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mruts
Moreover, Thorpe was a polymath genius. So I’m not sure these four horsemen
were thst influential. He later went on to make a killing running one of the
first true long/short hedge fund and pioneering a lot of modern portfolio
management theory. Trust me, markets are a lot harder than blackjack and Ed
Thorpe was definately up to the task.

~~~
scottlocklin
He and Shannon also beat roulette using a 1950s analog computer they put in a
shoe. Which is freaking amazing.

