How to Win - by Arthur Benjamin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A New York Times bestselling mathematician reveals how math can take your game playing and puzzle solving to the next level.

"A thrilling tour of all the ways you can win with math." --Matt Parker, author of the international bestseller Humble Pi

"A winning book by a winning personality." --Ben Orlin, author of Math Games with Bad Drawings

Imagine entering a bingo parlor where one thousand cards are in play. "I'll bet that the winning card is horizontal instead of vertical," a man says. Should you take the bet? Or suppose you've reached Final Jeopardy! with $7,000 to your opponents' $8,000 and $4,000. What should you wager?

Or imagine you're at the blackjack table. The dealer's up card is a four, and you've been dealt a jack and a two. Should you hit or should you stand?

In How to Win, Art Benjamin answers these questions and many more. Breaking down the mathematics of games and puzzles, he finds winning strategies, hidden paradoxes, and profound ideas. He shows us the best opening guesses and follow-up moves in Wordle, an easy way to solve a Rubik's Cube and almost any sudoku, and how to determine which games at the casino will let your money last the longest. And he reveals how the same math extends to everyday life, enabling us to transcend luck in whatever we do.

Now that's a winning proposition.

Review Quotes

"A thrilling tour of all the ways you can win with math. Art Benjamin is the perfect mathematical guide to the world of games." --Matt Parker, author of the international bestseller Humble Pi

"Art Benjamin is one-of-a-kind: master teacher, tuxedoed magician, hilarious entertainer, and top-notch mathematician to boot. He performs on the page like he does on the stage, always with his audience in mind. In games, puzzles, and bets, he finds delightful mathematics everywhere. And unlike in his magic act, here he reveals how the tricks work. Bravo!"--Steven Strogatz, New York Times bestselling author of Infinite Powers

"Art Benjamin is so smart and clear-minded that he could talk me into anything. Thankfully, instead of pickpocketing my life savings, he has decided to teach me how to win games and solve puzzles. A winning book by a winning personality."--Ben Orlin, author of Math Games with Bad Drawings

"Arthur Benjamin is both a mathematician and a magician, and we see both skill sets on display in this fine book. The mathematics is found in the beautiful logic underlying many famous games and puzzles, while the magic is in presenting it all with such grace and lucidity. Novices and experts alike will find plenty of food for thought. Highly recommended!"--Jason Rosenhouse, author of The Monty Hall Problem: The Remarkable Story of Math's Most Contentious Brain Teaser

"The best players of your favorite games and puzzles have a secret: they're doing math. And as an award-winning teacher and world-ranked backgammon player, Art Benjamin is just the person to unlock it. In this joyful book, he shows how math sharpens your play, and play sharpens your math -- turning every puzzle into a moment of wonder and every game into a glimpse of magic."--Francis Su, author of Mathematics for Human Flourishing

About the Author

Arthur Benjamin is the author of two bestsellers, The Magic of Math and Secrets of Mental Math. He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University and is the Smallwood Family Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. He is also a backgammon grandmaster and a magician of some renown. He lives in Claremont, California.