Think about it… what if I told you that behind the glitter of the chips lies a world of formulas and algorithms? Oh yes, because while you and I rely on Lady Luck, there are those who have decided to give her a good push!
But who are these geniuses who have dared to challenge chance? Well, prepare to be amazed, because the story I am about to tell you is more gripping than any Las Vegas heist movie!
Hey, wait a minute… before we dive into this journey, did you know that today you can bet comfortably from the couch at home? Yes, yes, you understood correctly! With online betting platforms, the thrill of the game is just a click away. But let’s not digress, let’s get back to our budding geniuses!

Edward Thorp: the magician who shook the casinos

Picture the scene: Las Vegas, 1960s. A young professor with a clean face wanders around the casinos. He looks like a fish out of water, right? Wrong! That “fish” was actually a shark ready to bite!
Edward Thorp, that’s the name of our hero, wasn’t there by chance. Oh no! He had an ace up his sleeve: a method for counting cards at blackjack that would have made even the shrewdest croupiers pale.
But wait, there’s more! Thorp wasn’t content to use just his brain. No sir! In league with Claude Shannon (yes, that Shannon of information theory), he had invented a wearable computer. In 1961! Get it? While his peers listened to the Beatles, he walked around with a gadget in his shoes that told him when to bet!

The MIT Blackjack Team: When Nerds Go Crazy

Now, hold on tight! You know those movies where a group of hard-working students decide to make a big score? Well, it’s not just the stuff of the movies!
In 1979, a bunch of MIT brains decided to put Thorp’s theories into practice. But not on a small scale, eh! These guys do things on a big scale. Led by Bill Kaplan (a guy who had already shaken the casinos of Las Vegas), they set up an operation worthy of Ocean’s Eleven.

For almost twenty years, from ’79 to ’93, these budding geniuses ran riot in the casinos. How? With a system that would have made anyone’s head spin. There were those who counted cards, those who placed big bets… an organization that not even the CIA could match!

Alan Woods: from horse racing to Wall Street

Now, get ready for this: don’t think that our geniuses have limited themselves to casinos. No way! There are those who have decided to bet on horses. And not with intuition, eh!
Alan Woods, an Australian with a brain as big as his continent, invented a computerized system to predict the outcome of races in the 80s. Stuff that would make Sunday predictions seem like beginners’ stuff!
This Woods wasn’t joking: he put together a team of experts, moved to Hong Kong (where horse betting is stronger than dim sum) and started making money by the bucketload. We’re talking over 600 million dollars! That’s not peanuts!