Grosjean's 'The Ultimate Report' Just Regurgitated WoO Strategies?
I've read several chapters now, and the entire book reads like a narrative version of a Wizard of Odds strategy page. It gives a bit more color into origins of the games, commentary of tricky/unintuitive strategies - but that's about it.
I can't help but feel a bit fleeced with this purchase. 100% my fault for pre-ordering without knowing what I was getting into, but I don't understand what the purpose of this book was.
Anyone else order it/ start reading it yet?
Quote: The Wizard's Complete Blurb
One day, about 23 years ago, the Wizard of Odds approached his Magic Mirror and asked it, “Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the smartest one of all?” The Wizard was mortified when the Mirror responded with the name of James Grosjean.
Of course, that didn’t really happen, but it’s how I felt when I first heard of Grosjean and his book Beyond Counting. In that book and the sequel subtitled Exhibit CAA, Grosjean not only breaks down the odds and strategy under the posted rules of dozens of games but goes into great depth of what are likely all viable advantage plays to beat them in a witty style that can’t be duplicated. Comparing my treatment of just about any casino game to Grosjean’s is like comparing a grilled cheese sandwich to crowned rack of lamb.
Until now, you had to wait months and pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for Grosjean’s wit and wisdom when one of his books bubbled up on eBay. Now his analysis of all the popular “Carny Games” is easily available at an affordable price. I predict this book will be on the shelves of sharp casino game players everywhere. It should also be read by the other side, but probably won’t.
As for me, I welcome Grosjean’s competition and am honored to write this blub.
Yes, there was a lot of material in common. That is because the right answer is the right answer. I assure you he did his own math. Grosjean did catch one mistake in my work. He had the decency to warn me through a third party before he embarrassed me over it, as he did in his first book. For that, I thank him.
I already give the book a very good review based on the advance copy.
Quote: ActuarialIt's not that the information is wrong, it's that it's duplicative of knowledge that is a simple google search away.
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That's gonna be like every gambling book that involves strategy, math, or how to play. What "new" information were you looking for?
IIRC, Anthony Curtis stated that there will be another version, a much more expensive version, coming out later in the year. That version actually goes into possible avenues to attack these games.
I received his book on Kindle and look forward to going through it. I do appreciate his kind words about me in the Acknowledgements.
Quote: WizardI personally like Grosjean's writing style and how he mixes in stories and jokes in writing about very dry and mathematical topics.
I received his book on Kindle and look forward to going through it. I do appreciate his kind words about me in the Acknowledgements.
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people forget that they didnt invent the language we are all speaking in. think of how many people it took to create that. team effort. everyone builds upon the thing that someone built before. it is irreversible.
Quote: heatmap
people forget that they didnt invent the language we are all speaking in. think of how many people it took to create that. team effort. everyone builds upon the thing that someone built before. it is irreversible.
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Language is pretty amazing. Look at Europe and all those countries have borders with each other but they all speak different languages that are completely different from the country next door. This means they were in extreme isolation from each other for so long they had time to develop completely different languages. Something we can't imagine in this day. Look at France, Germany, and Italy. On the map they're all right next to each other but their languages couldn't be any more different.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: heatmap
people forget that they didnt invent the language we are all speaking in. think of how many people it took to create that. team effort. everyone builds upon the thing that someone built before. it is irreversible.
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Language is pretty amazing. Look at Europe and all those countries have borders with each other but they all speak different languages that are completely different from the country next door. This means they were in extreme isolation from each other for so long they had time to develop completely different languages. Something we can't imagine in this day. Look at France, Germany, and Italy. On the map they're all right next to each other but their languages couldn't be any more different.
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You do realize that was by design, no? Europe had a common language of the ruling class- Latin. By encouraging regional speeches and dialects, it made the people easier to control. Eventually, the peasants forgot their latin and only the upper class could engage in trade and diplomacy. As all official communications were in latin, it made the latin speaking priesthood even more important. A Latin-speaking person could converse from Ireland to Russia and even on the Silk Roads. Your average farmer wouldn't be able to communicate much beyond his village, nor would he have reason to.
Quote: billryan
You do realize that was by design, no?
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No. "The process by which human language evolved is largely unknown. However, language is thought to have evolved independently many times over."
Quote: heatmapyou guys are all aliens brought to this earth through metorites your all wrong
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I saw that movie, seemed plausible to me.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: heatmap
people forget that they didnt invent the language we are all speaking in. think of how many people it took to create that. team effort. everyone builds upon the thing that someone built before. it is irreversible.
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Language is pretty amazing. Look at Europe and all those countries have borders with each other but they all speak different languages that are completely different from the country next door. This means they were in extreme isolation from each other for so long they had time to develop completely different languages. Something we can't imagine in this day. Look at France, Germany, and Italy. On the map they're all right next to each other but their languages couldn't be any more different.
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Portuguese is similar to Spanish which is similar to Catalan which is similar to French which is similar to Italian which is similar to Romanian. Languages from common roots and from neighboring areas are similar.
Quote: GenoDRPhQuote: EvenBobQuote: heatmap
people forget that they didnt invent the language we are all speaking in. think of how many people it took to create that. team effort. everyone builds upon the thing that someone built before. it is irreversible.
link to original post
Language is pretty amazing. Look at Europe and all those countries have borders with each other but they all speak different languages that are completely different from the country next door. This means they were in extreme isolation from each other for so long they had time to develop completely different languages. Something we can't imagine in this day. Look at France, Germany, and Italy. On the map they're all right next to each other but their languages couldn't be any more different.
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Portuguese is similar to Spanish which is similar to Catalan which is similar to French which is similar to Italian which is similar to Romanian. Languages from common roots and from neighboring areas are similar.
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The romance languages all stem from Latin, from Rome and the Holy Roman Empire/Holy Roman Church.
Quote: EvenBobLanguage is pretty amazing. Look at Europe and all those countries have borders with each other but they all speak different languages that are completely different from the country next door. This means they were in extreme isolation from each other for so long they had time to develop completely different languages. Something we can't imagine in this day. Look at France, Germany, and Italy. On the map they're all right next to each other but their languages couldn't be any more different.
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The languages may be different, but there are a lot of similarities between them within the family of languages they derive from.
The Basque language, spoken in the region between France and Spain has no connection to any language on the planet.
Quote:The Basque language, spoken in the region between France and Spain has no connection to any language on the planet.
That could be true though as I recall a paper asserting there are a significant number of common words in Basque and Gaelic. The languages are the most ancient in Europe so a connection (maybe caused by the activities of raiding Celts in the ancient world) is plausible.
