A Man for All Markets: Beating the Odds, from Las Vegas to Wall Street

Thorp is a real Wall Street master, but also a great writer. I liked that the book is not just about his success stories, but also about his personal life, there's always a bit of interesting background around his stories. Definitely a book that defines your book collection and your life.

On the surface this is a book about maths, gambling and high finance. But beyond that this is really about a man with a love of learning who applied it in practical and generous ways. It's a history book, an adventure book, a finance textbook and a philosophical book. Underlying every chapter you get the sense that Thorp loved the games he played, but also knew their cost and toll. I've given this four stars as at times the explanations can be a bit too long winded, or he goes into ranting mode. However it's well worth the time and money to read this book.

Damn fine book, really straight from the begging it's so entertaining and enjoyable to read , I originally bought it to help me with understand the markets and gamble Ng better but I have to say this mama story in general is just so good that I'd recommend the book to just about anyone.

I have read everything by this man that I can get my hands on and thought that this was an excellent book also; I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who gave it only the two stars. Everyone who knows Ed Thorp comments on how humble and generous he is, and I certainly didn't detect any ego in this book, as his comments and stories are designed to show the mental processes and insights he discovered as a child and the successes they have led him to. He isn't bragging at all - he's SHARING! Yes it could have been longer, much longer: I read it almost in one sitting, but the ideas he has make for fascinating reading. He is a genius no doubt. He almost single handedly invented the Hedge Fund industry, beat the casinos, and got a pat on the back from none other than Warren Buffett in 1970 no less, who incidentally Thorp correctly predicted way back then would go on to be the richest man in America. it is also quite likely that he would have been a candidate to be the richest man in America himself had he and his company not inadvertently become embroiled in the Michael Milken scandal and tragically fallen foul of the hyper ambitious Rudy Giuliani. This was a riveting read and I really hope he publishes another book!

It is good but too long and difficult to read and not really help you in the understanding the market except to beat the market you need to find the edge.

Fascinating although “math” is actually mathematics

It is a very nice book and incredibly modern and up to date for the investment strategies explained. It becomes a bit lecturing in the last chapters

This is a wonderful book by someone I would love to meet. I ordered this book after reading an interview with the author in the FT. Thorp was something of a child genius who grew up very poor and rose to become a professor of mathematics. He began to research whether casino games could be beaten and devised card counting methods and wearable computers to help him win at blackjack and roulette. He then turned his efforts to Wall Street and founded one of the first hedge funds trading in warrants. Other statistical arbitrage methods allowed him to create great profits for himself and his investors. He comes across as a very likeable inquisitive person who was not really in it for the money. Indeed at one point he steps back from full time trading to spend more times with his family and friends. I am giving this review five stars not because it is well written (although it is) but because the book reinforced an important message - enjoy the journey of life and not the destination. Treat problems and challenges as a series of experiments. Each one will teach you something new.

Love the book, in awe of what Ed has done. Easy read too.

Mr Thorp writes very engaging. He reminds me of Richard Feynman; he looks at the world with an open and scientific view. Added with a bit of mischief.

Um livro instigante. Leitura não muito fácil.

I have read quite a few books on investing, finance, its history and especially the financial crisis of 2007-08. Nevertheless did this book make it into the top five of my favorites. Edward Thorp has a very quantative and rational mind yet tells his story in a very interesting way, that leads to the book being read in a great flow. For someone with some experience in the field, not everything was new information, but it was still nice to be inspired to think about these constructs again. I really enjoyed the dive into the world of gambling, that the author exploited. Making a link between gambling and investing were new thoughts for me, which can help investors making better decisions whilst looking for edges. I will recommend this book to friends.

Excellent illustration on how real understanding of mathematics and probability apply to gambling and finance and real life issues, all written in a clear direct style. If like me you are an engineer who after a later MBA went into business, you will not be able to put the book down. I’m glad Thorp validates my passive low cost stock market investment strategy. He personally made a lot of low risk money by playing the inefficiencies in the market - so he actually significantly contributed to making the market more efficient by arbitraging the prices to a more correct level...