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A Man for All Markets

By: Edward O. Thorp, Nassim Nicholas Taleb - foreword
Narrated by: Edward O. Thorp
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Summary

The incredible true story of the card-counting mathematics professor who taught the world how to beat the dealer and, as the first of the great quantitative investors, ushered in a revolution on Wall Street.

A child of the Great Depression, legendary mathematician Edward O. Thorp invented card counting, proving the seemingly impossible: that you could beat the dealer at the blackjack table. As a result he launched a gambling renaissance. His remarkable success - and mathematically unassailable method - caused such an uproar that casinos altered the rules of the game to thwart him and the legions he inspired. They barred him from their premises, even put his life in jeopardy. Nonetheless, gambling was forever changed.

Thereafter, Thorp shifted his sights to "the biggest casino in the world": Wall Street. Devising and then deploying mathematical formulas to beat the market, Thorp ushered in the era of quantitative finance we live in today. Along the way, the so-called godfather of the quants played bridge with Warren Buffett, crossed swords with a young Rudy Giuliani, detected the Bernie Madoff scheme, and, to beat the game of roulette, invented, with Claude Shannon, the world's first wearable computer.

Here, for the first time, Thorp tells the story of what he did, how he did it, his passions and motivations, and the curiosity that has always driven him to disregard conventional wisdom and devise game-changing solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. An intellectual thrill ride, replete with practical wisdom that can guide us all in uncertain financial waters, A Man for All Markets is an instant classic - a book that challenges its readers to think logically about a seemingly irrational world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 Edward O. Thorp (P)2017 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

"An amazing book by a true icon...Edward O. Thorp launched revolutions in Vegas and on Wall Street by turning math into magic, and here he weaves his own life lessons into a page-turner as hot as a deck full of aces. Loved it!" (Ben Mezrich, New York Times best-selling author of Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires)
"Whether you are an aspiring professional player, a casual gambler, or an occasional visitor to Las Vegas, you can feel the impact of Edward O. Thorp's intellect on that desert city. In 1962, Thorp published the classic book Beat the Dealer. The text was based on Thorp's original research that stemmed from his curiosity about the game of 21 and was billed as a how-to book for the layperson to beat the casinos at blackjack. Simply stated, it changed everything. A Man for All Markets chronicles Thorp's personal journey in navigating the unexpected and sometimes dangerous obstacles that come along with challenging the status quo of a wealthy corporate adversary." (Nicholas G. Colon, professional advantage gambler and managing director, Alea Consulting Group)
"What a CV! Figure out how to win at blackjack using card counting? Check. Build the world's first wearable computer? Check. Find the formula for valuing financial options but use it to make money rather than win a Nobel Prize? Check. This book is in part the gripping story of how one man's genius and dedication has solved so many problems in diverse fields. But more important, it's a fascinating insight into the thought processes of someone with little interest in fame, who has mostly stayed under the radar, yet who has followed his inquisitive mind wherever it has led him, and reaped the resulting rewards. There is nothing more important than knowing how to think clearly. Read this book and learn from a master." (Paul Wilmott, founder, Wilmott magazine)

What listeners say about A Man for All Markets

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Learning from someone much smarter than I am

This book follows the life Edward Thorp and he shares his insights into what he learned through various endeavors. Easy to follow and full of great investing advice and how to live a fulfilling life.

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Loved it

Fantastic story, very engaging and enjoyable for anyone interested in gambling, financial markets, statistics or any form of risk taking.

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The best book for navigating a world full of charlatans

For me authors that read their own book always beat perfectly articulating external narrators. Mr. Thorp’s own reading adds lots of colour to the story.

And for the story, few can legitimately crack down on the so called experts that time and time again keep getting things wrong and end up blowing the economy as Mr. Thorp can. He has seen them all come and go in his lifetime. I’ve gotten a lot of insights and some strong principles I hope to consistently implement into my life.

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An amazing book.

Thorp is a great man and he did an amazing job both writing and narrating this book. I would definately consider this to be one of my favorite books.

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a brilliant mind with intregity

so it may seem a little dated with the advent of algos for trading but what a fascinating life this man has lead.
i personally found his early life experiences the better part of the book and drifted over some of the deep dry maths stuff.
the integrity he showed is of a bygone era but is an inspiration to us all. he would be a great dinner table guest.

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Interesting

An interesting listen if you are interested in Maths and stats in action. It tells you what actually works while investing.

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Spoilt by the performance

Really interesting book, but why oh why did the author read it himself rather than using a professional? It’s the most badly read book in my large collection of Audible books. A great shame because Edward O Thorp is one of the most intelligent and influential men of his generation.

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a book that changed my life.

Thank you Mr. Thorp! You and your life are the true inspiration - I hope not only for me, but for the future generations.

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One of the best investing books out there

Thorp has the very rare skill of explaining complex jargon and processes in amazingly simple language. My chem professor used to always say: 'people who don't understand something use complex jargon to conceal their confusion, people who understand can explain complex things in simple language.' This is a brilliant book if you're interested in maths, gambling and/or finance.

In particular, author describes: 1. Process for counting cards in BlackJack (and the maths behind it) 2. Several different arbitrage techniques his funds used throughout his lifetime 3. A review of the crashes from 1929 - 2008 4. An overview of the things to looks for when determining the intrinsic value of equities. 5. Astute observations of the ways in which, like casinos, those in financial markets cheat.

My only cautionary note is: this book is both an autobiography and an instructive manual. If you want both, start from beginning -> end. If you're only interested in finance or gambling I'd recommend skipping straight to those sections.

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A Fascinating Memoir

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It was an account of the life of a remarkable man with some remarkable talents. Well worth the listen even if you don't have an interest in gambling or an investing.

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