Second year essay - theory of gaming and gambling

Hi there, i'm in the second year of my maths degree and need to write an essay. i was thinking of doing it on 'The theory of gaming and gambling', with some game theory, stats and probability involved in blackjack, poker, roulette, sports bets etc.

i was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for topics i could do under that title that are of an advanced level? maybe mathematics behind chess computers, stuff like that..

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Originally Posted by Korg

Hi there, i'm in the second year of my maths degree and need to write an essay. i was thinking of doing it on 'The theory of gaming and gambling', with some game theory, stats and probability involved in blackjack, poker, roulette, sports bets etc.

i was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for topics i could do under that title that are of an advanced level? maybe mathematics behind chess computers, stuff like that..

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Martingales and random walks will be sufficient to make an interesting essay. Most gambling can be modeled by a random walk with absorbing boundaries. Martingales also were first introduced due to the betting system.

The mathematics behind chess programs do not relate to probability (as far as I know).

thanks for that, i'll look into those