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A Man for All Markets

From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market

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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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About this listen

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 Analysis & Strategy Business Economics Mathematics Personal Finance Wall Street Inspiring Wisdom Stock Market History

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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A numerical life

Thoroughly enjoyed the book on so many levels, the author has a passion for learning and sharing. Don't miss the chance to enjoy!

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Inspirational engaging and informative

My new favourite book! Thanks thorp learnt so much and will use in my life.

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Profile Image for Prometheus

Scientist, Practitioner, Genius

A Man for All Markets is an extremely enjoyable audiobook.

Of course, the material is so interesting that any genuinely curious financial markets participant, mathematician, physicist or probabilist will be drawn into what is a truly unique story.

Thorp is a pioneer, an empiricist and most of all a guy who did it in practice... What better way to test one's predictions than by beating the House!?!

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An amazing individual

Ed Thorp is an eloquent and highly engaging intellect with a remarkable life story that is simply begging to be made into a movie. A delightful book written with wry humour and extremely valuable insights into investing and life in general. Don’t miss this one

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Chirag

A very intellectual thinker who used his intellect through life to get the life he wanted .

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too much credit taking, not enough story

Edward Thorp's obvious intellect is undermined by the need to recite his (starting from age 2) accomplishments in a way that only those who have never failed in anything would bother to do. The story peters out towards the end, and the single mention of Jim Simons, earlier a possible partner and later a rival, is baffling. He can be a little scornful at times, for example of his cleaning lady who sold her Berkshire shares against his advice (maybe she needed the money). Also there is a hint of pettiness towards those who slighted him. Nevertheless, Thorp's smarts and gusto are undeniable, and there are useful lessons to be gleaned from his life story.

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Was a bit disappointed overall ok book. Just ok...

After reading some of the reviews on this book on thai site I got my expectations quite high but after listening to the book, half the book was on gambling which I’m not that interested in. And most of it doesn’t work anyway these days. And the problem with people like him compared and contrasted to other investors who take a more investment rather than gambling approach is that those other greats are able to build large successful enterprises like warren buffet and schwarzman (who founded black stone) because the gamblers treat the markets like a brothel sleeping with as many prostitutes as they can whereas the builders focus on building great families and relationships. Analogies have their limits but getting the gist of the analogy is the point.

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