Discrete Gambling and Stochastic Games

The theory of probability began in the seventeenth century with attempts to calculate the odds of winning in certain games of chance. However, it was not until the middle of the twentieth century that mathematicians developed general techniques for maximizing the chances of beating a casino or winning against an intelligent opponent. These methods of finding op­ timal strategies for a player are at the heart of the modern theories of shastic control and shastic games. There are numerous app...