Albion College
Mathematics and Computer Science
COLLOQUIUM
Spider Craps: Mathematical Development of a New Casino Game
Mark Bollman-->

Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Mathematics and Computer Science

Albion College

Games of chance have been found in the relics of ancient cultures for as far back as one cares to look. The popular game of craps, played with two six-sided dice, traces its origins to the Old English game of Hazard, which was then transplanted to New Orleans by French settlers and evolved into one of the most popular casino table games. This talk will describe research in both theoretical and experimental probability that modified craps to use eight-sided dice, leading to the invention of a new game called "Spider Craps". Mathematical points of interest for casino game developers including reasonable win probabilities, a meaningful house advantage, and efficient gameplay will be described. This research was carried out under a grant from Albion College's Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (FURSCA) with recent Albion alumnus Jacob Engel.
3:30 PM
All are welcome!
Palenske 227
October 8, 2015