Kansas City, 1929: Myrtle and Jack Bennett sit down with another couple for an evening of bridge. As the game intensifies, Myrtle complains that Jack is a “bum bridge player.” For such insubordination, he slaps her hard in front of their stunned guests and announces he is leaving. Moments later, sobbing, with a Colt .32 pistol in hand, Myrtle fires four shots, killing her husband. The Roaring 1920s inspired nationwide fads–flagpole sitting, marathon dancing, swimming-pool endurance floating. But of all the mad games that cheered Americans between the wars, the least likely was contract bridge. As the Barnum of the bridge craze, Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent, used mystique, brilliance, and a certain madness to transform bridge from a social pastime into a cultural movement that made him rich and famous. In writings, in lectures, and on the radio, he used the Bennett killing to dramatize bridge as the battle of the sexes. Indeed, Myrtle Bennett’s murder trial became a sensation because it brought a beautiful housewife–and hints of her husband’s infidelity–from the bridge table into the national spotlight. James A. Reed, Myrtle’s high-powered lawyer and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, delivered soaring, tear-filled courtroom orations. As Reed waxed on about the sanctity of womanhood, he was secretly conducting an extramarital romance with a feminist trailblazer who lived next door. To the public, bridge symbolized tossing aside the ideals of the Puritans–who referred derisively to playing cards as “the Devil’s tickets”–and embracing the modern age. Ina time when such fearless women as Amelia Earhart, Dorothy Parker, and Marlene Dietrich were exalted for their boldness, Culbertson positioned his game as a challenge to all housebound women. At the bridge table, he insisted, a woman could be her husband’s equal, and more. In the gathering darkness of the Depression, Culbertson leveraged his own ballyhoo and naughty innuendo for all it was worth, maneuvering himself and his brilliant wife, Jo, his favorite bridge partner, into a media spectacle dubbed the Bridge Battle of the Century. Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, The Devil’s Tickets captures a uniquely colorful age and a tension in marriage that is eternal.

A Real Professional Gambler By: Edward Kraus A Real Professional Gambler shows how author Edward Kraus discovered mathematical ratios and computations circumscribing advantages of how one overcomes the Las Vegas odds. There are ways to finally hedge set losing percentages that have had the gaming industry taking an unfair advantage from the average gambler, seeking the quest to becoming more than a failure or perhaps defined as a loser in today’s society. Nobody can beat the standard odds of the casinos and betting establishments seen today. This book goes beyond this proven mathematical data or calculated proclamation, reaching out in exploring into another dimension of hedging mathematical known entities as we know them.

Edward Frederic Benson (1867-1940) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, archaeologist and short story writer, known professionally as E.F. Benson. He started his novel writing career in 1893 with the fashionably controversial Dodo, which was an instant success, and followed it with a variety of satire and romantic and supernatural melodrama. He repeated the success of Dodo, with sequels to this novel, but the greatest success came relatively late in his career with The Mapp and Lucia series consisting of six novels and two short stories. The novels feature humorous incidents in the lives of (mainly) upper-middle-class British people in the 1920s and 1930s, vying for social prestige and one-upmanship in an atmosphere of extreme cultural snobbery. Benson was also known as a writer of atmospheric, oblique, and at times humorous or satirical ghost stories. This edition includes: Make Way For Lucia: Queen Lucia Miss Mapp Dodo Trilogy: Dodo: A Detail of the Day Dodo's Daughter or Dodo the Second Dodo Wonders David Blaize Series: David Blaize David Blaize and the Blue Door Other Novels: The Rubicon The Judgement Books The Vintage Mammon and Co. Scarlet and Hyssop The Relentless City The Valkyries The Angel of Pain The House of Defence The Blotting Book Daisy's Aunt Mrs. Ames Thorley Weir Arundel Michael Up and Down Across the Stream Short Story Collections: The Room in the Tower, and Other Stories The Countess of Lowndes Square, and Other Stories Historical Work: Crescent and Iron Cross

E. F. Benson's 'The Complete Works of E. F. Benson' is a literary treasure trove comprising a collection of the author's novels, short stories, biographies, and essays. The book showcases Benson's signature satirical wit and keen observations on Edwardian society, with themes ranging from social class and family dynamics to the supernatural. Benson's writing style is characterized by its elegant prose and subtle humor, making his works both engaging and thought-provoking. His ability to blend comedy with social commentary places him among the foremost writers of his time. Each piece in this comprehensive collection serves as a testament to Benson's versatility as a writer, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of the human experience in the early 20th century. E. F. Benson's deep understanding of human nature and his ability to craft compelling narratives make 'The Complete Works of E. F. Benson' a must-read for fans of classic literature and social satire.

Mathematics is the basis of casino games, which are the bedrock of a $100 billion/year industry. Mathematics of the Big Four Casino Table Games: Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, & Roulette takes an in-depth look at the four biggest table games in casinos: blackjack, baccarat, craps, and roulette. It guides readers through the mathematical principles that underpin these games and their different variations, providing insights that will be of huge interest to gamblers, casino managers, researchers, and students of mathematics. Features A valuable teaching resource, replete with exercises, for any course on gambling mathematics Suitable for a wide audience of professionals, researchers, and students Many practical applications for the gambling industry Mark Bollman is Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, and has taught 116 different courses in his career. Among these courses is "Mathematics of the Gaming Industry," where mathematics majors carefully study the math behind games of chance and travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, in order to compare theory and practice. He has also taken those ideas into Albion’s Honors Program in "Great Issues in Humanities: Perspectives on Gambling," which considers gambling from literary, philosophical, and historical points of view as well as mathematically. Mark has also authored Basic Gambling Mathematics: The Numbers Behind the Neon, Mathematics of Keno and Lotteries, and Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games.

The good news: For the average player, baccarat offers the best odds in the house, giving the house barely a 1 per cent edge without using any winning strategies.