The history -- Pits, pebbles, and bones : rolling to discover fate -- The professionals : luck becomes measurable -- From coffeehouses to casinos : gaming becomes big business -- There’s no stopping it now : from bans to bookies -- Betting with trillions : the 2008 world economic calamity -- The mathematics -- Who’s got a royal flush? : one deal as likely as another -- The behavior of a coin : making predictions with probability -- Someone has to win : betting against expectation -- A truly astonishing result : the weak law of large numbers -- The skill/luck spectrum : even great talent needs some good fortune -- The analysis -- Let it ride : the house money effect -- Knowing when to quit : psychomanaging risk -- The theories : what makes a gambler? -- Hot hands : expecting long runs of the same outcome -- Luck : the dicey illusion.