College Professor Uses Blackjack to Teach Statistics and Probability

Mark Bollman, a mathematics professor at Albion College in Michigan, developed the innovative method of using blackjack to teach his students statistics and probabilities, several years back. His students studied the various factors that make profits for casinos, including house edge, and practiced blackjack strategies with the help of software and in laboratories. Later, the professor modified the course to make it more practical and introduced it into the Mount Pleasant based Soaring Eagle Casino, which permits 18 year olds to gamble.

Explaining the difference between a classroom and the gambling atmosphere in a casino, Bollman said that one cannot recreate the experience of loss or gain in a classroom, where one plays for practice without any risk. His students need not necessarily take risks or gamble, yet they have gladly played for real money, losing a maximum of $130 and winning a maximum of $400.

Speaking about his experiences, Andy Livernoise who won $110 said that the casino sounds, lights, and crowds added up to be quite an experience, but he had the knowledge that slots have a high house edge unlike blackjack, which has a low house edge. Jennifer Polinski, who won just $3, said that most winnings come from playing blackjack.

This blog entry was posted on Thursday, December 9th, 2010 at 8:21 pm and is filed under Blackjack News.