The big win is simple mathematics
Are you hoping to pay the mortgage out or buy a new car in cash? Read this article before you go to the kiosk to pick up a Lotto coupon hoping for the big prize.
Mogens Steffensen at the Culture Night 2014
For three years - from 2013 to 2015 – you could find a "Mathematical Gaming Café" during the Culture Night event in the autumn. The café was placed in a tent in the Botanical Gardens. Here, three professors from the Department of Mathematical Sciences in turn gave a series of 10-minute lectures on games and winning strategies.
Mogens Steffensen, professor of actuarial mathematics, gave advice on winning strategies for the Roulette, and the audience could try out the advice in practice afterwards. And he gave a lecture on the advantages and disadvantages of different types of betting and gambling.
The main point was that you should ask yourself why you play. Is it to win a certain amount as soon as possible, or is for the thrills? Maybe a mix of the two? The answer should determine your strategy.
Mogens has now merged the two lectures to an article published by Dansk Magisterforening (Danish Association of Masters and PhDs).