 |
Blackjack Hall of Fame - Peter Griffin |
The Professor of BlackjackPeter Griffin was born in 1937 in New Jersey and grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Portland State University and earned his master's degree from the University of California.
He started teaching mathematics at California State University, Sacramento, in 1965, and became a full professor in 1977. He continued in that position, teaching courses in algebra, statistics, calculus, and differential equations, until his death in 1998. In 1970, while preparing to teach a course on the mathematics of gambling, Griffin entered a Nevada casino to conduct some field research. His research project resulted in the loss of his bankroll and a vow of revenge. Griffin's great contribution to the world of blackjack came with the publication of his 1979 book, The Theory of Blackjack: The Compleat Card Counter's Guide to the Casino Game of 21. Considered by many to be the most important blackjack book since Edward Thorp's Beat the Dealer, Griffin's book includes the most complete and accurate blackjack basic strategy for any number of decks and for any set of rules, and explains the mathematics behind the basic strategy and the various card-counting strategies. He also proposes a statistical methodology by which the potential gains from any card-counting system could be broken down and expressed as two parameters: Betting Correlation (BC) and Playing Efficiency (PE). The value of any card-counting system could then be determined by comparing its BC and PE with that of other systems.
In short, Griffin's approach to blackjack was that of a true intellectual. In the game of blackjack, he saw a matrix of mathematical problems involving conditional probabilities subject to information provided by a card-counting parameter. His great genius lay in the complex theoretical solution to the problems. The practical application of his theories he left to others. In addition to The Theory of Blackjack, Griffin wrote Extra Stuff: Gambling Ramblings, covering even more advanced and esoteric aspects of blackjack, and dozens of academic papers for mathematical journals and conferences. He was renowned for the lively style and fine wit with which he leavened even his technical writings and his math classes at Cal State. Professor Peter Griffin died in 1998.
|
Download our new Viper software for free
