Ed Thorp, author of 'A Man for All Markets', discusses his journey from beating casinos to Wall Street. He shares his methodical approach, experiences with wearble computers, and encounters with shady characters. The podcast delves into Thorp's fascination with predicting roulette outcomes, the dark side of gambling and cheating in casinos, and his transition to becoming an investor. It also touches on legal cases, the rise of Michael Milken, and the value of time and continuous learning in building a successful life.

What I learned from reading Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street by William Poundstone.----Come see a live show with me and Patrick O'Shaughnessy from Invest Like The Best on October 19th in New York City. Get your tickets here! ----Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium — Subscribers can listen to Ask Me Anything (AMA) episodes and every bonus episode. ---Claude Shannon was as close to a sure thing as existed [2:53]The beginning of information theory [7:11]Project X [9:09]introduction to Ed Thorpe [15:05]using math and physics to beat Las Vegas [18:03]Ed Thorp and Claude Shannon meet [20:45]testing Thorpe’s Blackjack theory [26:00]The core of John Kelly’s philosophy of risk can be stated without math. It is that even unlikely events must come to pass eventually. Therefore, anyone who accepts small risks of losing everything will lose everything, sooner or later. The ultimate compound return rate is acutely sensitive to fat tails. [28:23]I’d be a bum in the street with a tin cup if the markets were efficient. —Warren Buffett [44:30]how Claude Shannon begins studying the stock market [46:45]Claude Shannon and Henry Singleton [48:16]why and how Ed Thorp started investing in stocks [49:49]Thorp starts a hedge fund and starts working remotely [52:49]Ed Thorp meets Warren Buffett [54:20]An acid test of Princeton/Newport’s market neutrality came in the Black Monday crash of October 19, 1987. The Dow Jones index lost 23 percent of its value in a single day. Princeton/Newport’s $ 600 million portfolio shed only about $ 2 million in the crash. Princeton Newport’s return for the year was an astonishing 34 percent. [59:36]the implosion of Long Term Capital Management [1:07:00]The thing you should do is the opposite of what you feel you should do. –Jim Clayton [1:09:10]A quote from 1738: A man who risks his entire fortune acts like a simpleton, however great may be the possible gain. — Daniel Bernoulli [1:13:00]Claude Shannon: A smart investor should understand where he has an edge and invest only in those opportunities. The methods Claude Shannon used to invest [1:17:10]—“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — GarethBe like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

The podcast delves into Ed Thorp's thrilling life story, from using wearable tech and beating casinos to applying quantitative methods in finance. It highlights the importance of survival in risk-taking, independence, and prioritizing personal happiness over relentless wealth accumulation.

Legendary self-made man Ed Thorp shares his upbringing during the Great Depression, mischievous pranks, and journey from gambling to Wall Street. He discusses developing a successful blackjack strategy, the importance of risk management, achieving stable returns through hedged securities, and navigating investment challenges. Ed also talks about the writing process, defying the odds, investments, call options, and pursuing happiness over wealth.

This podcast features past guests like Ed Thorp, Richard Thaler, Jeremy Grantham, and more discussing the challenges and benefits of diversified portfolios during market downturns, analyzing asset allocation performance against the S&P 500, and exploring strategies for global diversification and risk management in investing.