[2] The next four chapters introduce the basic concepts of probability theory, including expectation, binomial distributions and compound distributions, and conditional probability,[1] through games including roulette, keno, craps, chuck-a-luck, backgammon, and blackjack.
A final chapter, "Odds and ends", includes analyses of bluffing in poker, horse racing, and lotteries.
[5] The book is aimed at students,[1][6] written for a general audience, and does not require any background in mathematics beyond high school algebra.
[2][3][5] However, many of its chapters include exercises, making it suitable for teaching high school or undergraduate-level courses using it.
[6] Reviewer Sarah Boslaugh notes as a strength of a book the smooth interplay between its mathematical content and the context of the games it describes.