Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp

In November 2019, the UC Irvine Libraries opened Finding the Edge: The Work and Insights of Edward O. Thorp in the Muriel Ansley Reynolds Gallery at Langson Library. The exhibit highlighted the extraordinarily diverse life and career of Edward O. Thorp, a UC Irvine founding professor of mathematics, best-selling author, hedge fund manager, and blackjack player. This exhibit features Thorp’s mathematical odyssey from academia, to the casinos of Las Vegas, and the trading desks of Wall Street. We were honored to have Thorp as our distinguished speaker at the opening night event on Monday, November 4, 2019.

The exhibit includes select writings and memorabilia showcasing his personal and professional papers throughout his impressive career. Thorp was a founding member of the UC Irvine mathematics department and became a professor who mathematically proved card-counting gives every player an edge. Thorp also funded an endowment to attract a preeminent professor in mathematics. To beat roulette, he and Claude Shannon invented the first wearable computer. Along with innovative applications of probability theory, Thorp is also The New York Times bestselling author of Beat the Dealer, the first book to mathematically prove that the house advantage in blackjack could be overcome by card-counting. He also pioneered the use of quantitative investment techniques in the financial markets and has been called the “Godfather of Quants.”

In 2013, Thorp received the UC Irvine Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Lauds & Laurels Extraordinarius award, which recognizes outstanding individuals for their service to community, professional excellence and campus involvement.

This exhibit provides an inspirational view of Edward O. Thorp’s boundless curiosity and intellectual drive towards “finding the edge” in science and business.