Smash Notes

Why Won't Nassim Taleb Sit Down at a Casino Table?

at 24:04

From the episode: Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Rationality, Risk, and Skin in the Game

Answer

Nassim Nicholas Taleb told Russ Roberts on EconTalk that years as a trader left him unable to gamble. He goes to Las Vegas every year for a conference, eats, drinks, and still cannot focus on the table. He has tried. Casino rules feel contrived, and traders dislike constraints that tight. He knows very few traders who gamble at all. Some play bridge or poker, which he called more open and therefore a different game. What he finds horrifying is taking a seat when you already know the game is built so the house wins. Roberts suggested someone should film it, a documentary he titled, as a joke, Nassim Taleb at the Mirage.

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