Michael Shackleford
| Michael Shackleford | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 23, 1965 Pasadena, California, United States |
| Other names | Wizard of Odds, Wizard of Vegas |
| Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Citizenship |
 United States
|
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Mathematics and Actuary |
| Institutions | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Known for | Work in Actuarial science, game studies, and gambling studies |
Michael Shackleford, (May 23, 1965 in Pasadena, California, United States), also known as "The Wizard of Odds" – a title taken from Donald Angelini, is American mathematician and an actuary, best known for his professional analysis of the mathematics of the casino games. He is also an adjunct professor of actuarial science and mathematics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He became interested in the mathematics of gambling at a young age, specifically after reading John Scarne's Guide to Casino Gambling.
Shackleford discovered his affinity for mathematics when he first began to study algebra in school at approximately 11-years-old. He described how math had become something new and interesting, which is where his path toward becoming the Wizard of Odds begins. He first entered the workforce as an employee of Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, California handling fast food services. His next job was at Disneyland in Anaheim where he was responsible for custodial duties around the amusement park. Following his stint in amusement parks, Shackleford held a job at a warehouse, the Santa Barbara Airport and various clerical positions. His career aspirations these days include continuing to educate people about the gaming industry as he has done since 1998. Prior to launching his websites, he was a government actuary in Baltimore making a comfortable living. It took him approximately one year to convince his wife that going into business for himself within the gambling industry as the Wizard of Odds was the right thing to do. He gave up his GS-14 government salary and he began work on the odds driven content he has become so well-known for today.
Today Shackleford is best known for his websites, The Wizard of Odds and The Wizard of Vegas, which contain analyses and strategies for hundreds of casino games. He received a great deal of attention in 2002 shortly after moving to Las Vegas when he published a paper where he released rankings of slot machine payout percentages, widely considered secretive or unavailable, to show which Las Vegas casinos set their nickel machines with the best and worst payouts. The Time Out Las Vegas referred to the survey as groundbreaking. This paper was referenced by Palms Casino Resort to advertise their competitive payouts.
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