M. Graves said
Normally I get a headache whenever I think about statistics, but Frey expertly explains concepts and provides very interesting examples. I found this book very helpful and a lot of fun to read.
Mary Elizabeth Woodson said
Absolutely the best stats book I've read! I especially enjoyed the poker-related hacks; they have helped both my poker playing and my stats abilities.
Kevin Bowersox said
I am not a statistician but it has always seemed like it should be more interesting than the other books I have tried to read on the subject made it. That's why I love the format of this book. It is broken up into small sections, each of which shares some interesting tidbit about statistics. Most of them are quite interesting and even the occasional yawner does not ruin the book because it is at least short. :)
An interesting way to get into statistics.
Teacher by Day said
When I read this book, I laughed and learned - what more could you ask for?
When students struggle with other stats books, I recommend this one and they have all been grateful!
L. F. Smith said
It's not very easy to use the words "entertaining" and "statistics" in the same sentence, but you can if you're talking about this book. Bruce Frey's collection of tips and tools makes the subject interesting, fun-- even funny-- and most importantly, approachable.
It's important to understand that this book is not intended to be a statistics textbook, review, or reference manual. Rather, it is a collection of bite-sized hacks that relate statistical principles to the "real" world. Every hack is illustrated with some example, including many relating to gambling, games, and bar bets. Which properties should you buy in Monopoly? The answer is here, along with an explanation. How many people have to be in a room with you before you can be pretty sure that at least one of them shares your birthday? That's here, too, along with the explanation. Is there a way to predict the winner of a baseball game by listening to about twenty minutes of the middle of it? Yep.
If you're looking for an authoritative, comprehensive, serious statistics text, keep shopping. If you're looking for a light but nonetheless very useful explanation/review of how and why statistics work in a real-world context, buy this book.
I'm glad I bought it, and I'd do it again. I got more than enough entertainment and utility out of it to justify the expense.
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