logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2018
52m 29s

How to Win Games and Beat People (Rebroa...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Games are as old as civilization itself, and some people think they have huge social value regardless of whether you win or lose. Tom Whipple is not one of those people. That’s why he consulted an army of preposterously overqualified experts to find the secret to winning any game.

Up next
Oct 10
649. Should Ohio State (and Michigan, and Clemson) Join the N.F.L.?
Soccer leagues around the world use a promotion-and-relegation system to reward the best teams and punish the worst. We ask whether American sports fans would enjoy a similar system. (Part two of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Domonique Foxworth, sports analyst and former N.F.L. pla ... Show More
55m 21s
Oct 3
648. The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted
The N.F.L. is a powerful cartel with imperial desires. College football is about to undergo a financial reckoning. So maybe they should team up? (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:DeMaurice Smith, former executive director of the National Football League Players Association ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 26
Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China? (Update)
In this episode we first published in 2021, the political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different styles of corruption — and that the U.S. and China have more in common than we’d like to admit. SOURCES:Yuen Yuen Ang, professor of politic ... Show More
57m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Garry Kasparov on chess, technology and democracy
Garry Kasparov is one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was one of the youngest world champions ever, and had a 20-year streak as the world’s top-rated player. But even though he is known as a champion, he is also particularly famous for losing—against Deep Blue. Afte ... Show More
41m 37s
Jul 2022
Garry Kasparov on chess, technology and democracy
Garry Kasparov is one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was one of the youngest world champions ever, and had a 20-year streak as the world’s top-rated player. But even though he is known as a champion, he is also particularly famous for losing—against Deep Blue. Afte ... Show More
41m 37s
Apr 2022
Ep234 - Oliver Roeder | Seven Games: A Human History
Checkers. Backgammon. Chess. Go. Poker. Scrabble. Bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In his book Seven Games, game theorist Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2018
Why are Russians so good at Chess?
Will and Mango go deep into their chess cave to determine: what's the most dangerous styles of chess, why did the game move from the battlefield to the royal court, and if a billion people to play chess, can that stop an alien invasion? Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/ ... Show More
36m 42s
Jan 2024
Selects: A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer
We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker and video games. But these games are really just demonstrations of how intelligent our machines are growing. They’re growing more intelligent by the hour. This classic episode featur ... Show More
56m 2s
Dec 2023
Playing games
It’s play time on Start the Week. The mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy looks at the numbers behind the games we play, from Monopoly to rock paper scissors. In Around The World in 80 Games he shows how understanding maths can give you the edge, and why games are integral to human ps ... Show More
42 m
May 2018
A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer
We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker and video games. But these games are really just demonstrations of how intelligent our machines are growing. They’re growing more intelligent by the hour.  With special guest, Tech S ... Show More
55m 59s
Nov 2022
Totally online
He’s the famous gamer with 33 million subscribers, but none of them know who he is. Total Gaming says he thinks he knows how Spider-Man feels - his identity is hidden from the world. #MyIndianLife 
25m 46s
Jun 2023
Chess Cheater
From a young age, Hans Niemann knows he loves chess and wants to face off against his hero, Magnus Carlsen. Hans grows into a brash and intense player who makes questionable moves during online chess tournaments, but he doesn’t want that to define him. When he finally gets the op ... Show More
42m 45s