Les M. Golden

Les Golden is an internationally-known gambling writer based in Oak Park, Illinois. http://www.illinoisauthors.org/authors/Leslie_Morris_Goldenhttp://www.librarything.com/profile/Les_Golden http://www.librarything.com/author/goldenlesliemhttp://www.authorsden.com/lesgolden He has written for gambling.com, iGamingBusiness, gamblingonline, and Bluff Europe print magazines. He became aware of card counting systems and became a card counter at the popular casino game of blackjack while a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, by reading the 1966 revised edition of Beat the Dealer,Thorp, E. O. (1966) Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, Random House, New York the seminal work of mathematician Edward O. Thorp, who was aided in his computer simulations by programmers Julian Braun and Harvey Dubner.Thorp, E. O. (1966),Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, Random House, New York, pp. 93-94 As a graduate student in astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, Golden made monthly trips to Reno, Nevada and played blackjack using Thorp’s systems. He is the developer of the Golden Diagram technique for countering casino countermeasures at blackjack and the Magic Circle system for winning at biased roulette wheels. He currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois, and Reno, Nevada.
==Background==
===Education and Research===
 Leslie Morris Golden (Eliezer Moshe ben Reuven Motl y Chanah Kaileh, Lazar Masche) was born in Chicago, an identical twin,His parents are Irving R. (b. 1907) and Anne K. Golden (b. 1909; maiden name, Eisenberg). Anne had twin brothers, Irving and Sam (b. 1905), and twin uncles on her mother’s side, Michel and Kivah Gerstein (b.1876), making the Golden twins the third successive generation of male twins on the maternal side. The birth of the Golden twins was one of a record number of twin births at Wesley Memorial Hospital, a part of Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, in early December.(1943), “Twins Tend Record Twin Crop,” Chicago Herald-American, December 4, p. II-3Petlicki, Myrna (1997), “Golden memories,” Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), July 2, p. B3-6 the son of Anne K. (née Eisenberg; March 7, 1909 – November 19, 1999), a legal stenographer and homemaker, and Irving R. Golden (March 15, 1907 – June 22, 2005), an attorney and co-owner with his father Max Goldstein, an immigrant finish carpenter from Belarus, Russia, of a store fixture and bar manufacturing firm,Kogan, Rick (2005), “Lawyer also designed, built bars,” Chicago Tribune, July 24, p. IV-7 and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, where he attended Horace Mann grammar school and Oak Park-River Forest High School. 
He holds the B.A. (with Distinction) and Masters of Engineering Physics from Cornell University,http://www.cornell65.com/interest/golden.html where he was both a Cornell McMullen Scholar and a Fellow of the Interfoundation Committee of the American Institute for Economic Research (Great Barrington, Mass.), and received the M.A. and Ph.D in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley, http://badgrads.berkeley.edu/doku.php?id=alumni:oldhttp://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2006ASPC..356...87F, page 90 under Professor William J. “Jack” Welch,http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Homepages/welch.html the Watson and Marilyn Alberts Chair emeritus in Extraterrestrial Intelligence. At Cornell, he was the award-winning feature editor and then editor-in-chief of the Cornell Engineer magazine and a member of the Engineering Student Council. Some of his early research in astronomy appeared in a book by Stephen Hawking. (1979) Hawking, S. W. & Israel, W. General relativity: an Einstein centenary survey. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-22285-0. “A much cited centennial survey”; 
books.google.com/books?isbn=0521222850 He performed research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as a National Research Council Resident Research Associatehttp://nrc58.nas.edu/aodir/gen_page.asp?mode=detail&sql=idnumber='760817' and the Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California. He is the director of the Near Earth Asteroid Reconnaissance Project (N.E.A.R.),http://www.astronomy.com/sitecore/content/Magazine%20Issues/1994/April%201994.aspx , page 22 which he founded as a University of Illinois at Chicago professor in 1994. He has been elected to both Phi Beta Kappa (arts and sciences) and Tau Beta Pi (engineering) as well as Pi Delta Epsilon (journalism). He is listed in Marquis Who's Who in Science and Technology and Marquis Who's Who in the World.
In addition to the many citations to his scholarly research in astronomy and the history of science, Golden’s writings and work has been cited in numerous books.see, for example, The Complete Guide to the Illinois Software Industry, Chicago Software Association; Cornell Engineer, Cornell University College of Engineering; Mix Hypermedia, Mix Publications; The Griffith Observer, Griffith Observatory; http://books.google.com/books?id=99oqAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Leslie+M.+Golden%22&dq=%22Leslie+M.+Golden%22&hl=en
The noted author and biographer Jordan Naoum has published collected writings of Golden in his 2011 book, Les Golden (Duc Publishing, ISBN 978-6-1368-4994-2)www.renotransmission.com/installation.htmlwww.oakparkjournal.com/2012/2012-Book-announced-Golden-bio.html www.topix.com/forum/games/blackjack/TM5R2SK854B8812DSwww.publishingheadlines.com/biography-of-les-golden-published-by-duc-publishing/ which is available worldwide.See, for example, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/les-golden-jordan-naoum/1104425304; http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Jordan-Naoum/dp/6136849941/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327941857&sr=1-1; http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=9786136849942; http://www.betterworldbooks.com/les-golden-id-6136849941.aspx 
===Performing===
Golden is a nationally-referenced animal welfare advocate and environmental activist,http://www.elephantinformation.com/CEMENT%20FLOORING%20or%20HARD%20DIRT%20GROUND.htm http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-11-24/news/0411240206_1_new-trees-oak-park-district-mulberry-treesDwyer, Bill (2007), “Tree Fury at Field,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, July 10, p. 1; http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/07-10-2007/Tree_fury_at_FieldNoel, Josh (2007), “Oak Park tree-removal plan heads for debate,” Chicago Tribune, July 12, p. 7; http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-07-19/news/0707181717_1_trees-park-renovation-planGolden, Leslie M. (2005), “Elephant deaths are a matter of physics,” Chicago Sun-Times, January 28, p. 24(2000) “Trailside needs a champion,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest (editorial), November 1, p. 32Vincent, Ed (2002), “The Lost Chukar,” http://www.suburbanjournals.com/Stories2002/Lost-Chukar-Returned-Home-2002.html, August 10see, in addition, for example, Golden, Les (2002), “All it would take is a fence to keep critters alive,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, June 12, p. 41; Golden, Les (2000), “Les ‘Cut the Roadkill’ Golden says, Slow Down!”, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 19, p. 25; Golden, Les (2000), “Hey, Sylvestri, save our furry and feathered friends,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, October 25, p. 34; Little, Rebecca and Trainor, Ken (2000) “Silvestri responds to Golden, Trailside,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, November 1, p. 2; Golden, Les “Let’s Save the Dogs” Golden (2002), “Ask politicians to make dog fighting a felony,” May 22, p. 32; (2008), “Inside Report: Les ‘Cut the coyotes a break’ Golden,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, January 23, p. 5; Linden, Eric (1991), “’Dandelion Dig’ idea blooming,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, May 29, p. 7; (2001) Golden, Les, “It’s not easy being green, but here are some ideas”, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 11, p. 40(2004) http://www.oakparkjournal.com/2007/2007-Field-Park-ralley-July-8th-2pm.html“Oak Park Environmentalist Persuades School to Save Taxpayer Dollars, Intergovernmental Cooperation the Key to Recycling Dutch Elm Mulch,” www.oakparkjournal.com/stories2004/2005-les-golden-mulch-nov.html a professional trumpet player, jazz vocalist, and band leader,http://villageofoakpark.com/Stories2002/2003-Les-Golden-comments-July4th-music.html and a professional actor with more than 100 stage, film, radio, television, and commercial credits, (1994), “A film career far (but not removed) from Tinseltown,” 
Compuserve magazine, August, p. 55 (1982) “Improvising Your Way to Success,” Spring,1, 6, p. 34 (1984) “The boss is never wrong,” Screen magazine, October 1, p. 19www.imdb.com/title/tt0097170/www.locatetv.com/person/les-golden/118760http://www.reelz.com/person/146084/les-golden/movie-friends/Petrulis, Len (1982), “Golden TV ‘Spoof’ on Reality,” Berwyn Life, May 19, p. 14 including multiple principle Shakespearean roles with Oak Park Festival Theatre, an Equity-contract theatre.
In 1966 Golden provided the stimulus for the formation of the University of California Jazz Ensembles by placing an ad calling for student jazz musicians in the Daily Californian. With the arrival of Dr. David W. Tucker to the Cal campus, the organization became the most prominent musical organization on the Berkeley campus. Golden was a trumpet player, soloist, and vocalist with the elite Wednesday Night big band. For seven years he was the emcee for the program, appearing at dozens of performances annually at concerts and jazz festivals throughout California.http://ucjazz.berkeley.edu/ thumb|left|175px|Article by Les Golden in the Daily Californian announcing the first concert of the University of California Jazz Ensembles
Golden is an award-winning developer of sophisticated music notation software.Nolan, Herb (1989), “An Astronomer Tackles the Music Software Marketplace,” Upbeat, November, p. 45-46(1989), “100 Great Products for Under $100,” Electronic Musician, December, 5, 12, p. 46Mahin, Bruce P. (1989), “Choosing Music Notation Software,” The Instrumentalist, 43, 11, p. 26-31(1989), “Basic Composer,” Music Educators Journal, April, p. 20Kuzmich, John (1990), “Scoring With Computers,” Jazz Educators Journal, 23, 3, p. 52King, Patricia (1990),” “Basic Composer,” The Music and Computer Educator, 1, 10, p. 26(1991), “Basic Composer 4.3,” Compute, 13, 2, p.90Lynch, Dennis, (1990), “Unlock your creativity via computers,” Chicago Tribune, February 23, Section 3, p. 3, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-02-23/entertainment/9001160136_1_computers-apple-iigs-steve-jobs
He is a published jazz critic.Golden, Les (1994), “Ravinia places Chicago on map for jazz fans,” Northwest Leader, August 3, p. 6
He has appeared numerous times as an actor on the live-broadcast productions of "Unshackled!" He was a featured regular on the Eddie Hubbard Show radio program as the character Jeffrey Clayton Maxwell from Bhutan. He was one of the stable of gifted Chicago character actors cast in numerous national and regional television commercials by renowned director Josef Sedelmaier of “Where’s the Beef?” fame. He is a member of both the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). He was a charter member of Chicago's Porchlight Theatre Ensemble. He has appeared in featured roles with Broderick Crawford, Tippi Hedren, Troy Donahue, Charlotte Ross, Susan Hart, Robert Petkoff, David Darlow, Bruce Jarchow, Paula Scrofano, and others.
As "Flash Golden," he was the play-by-play announcer for the California Golden Bears basketball radio broadcasts and hosted Flash's Jazz Patio on KALX-FM. As a stand-up comedian, he has performed at San Francisco's Holy City Zoo, the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, the Comedy Cottage in Chicago, as well as on the college circuit, Playboy Club, and other clubs. He appears both as himself, Les Golden, and as Subrahmanyan Berkowitz from Bhutan. He is a published editorial cartoonist.
As an editorial and comic cartoonist, Les Golden has been widely published. He is listed in Comiclopediahttp://lambiek.com/artists/g/golden_les.htm. His subjects are taken from his interest in politics and other careers as a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, environmentalist, animal welfare advocate, astronomer, and professor. He may be best known for his strip "Captain Industry" from the 1980's. His content ranges from politically controversial to school-boy silliness, with a clean line-art artistic style. His textbook, Laboratory Exercises in Physics for Modern Astronomy (Springer-Verlag, 2012), includes numerous of his comic illustrations, including those of possible extraterrestrials. He credits Betty Edwards, author of Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain, as his major artistic influence. 
===Organized Athletics===
In athletics he was a two-sport letterman at Oak Park and River Forest High School and was the manager and third baseman of the "Goldenrods" at Cornell and manager and third baseman of the "Foul Balls" in the fast-pitch summer league at U.C. Berkeley. At JPL, he was the third baseman on the champion JPL fast-pitch team in the Glendale City League.
===Astronomy Publications and Presentations===
Golden has published several peer-reviewed refereed articles on applications of probability and statistics to astronomy,Golden, Leslie M. (1971). “Evolution of Quasar Optical and Radio Luminosity,” Nature, 234, 103; http://www.nature.com/nature-physci/journal/v234/n49/abs/physci234103a0.htmlGolden, Leslie M. (1974). “Isotropy of Radio Source Populations from Comparison of Number - Flux Density Curves,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 166, 383; http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1974MNRAS.166..383G Golden, Leslie M. (1974). “Observational Selection in the Identification of Quasars and Claims for Anisotropy,” Observatory, 94, 122; http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1974Obs....94..122G Golden, Leslie M. (1979). “The Effect of Surface Roughness on the Transmission of Microwave Radiation Through a Planetary Surface,” Icarus, 38, 451; http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0019103579901994 and has taught probability and statistics as an Adjunct Professor of Management Science in the Heller Graduate School of Business at Roosevelt University in Chicago in addition to being an astronomy professor in the physics department and the Honors College of the University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.springer.com/astronomy/astronomy,+observations+and+techniques/book/978-1-4614-3310-1?detailsPage=authorsAndEditors 
thumb|left|250px| Professor Leslie M. Golden lectures in 2005 on how the East Indian Ocean tsunami-generating earthquake led to a shortening of the length of the day.He lectures to adult and student audiences on the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the hypothetical shapes of their bodies. A frequent cruise ship lecturer, he was selected by Royal Cruise Lines to be their shipboard lecturer on the high seas during the 1986 apparition of Halley's Comet, and was the first University of Illinois professor selected to be a professor on the Institute of Shipboard Education's (ISE) Semester at Sea program,(1997), “Physics sails the world,” UIC News (University of Illinois at Chicago), April 30, p. 2; http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=4005 teaching courses on astronomy and the possibility of extraterrestrial life in the fall semester of 1996. Among his popular writings on astronomyhttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-01-20/news/0401200115_1_communication-satellites-mars-initiative-astronomyhttp://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?30437-Benefits-Of-A-Mission-To-Mars articles.chicagotribune.com/keyword/astronomy/recent/4 and public presentations,(2005) Anderson, Holly, “Day shortened by quake, astronomer calculates,” http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-110D9F0B0030ACF0.html, January 5http://blog.chicagoweathercenter.com/2004/12/ he presented a series of lectures to the renowned Field Museum of Natural History on the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent life, has been the featured speaker at the meeting of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association, and was the keynote speaker for Chicago's Adler Planetarium on the occasion of the dedication of their new wing.
==Renaissance Man Description==
Les Golden is a Renaissance Man, a true polymath. thumb|250px| Principal actor for Alka Seltzer national campaign. This photo appeared in every National Basketball Association program for every team during its season.He has been so described in numerous newspapers and magazine. "Let's say there was a local character who has a B.S. and M.S. in engineering physics from Cornell University; earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California in Berkeley; is a professional actor; a former stand-up comedian in San Francisco and L.A. and an improv performer with Chicago's Second City, is a freelance jazz and theater critic and playwright; is president of his own software development company; gives lectures on UFOs and the possibility of extraterrestrial life; was listed in the Marquis "Who's Who in Science and Engineering;" and every July 4 either he or his twin brother lead the band that precedes the fireworks at the local high school. You'd accuse us of making him up, right? Wait, it gets better. Let's say all of that is not enough. Let's say this guy wants to make his mark in politics . . . only he insists on filing under a nickname which usually gets him tossed off the ballot . . . " (1997) Trainor, Ken, "Who is Les Golden?", Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 2, p. 29-37thumb|left|250px|Members of the University of California Jazz Ensembles in a publicity photo prior to a performance at the Oakland Museum. From top, Gary Maas, drummer, now an optometrist, Les Golden, trumpet, vocalist, and announcer, and Larry Heavey, baritone sax, now a radiologist.
"Where to start in introducing the complete one-off individual that is Les Golden? Actor, stand-up comedian, humorist UFO lecturer, singer, astronomer, cartoonist, playwright, trumpet player, voiceover artist, political activist . . . we could go on. You can probably tell that Les is a bit of a character. Luckily for readers, he's also a great blackjack player,"(2009) Lines, Chris, "A Word From the Editor," Gambling Online, August, p. 8. 
"It would be an unusual man who really went by the name 'Cut the Taxes,' but Golden, of Oak Park, is an unusual man. He is an actor and educational software developer with a Ph.D. in astronomy; he is a trumpet player, writer and physics professor who devotes much of his free time to taxpayers rights issues."(1995) Zorn, Eric, "This Candidate Is A `Cut The Taxes' Above The Rest," Chicago Tribune, October 3; http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-10-03/news/9510030038_1_wallace-gator-bradley-candidates-taxes. See also, (1994), "A film career far (but not removed) from Tinseltown," Compuserve magazine, August, p. 55; Krapf, Paula (1995) "Silence not Golden: aspiring local politico a man of many names, Faces," Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, September 20, p. 4
“His interests form a list so long as to stagger the imagination. He is a stand-up comic who has performed all over the United States and Mexico, a professional actor in more than 100 plays, films and commercials; and he is the author of Basic Composer, PC-compatible software that is used to compose, play back, and print music and lyrics. (As an astronomer), in 1986 he went on a Halley’s Comet cruise, following the comet from Acapulco to Greece and transmitting reports to the Syndicated Writers’ Group.”(1991) “CB as a Channel for Discovery,” Compuserve Magazine, December, p. 18
Unlike many in society who were influenced and aided by family members in achieving success in given fields, Golden is entirely a self-made man. No one in either his maternal or paternal extended families have matriculated at an Ivy League college, earned a Ph.D, nor have had professional careers as an actor, stand-up comedian, playwright, political cartoonist, magazine editor, non-fiction writer, software developer, scientist, or professor. His identical twin brother and he are the only professional musicians in the extended families.Petlicki, Myrna (1997), “Golden memories,” Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), July 2, p. B3-6http://villageofoakpark.com/Stories2002/2003-Les-Golden-comments-July4th-music.htmlLynch, Dennis, (1990), “Unlock your creativity via computers,” Chicago Tribune, February 23, Section 3, p. 3, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-02-23/entertainment/9001160136_1_computers-apple-iigs-steve-jobs
Les Golden has featured listings at Library Thing,http://www.librarything.com/profile/Les_Golden Illinois Authors, http://www.illinoisauthors.org/authors/Leslie_Morris_Golden and Authors Den.http://www.authorsden.com/lesgolden
==Gambling Writings==
===Introduction to Card Counting===
In the months before the premier Wednesday Night Band of the University of California Jazz Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. David W. Tucker, went in 1972 to Reno, Nevada, to compete in its first Reno Jazz Festival,www.unr.edu/rjf/ Golden, a trumpet player and vocalist with the band and its announcer, purchased Beat the Dealer at the legendary Moe’s Bookstore in Berkeley, California, and studied Thorp’s complete point count system. In the next five years at Berkeley, Golden made monthly trips to Reno, with additional trips to Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, Nevada. In 1977 he moved to Los Angeles to perform research at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a National Research Council Resident Research Associate post-doctoral fellow in astronomy,http://nrc58.nas.edu/aodir/gen_page.asp?mode=detail&sql=idnumber='760817' and his gambling excursions were to Las Vegas, Nevada. He continued to perform stand-up comedy at various venues including The Comedy Store and The Improv.
thumb|240px|Logo for Les Golden's popular "Count on Les" columns for gambling.com print magazine
===Writings===
He has written for Gambling.com,http://www.professional-poker.com/news/2006/nov/764-gamblingcom-poker-content.htm.http://www.gambling.com/Blackjack/tips-strategies/194/the-blackjack-breakdown Gambling Online,www.gamblingonlinemagazine.com/casinos.php iGaming Business, http://www.igamingbusiness.com/content/shannon-elizabeth-heats-gamblingcom-magazine and Bluff Europehttp://www.sbg-globalblackjack.com/p/blackjack-news-headlines-for-september-02-2011en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluff_Magazinewww.bluffeurope.com/ magazines, and as a newspaper columnist as a casino advocate.Golden, Les (1992). “Pleasant Home: Here's a Worthwhile Gamble,” Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), July 31, p. 21 His writing reflects his Renaissance man(1994), “A film career far (but not removed) from Tinseltown,” Compuserve magazine,
August, p. 55(1995) Krapf, Paula, “Silence not Golden: aspiring local politico a man of many names, Faces,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, September 20, p. 4Trainor, Ken (1997), “Who is Les Golden?”, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 2, p. 29-37(1998) Silver, Moe (name adopted by writer Ken Trainor for purpose of article), “The Clone Ranger divides again”, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 1, p. 52Trainor, Ken (2001) “Funny, he doesn’t look shrewish,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 1, p. 2http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/facts_about__les_golden_28 multiple knowledge bases. With a technical background, many of his articles deal with probability issues in casino games, focusing on roulette, craps, and blackjack, and discussing such topics as the central limit theorem, the normal curve, and Gambler's ruin, and often employing Monte Carlo simulations and references to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, an area to which he had been introduced at Cornell University by his mentor Frank Drake and which is one of his research and public lecture areas as an astronomer.(1983). “People Focuses on Fellow Who Makes ETs His Specialty,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, November 16(1983), “Rosary prof makes stars come to life for ‘ET’ class,” Suburban Sun-Times (West), July 1, p. 14(1984). ”Halley's Comet, Alien Life Highlight Astronomer's Talk,” Harlem-Irving Times, March 2, p 3 thumb|150px|Les Golden had the part of Dr. Armstrong in Agatha Christie’s "Ten Little Indians." Golden is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio ArtistsWith his stand-up comedian background, his style has been described by one of his editors, “You can probably tell that Les is a bit of a character. Luckily for readers, he’s also a great blackjack player,”Lines, Chris (2009), “A Word From the Editor,” Gambling Online, August, p. 8. and by Dave Bland, the editor of Flush Magazine, "Les Golden is a comedy genius. I could write more but it really is as simple as that.”http://triblocal.com/oak-park-river-forest/community/stories/2010/06/cut-the-taxes-golden-is-now-cut-the-cards/http://triblocal.com/members/dianenichols/mentions/ A professional actor with a Kevin Bacon number of 3 who has studied with Ann Woodworth of Northwestern University and Del Close of Chicago’s The Second City improvisational nightclub, Golden periodically writes about applying acting techniques to camouflage both being a card counter and also being a member of roulette and blackjack teams.Golden, Les (2010), “So, Do You Feel Lucky, Punk. Well, Do ‘Ya? ,” Bluff Europe, October, p. 88-89Golden, Les (2010), “Yonder Lies the Castle of my Fodder,” Bluff Europe, November, p. 90-91Golden, Les (2010), “The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain”: Camouflage by Status,” Bluff Europe, December, p. 90-91
Golden has won multiple awards for his writing, including the prestigious Eric Hoffer and Lili Fabilli Laconic Essay Prize, http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/undergraduates/hofferprize.htm , the Griffith Observatory Science Writing Competition, (1974), Griffith Observer, number 6 , the International Compuserve Magazine Essay Contest,(1991) “CB as a Channel for Discovery,” Compuserve Magazine, December, p. 18 and the First Prize in the Nicolaus Copernicus International Essay Competition (American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs). Gambling.com's website refers to Golden as “gambling.com magazine’s resident blackjack genius.”http://www.gambling.com/blackjack/tips-strategies/194/the-blackjack-breakdown His research into the gambling game of 21 has been published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. http://www.appliedprobability.org/content.aspx?Group=tms&Page=tmsabstracts36_1#eight 
===Golden Diagram===
After the publication of Beat the Dealer, gambling casinos reacted to the advantage that a card counter gains over the house by adopting counter strategies. These included employing multiple decks rather than the single hand-held deck. Two-deck games and games employing four and six decks dealt from a so-called shoe became commonplace.
Players soon realized intuitively that both these changes in the game reduced their probabilities of winning. In games with a multiple deck, compared to single-deck or double-deck games, players experience frequency, magnitude, and depth (the fraction of the deck which has been dealt in playing previous hands) effects: 1) The deck becomes favorable less frequently at all depths, 2) when the deck does becomes favorable, the magnitude of the advantage is not as great, 3) all decks are favorable infrequently until a significant portion of the deck has been dealt and this occurs at greater depths into the deck in games using multiple decks.
Golden, based on a Monte Carlo simulation and theoretical arguments, calculated the magnitude of these effects. The results of his analysis are displayed as Golden diagrams.Golden, Les (2010). “Countering the Casino Countering of Counters: The Golden Diagram to the Rescue,” Bluff Europe, June, p. 84-85Golden, Les (2011). “Trust Me: An Undetectable Winning System For Blackjack! ,” Bluff Europe, March, p. 94-95 He also suggested a stepwise betting strategy to reduce the effects.Golden, Leslie M. (2011). “An Analysis of the Disadvantage to Players of Multiple Decks in the Game of 21.” The Mathematical Scientist, 32, 2, p. 57-69Golden, Les (2011). “Stepping Out With My Baby: The Stepwise Betting Strategy,” Bluff Europe, April, p. 92-93
===Magic Circle strategy===
The game of roulette, being a game of Simple random sample|statistics without replacement, is not amenable to systems such as card counting, which rely on the non-randomness of the particular game. If, however, the roulette wheel is not perfectly level, laboratory studies, most notably at the British National Weights and Measures Laboratory, and theoretical studies have shown that a skillful croupier can by virtue of muscle memory release the roulette ball with a speed and at a location on the table to bias the bin in which it comes to rest.Dixon, P. (2005). “Roulette Wheel Testing,” Report on Stage 3.1 of NWML/GBGB Project Proposalhttp://large.stanford.edu/courses/2007/ph210/hall1/
The Magic Circle strategy takes advantage of this potential bias and the non-random location of the various bets on the roulette wheel.Golden, Les (2009). “Vodka Can Make You Tilt: How You Can Win At Roulette,” Bluff Europe, November, p. 90-92Golden, Les (2009). “With The Tips In This Article You’ll Become Wealthy Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!,” Bluff Europe, December, p. 90-92Golden, Les (2010). “Beginners in the Casino: Camouflaging Team Roulette,” Bluff Europe, January, p. 90-91. Golden showed that, after influencing the croupier to direct the ball into certain sectors of the roulette wheel, a team of players can lay bets in strategic locations on the wheel to secure profitable play.
==Political Activity==
===Local===
Golden began his political career with the non-partisan CARE Party. (Citizens Active for Respect for the Environment/Citizens Active for a Responsible Electorate) in Oak Park, Illinois. He later formed the TURF Party (Taxpayers United of River Forest) in the adjacent community. He was the president of UTOP (United Taxpayers of Oak Park) from 1991 through 2005.http://www.oakparkjournal.com/Stories2002/2003-national-taxpayers-protest-op-sept-25.html As CARE party president he has been responsible for slating more than 70 candidates for local political office, achieving the election of eight on tax-accountability and environmental issues.see, for example, (1989) CARE joins school board fray, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest , July 31, page 1; (1989) CARE tries to seek new identity, Oak Leaves, October 11, page 7; (1990) CARE endorsements have defeat the "incumbent" goal, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest , October 31, page 21; (1991) CARE challenges shake up village races, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, February 6, page 1; 
(1991) CARE: a party in search of an image, Oak Leaves, August 14, page 8; Thomas, Sherry (1995) “Is Runningbear really ‘Cut the Taxes’?”, Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), August 23, p. 13; Linden, Eric (1995) “New OPRF ‘slate’ reads like a hoax,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 9, p. 7 He has sponsored and moderated numerous taxpayer information forums.see, for example,(2006) “Oak Park tax gripes to be discussed”, September 26, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-09-26/news/0609260292_1_property-tax-property-owners-steep-hike; (1987) 200 turn out at CARE tax forum, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, October 7; CARE tax forum adds speakers, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, September 9, 9; http://www.oakparkjournal.com/Stories2002/2003-national-taxpayers-protest-op-sept-25.html His advocacy of tax-relief has led him to seek local elected office as “Cut the Taxes.”(2003) Golden, Les “Cut the Taxes” Golden, How to turn the Barrie negative into a positive,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, February 26
A major influence on animal welfare and environmental protection efforts locally and in the State of Illinois, Golden has been a leader in water and materials conservation, recycling, tree protection, wildlife protection, pesticide bans, efforts to retard global warming, and numerous other initiatives, as well as childhood education in these efforts. He has achieved numerous reforms in this regard as president of the CARE Party. 
 
His interest in tax relief has led to a leadership role in large-scale commercial development as principal of Holley Court Partners.http://www.oak-park.us/public/pdfs/Planning/Harlem_South/2006%20RFP%20Responses/09.26.06_Holley%20Court%20Partners.pdf
His notoriety as a sponsor of political candidates led to his namesake, "Moe Silver," Chairman of the "LOVE Party," being a lead character in the locally-drawn "Shrubtown" comic strip and theatrical play by the same name by artist and writer Marc Stopeck.see, for example, Stopeck, Marc (1991), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, July 24, p. 17; Stopeck, Marc (1991), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 14, p. 22; Stopeck, Marc (1991), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 21, p. 23; Stopeck, Marc (1991), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 28, p. 21; Stopeck, Marc (1992), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 12, p. 24; Stopeck, Marc (1993), “Shrubtown,” Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, August 11, p. 22
===Statewide and National===
His political candidacies for U.S. Congress(1996) Kass, John, “Nothing dull about 7th race – U.S. House contest full of controversy,” Chicago Tribune, March 8, Section 2, p. 1 and State Representative(1992) Zorn, Eric, “But Yakov seems so, so . . . judicial,” Chicago Tribune, March 10, Section 2, p. 1(1996) Montgomery, Susan, “GOP slates Golden to run for state rep,” Oak Leaves, July 3, p. 10http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=16936&WhenStart=2011-08-06+12%3A51%3A32 (1996) “Cut taxing districts,” Berwyn Life October 9, p. 22 using the nickname "Cut the Taxes" have led to court actions,http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/773242/posts(2002), Mission: Fool voters (editorial), Chicago Tribune, January 18, p. 18 http://anti-state.com/forum/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=1446http://ddd-hph.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/newshph?a=d&d=HPH19980107.2.3&cl=&srpos=0&st=1&e=00-00-0000-99-99-9999--20--1----Sen.+Obama-allhttp://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-09-18/news/0209180186_1_ballots-fractional-jagielski http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/10-30-2002/Golden_wins_Cut-The-Taxes_suit,_sues_again_http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-10-16/news/0210160202_1_blagojevich-spokesman-doug-scofield-illinois-state-board Zorn, Eric. (1995) This candidate is a Cut the Taxes above the rest, Chicago Tribune (Metrowest), October 3, p. 1; http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-10-03/news/9510030038_1_wallace-gator-bradley-candidates-taxes http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-10-23/news/0210230072_1_golden-ballot-orr http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?p=136091www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-1110F700ED5B9A50.htmlhttp://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/09/should-we-use-cheryle-robinson-jackson-or-stick-with-cheryle-jackson-.html (1996) Hevrkejs, Judy and Conklin, Mike, “Cutting Les,” Chicago Tribune, March 12, p. 2 (1996) “ ‘Cut the Taxes’ cut from GOP ballot,” West Suburban Post, March 8, p. 5http://forums.gunbroker.com/pop_printer_friendly.asp?TOPIC_ID=34426 a re-writing of Illinois election law concerning allowable names on the ballothttp://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=09300SB0428ham005&GA=93&SessionId=3&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=&DocNum=0428&GAID=3&Session= 10 ILCS 5/16-3 (e) http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-06-03/news/0306030127_1_orr-slogans-78th-district Trainor, Ken (1997), “Who is Les Golden?”, Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, April 2, p. 29-37 propagated throughout the state of Illinois in election guides for candidates,www.champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/docs/2012/2012CanGuide.pdfwww.elections.il.gov/downloads/electioninformationcourth/pdf/2011canguide.pdf lengthy discussions in the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) handbook on election law www.iicle.com which is on display in courthouses in the state of Illinois, scholarly studies on election law and ballot access, http://www.umsl.edu/~kimballd/illinois.pdf and rewriting of election law in other states. law.onecle.com/texas/election/52.031.00.html In addition, in another part of the revised election law, the Golden Rule, for the first time in Illinois history, allows any election official whatsoever, state as well as local, to extend their previous ministerial powers beyond mere printing of the ballot to actually removing slogans from ballot names.10 ILCS 5/16-3 (f) These cases in election law and the revised Illinois election law statutes have been cited repeatedly in jurisdictions throughout the country.
In 2008, he was the statewide spokesman and one of three state-wide coordinators for the group seeking to convene an Illinois Constitutional Convention.(2008) Sweeney, Chuck, Constitutional convention? Here's a pro-con, Rockford Register Star, June 18; http://www.rrstar.com/opinions/x1713643550/Constitutional-convention-Heres-a-pro-con(2008) Wilson, Doug, Business group says constitutional convention would be too costly, risky, Quincy Herald-Whig, July 15www.chicagogop.com/home/blogger/drlesmgolden/http://www.chicagogop.com/component/comprofiler/userprofile/drlesmgolden He wrote the field guide for campaign workers which was used in other states also seeking to convene constitutional conventions. He has consistently fought legislation removing property tax caps in Illinois. (1995) Schory, Brenda, “Loud protest trails quiet passage of tax cap bill,” Kane County Chronicle, July 7, p. 1 He was selected to be a charter member of the board of the Illinois Taxpayer Education Foundation (ITEF) in 1994.
He is President of Citizens Active for Respect for the Environment/Citizens Active for a Responsible Electorate (CARE) in Oak Park, Suburban Coordinator of the Alliance of (Cook) County Taxpayers (ACT), and heads the National Taxpayers United of Oak Park. 
Golden received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Taxpayers United of Illinois umbrella group in 1991 for his taxpayer advocacy efforts. 
==Photo gallery==
image:Pumpkin_2006.jpg
==Quote==
"The only famous counters are the ex-counters."
==Published Books==
*Basic Composer: An Analysis of Music Notation Software, Music Education Incentives Publishers (1988)
*Astronomy 101, UIC Press (1994)
*A Field Guide for Political Activists: How to Generate Support and Turn Out Your Voters, Lee Brooke (2008)
*Laboratory Experiments in Physics for Modern Astronomy: With Comprehensive Development of the Physical Principles, Springer Science+Business (2012) http://www.springer.com/astronomy/astronomy,+observations+and+techniques/book/978-1-4614-3310-1
==Selected Theatrical, Film, Radio, Television, and Commercial Credits==
Title 	Director 	Role 	Co-stars
Kronenbourgh Beer 	Josef Sedelmaier 	Murray 	Bruce Jarchow
Tony’s Pizza 	Josef Sedelmaier 	Vito 	
Chicago Tribune 	Jim Wotring 	Jo-jo 	Marji Bank, Ernest Perry
K-Mart 	Jim Wotring 	Lester 	Tim Gamble
Eagle Foods 	Gerald Hagner 	Les 	Ken Anderson (athlete)
Motorola Cellular 	Ed Italo 	Miller 	Lee Trevino (athlete)
Buick 	Jim Parish 	Cal 	Don Majowski (athlete)
True Value Hardware 	Jim Lynch 	Professor Astroray 	(one-person show)
Cognex 	Stewart Talent 	Timothy McCoy 	Paula Scrofano
Illinois State Lottery 	Jeff Jones 	Big Brother 	
Heinz Ketchup 	Bob Shallcross 	Les Golden (stand-up comedian as himself) 	
Bubble Up 	Stan Cottle 	Murray 	Charlotte Ross
The Len Petrulis Show 	Len Petrulis 	Phillipe Maurice, Parisian fashion designer	Kajon Mueller
Freeman Shoes 	Loren Ostir 	Wally Tucker 	
Thrift Drugs 	Clay Covert 	Mr. Eisen 	(one-person show)
Madison Gas and Electric 	Bob Wendt 	Bob 	(one-person show)
Ohio Edison 	Ken Ancell 	Mr. Heater 	(one-person show)
American Family Insurance 	John Alexson 	Mark 	Rick Plastina
Outtakes 	Jack Sell 	Harvey Knox 	Broderick Crawford
The Nightmare Trial of Billy Barnes 	Gerald Rogers 	Edward Keppel 	
The Roommate 	Nell Cox 	Mr. Chipbeef 	Barry Miller, Lance Guest
Welcome Home, Bobby 	Herbert Wise 	Coach Lazare 	Adam Baldwin
How I Became A Holy Mother 	Arnold Aprill 	Master 	Patti Shaughnessy
Taming of the Shrew 	Dale Calandra 	Gremio 	Ned Mochel, Susan Hart, and others
YMCA 	Jerold Haislmaier 	Michael Marks 	
Ten Little Indians 	Faith Dukor-Chaplick	Dr. Armstrong 	June Atkinson, Russ Cady
Stage Struck 	James Carter 	Herman 	Jim Mullen
The Odd Couple 	Faith Baime 	Vinnie 	
What the Wine Sellers Buy 	Wanda Getsug 	George 	Lucy Evans
The Little Sister 	Ray Andrecheck 	Toad 	B.F. Helman
Taming of the Shrew 	David Darlow 	Vincentio 	Robert Petkoff, David Darlow, Kristine Thatcher, Greg Vinkler, Michael Halberstam, and others
The Inspector General 	Knowles Cooke 	Bobchinsky 	Stephen Straight, Barbara Tucker
Eddie Hubbard Show Live from Arnie’s	Eddie Hubbard 	Jeffrey Clayton Maxwell 	Robert Goulet, and others
Unshackled! 	Jack O’Dell 	Richard Goldstein (and others) 	Judith Easton, David Mink, and others
Deadly Spygames 	Jack Sell 	General Vladimir Korchenko 	Tippi Hedren, Troy Donahue
Lady Blue 	Gary Nelson 	Davey Carlton 	Danny Aiello, Jamie Rose, Ron Dean
==Writing Awards==
Competition 	Sponsor 	Award
Eric Hoffer and Lili Fabilli Laconic Essay Prize 	Eric Hoffer 	First Place Winner
Cornell Engineer Feature Article Competition 	Cornell University College of Engineering	First Place Winner
Engineering College Magazines Association Awards 	Engineering College Magazines Association	Best Editorial, Second Place Winner
Engineering College Magazines Association Awards 	Engineering College Magazines Association	Best Editorial, All Issues, Second Place Winner
Griffith Observatory Science Writing Competition 	Griffith Observatory 	Honorable Mention Winner
International Compuserve Magazine Essay Competition	Compuserve Magazine 	First Place Winner
Nicolaus Copernicus International Essay Competition	American Council of Polish Cultural Clubs	First Place Winner, Senior Division
Tau Beta Pi Essay Competition 	Tau Beta Pi Association 	Honorable Mention Winner
==References==
==Technical Publications==
===Probability and Statistics in Astronomy===
1. Golden, Leslie M. (1971). “Evolution of Quasar Optical and Radio Luminosity,” Nature, 234, 103.
2. Golden, Leslie M. (1974). “Isotropy of Radio Source Populations from Comparison of Number - Flux Density Curves,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 166, 383.
3. Golden, Leslie M. (1974). “Observational Selection in the Identification of Quasars and Claims for Anisotropy,” Observatory, 94, 122.
4. Golden, Leslie M. (1979). “The Effect of Surface Roughness on the Transmission of Microwave Radiation Through a Planetary Surface,” Icarus, 38, 451.
===Technical Articles on Gambling===
1. Golden, Les; Thompson-Hill, Jeremy; and Theobold, Rick (2008). “Has Online Gaming Reached Saturation Point?,” iGaming Business, March/April, p. 16-17.
2 Golden, Les; Turner, Noah; and von Bar, Jens (2009). “The Death of the RNG,” iGaming Business, July/August, p. 56-59.
3. Golden, Leslie M. (2011). “An Analysis of the Disadvantage to Players of Multiple Decks in the Game of 21.” The Mathematical Scientist, 32, 2, p. 57-69.
==External links==
* Home Page
* An Interview With Les Golden
* N.E.A.R.
* U.C. Jazz
* KALX Radio 90.7 FM
* Illinois Authors Listing
* World Catalog Listing
* Collected Writings
* Library Thing Listing
* Authors Den Listing 
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