La Vendrama — Blog — The Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes ...

They presume to strike it rich, but just fed upon the age old problem of leverage. Many of the gimmicks described as investments used by the Quants are nothing but ways to borrow lots of money on the trade. And it works, for the survivors. ... In March of 2006, the world's richest men sipped champagne in an opulent New York hotel. They were preparing to compete in a poker tournament with million-dollar stakes, but those numbers meant nothing to them. ...