Remembering Arthur S. Reber (1940-2025): a Scholar Who Shaped Modern Psychology, Gambling Culture

^{Dr. Arthur S. Reber was a distinguished cognitive psychologist whose groundbreaking research and influential books bridged psychology and gambling, reshaping how we understand both the science of the mind and the culture of games of chance. (Images: ArthurReber.com)}

"Science isn’t the game of the known. It is the game of the unknown. It is the not knowing of things that makes the process go. As someone who spent a half-century as a cognitive scientist studying the human mind, I can tell you that the mystery is where the magic is, where the joy of discovery lurks. If we knew all the answers we’d be done. It’d be finished. We’d all just go to the seashore and drink beer. All good scientific discoveries open more unknowns than they answer."

-- Dr. Arthur S. Reber

Dr. Arthur S. Reber, a noted American cognitive psychologist and prolific author died unexpectedly last week, on September 2, at the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington. He was 85. 

​I was profoundly saddened to hear the news. He was a longtime friend, a trusted advisor, activist, intellectual and writer who had a profound influence on my life -- and thankfully, so many others.

A Learned Man in a Gambler’s World

Dr. Reber was born in Philadelphia. He earned his BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to earn his PhD at Brown University. His first teaching position was at the University of British Columbia. He later moved to Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York CUNY), where he spent most of his academic years teaching and lecturing. He also took positions as a Fulbright Professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and visiting scholar at the University of Wales, Bangor. In 1998, he was appointed Broeklundian Professor of Psychology. 

According to his Wiki page, "He is known for introducing the concept of implicit learning and for using basic principles of evolutionary biology to show how implicit or unconscious cognitive functions differ in fundamental ways from those carried out consciously."

I first met Dr. Reber back in the mid-1990s while he was teaching in New York. We actually met in Atlantic City at a poker table. Thereafter, we became close friends and enjoyed dozens of wonderful dinners together. We also engaged in numerous lively debates. Though I was generally outmatched, he never sought to diminish anyone, especially those with whom he disagreed. 

"Disagree without being disagreeable," was his mantra. He also insisted on being called "Arthur." I couldn't help it, however. He remained "Dr. Reber" to me at all times. His title and his life's work commanded respect, even if it was sitting at a bar or in a casino or just hanging out. 

During our many conversations and debates, I always felt as though I came away smarter than before -- or at least more aware of something I didn't know. About the same time we met, Dr. Reber wrote The New Gambler's Bible (Three Rivers Press, 1996), which focused on advantage play in various forms of gambling. 

I was fortunate to work with him on a number of gambling-related articles and projects over three decades. His deep background in psychology and renowned reputation as a groundbreaking researcher and thinker made him quite unique in the field where I worked, which was poker and gambling culture. 

The New Gambler's Bible: How to Beat the Casinos, the Track, Your Bookie, and Your Buddies was first published just as legalized casino gambling was starting to spread across America. It was one of the first popular books to provide a comprehensive tutorial for gamblers. Dr. Reber stressed the critical importance of understanding games of potential positive versus negative expectation, tied entirely to skill and discipline. He noted that winning is predicated upon work. All successful gamblers -- from poker players to sports bettors to blackjack card counters to horseracing handicappers -- must work at their craft, and even hard work is no guarantee of success.

Decoding Addiction and the Psychology of Compulsion

Dr. Reber possessed an incalculable number of gifts, many natural and some acquired and crafted. Sincere. Witty. Honest. Funny. Passionate. Fair. Empathetic. He was also a great listener – something that's become a lost skill in my humble opinion. And with that came his wonderful ability to take a complex subject and make it understandable to laypeople. 

One of the most meaningful conversations we had centered on his research on addictions, particularly compulsive gambling. Dr. Reber wrote several academic papers and spoke at prestigious conferences where he advanced the concept of transference. By this, he meant that eliminating a destructive habit does not necessarily cure the underlying problem. People with compulsive tendencies often redirect their urges elsewhere, replacing one destructive behavior with another.

In other words, the compulsion doesn’t vanish – it shifts. Those with compulsive personalities simply find other vices to satisfy their cravings. Dr. Reber’s work in this area was both groundbreaking and, at times, controversial. It reshaped how we understand addiction and compulsive behavior, as well as how those struggling with such conditions might best be treated. 

I realize my summary is overly simple, and I encourage readers to explore his books, including his most influential work, The Dictionary of Psychology, now in its fourth printing. This landmark reference has become a family collaboration, with his daughter Emily Reber joining as co-author for the third edition and his wife Rhianon Allen contributing to the most recent one. To date, the Dictionary has sold more than half a million copies in six languages. Dr. Reber once told me the book was what “put [him] on the map,” professionally speaking.

Over the years, we debated many subjects, even if we agreed on most of the big ones. In 2013, we carried out a spirited written exchange on our personal websites about religion. Though we were both non-believers, he argued with great conviction that God is a natural evolutionary construct – predictable, perhaps even necessary. After reading his essays, I spent hours, even days, trying to poke holes in his reasoning, only to realize the futility. As the debate unfolded, I found my own views shifting. That was the power of “Art”-ful persuasion. To change another person’s mind and leave them with a clearer, deeper understanding – surely that is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

Dr. Reber deserves far more time and space than I can give here. In our conversations, he often reminisced about his teenage years traveling the country with a circus, stories he told with a mix of humor and pride. He spoke with deep admiration for Europe and other cultures. Within his field, he seemed to know everyone and was beloved as a teacher, lecturer, and speaker. Beyond academia, he was also a gifted and versatile writer.

His books reflect the breadth of his interests and intellect: Implicit Learning and Tacit Knowledge: An Essay on the Cognitive Unconscious (Oxford University Press, 1977); Poker, Life and Other Confusing Things (Pittsburgh-ConJelCo Press, 2012); Xero to Sixty: A Novel (2015); The First Minds: Caterpillars, ’Karyotes, and Consciousness (Oxford University Press, 2019); and The Cognitive Unconscious: The First Half-Century (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). He also contributed to the best-selling Gambling for Dummies (2001). In addition, he published hundreds of articles and papers across a wide range of psychological topics.

A Life of Curiosity, Conversation, and Lasting Legacy

After his retirement in 2005, Dr. Reber never really slowed down. True to his restless curiosity and appetite for new experiences, he and his wife and frequent collaborator Rhiannon Allen left New York and the academic world behind, settling as far away as possible on the country’s opposite coast. They made their home in Point Roberts, Washington, a tiny peninsula tucked against the Pacific, accessible only by driving through Canada and then heading south. One of the few places in the United States cut off from the mainland, Point Roberts seemed remote to outsiders. To Dr. Reber, it was a sanctuary. Surrounded by natural beauty, he found peace there, while still keeping close ties to friends and colleagues through his work and through social media.

The last time I saw him was a few years ago, in a little seaside café north of Seattle. True to form, we “went to the seashore and drank beer,” leaving life’s mysteries unsolved. We debated something – I can’t even recall the subject now – and, predictably, I lost. But in the best way possible, losing to Art meant winning, too.

We all won something by knowing Dr. Arthur Reber. His presence, his intellect, his generosity of spirit touched everyone around him. He will be sorely missed, but his work, his words, and his example will endure.