halcyon1234
Well-Known Member
Arg! The table I'm playing at has the lucky-7 side bet going. That is, for $1, if you're dealt a 7 for your first card, you get paid 3-to-1. It goes up from there, for two or three sevens of suits or not. The highest payout is 3 suited sevens = 5000-to-1.
But I'm sitting there thinking-- wait a minute. 3 to 1? But it's 13 to 1 to hit a seven. I'm not scientician or anything, but even I can figure that out. And with eight decks, even a rough figuration puts the 3 suited sevens at a huge number to one-- and they're only paying 5000-to-1?
Okay, whatever. Sidebets suck. But an aquantence of mine is playing them. Religiously. I point out the odds, and he says "Yeah, but I hit the 1000-to-1 once. It'd suck if the sevens came out and you weren't playing them".
I shrug, willing to leave well enough alone. I'm just not going to play them. But he KEEPS GOING ON! "I mean, if you're already paying $25 a hand, why not $26?". Must bite tongue to resist pointing out the stupidity of that. If I was paying $26 a hand-- I'd be getting back $26 when I win! I'm not paying $26. I'm paying $25, and there's a dead dollar on the table.
And worst of all-- absoloute worst of all-- the same guy then turns around and starts admonishing another player who has bought a lottery ticket because the ODDS ARE BAD! He even starts quoting them. "Isn't it, like, several million to one of actually getting the numbers? It's a stupid tax, I tell you.". Bad Odds preaching to Bad Odds. Sigh.
(Sidenote: Yes, lottery is-- but concidering the odds of winning the lottery are in the neighbourhood of 1 in 13 million-- and the odds of the suited 7 is 0.000016% (1 in ~60000). At least if Lottery guy hits, he'll be paid in the millions! Must better return on the $1.)
Le rant = over.
But I'm sitting there thinking-- wait a minute. 3 to 1? But it's 13 to 1 to hit a seven. I'm not scientician or anything, but even I can figure that out. And with eight decks, even a rough figuration puts the 3 suited sevens at a huge number to one-- and they're only paying 5000-to-1?
Okay, whatever. Sidebets suck. But an aquantence of mine is playing them. Religiously. I point out the odds, and he says "Yeah, but I hit the 1000-to-1 once. It'd suck if the sevens came out and you weren't playing them".
I shrug, willing to leave well enough alone. I'm just not going to play them. But he KEEPS GOING ON! "I mean, if you're already paying $25 a hand, why not $26?". Must bite tongue to resist pointing out the stupidity of that. If I was paying $26 a hand-- I'd be getting back $26 when I win! I'm not paying $26. I'm paying $25, and there's a dead dollar on the table.
And worst of all-- absoloute worst of all-- the same guy then turns around and starts admonishing another player who has bought a lottery ticket because the ODDS ARE BAD! He even starts quoting them. "Isn't it, like, several million to one of actually getting the numbers? It's a stupid tax, I tell you.". Bad Odds preaching to Bad Odds. Sigh.
(Sidenote: Yes, lottery is-- but concidering the odds of winning the lottery are in the neighbourhood of 1 in 13 million-- and the odds of the suited 7 is 0.000016% (1 in ~60000). At least if Lottery guy hits, he'll be paid in the millions! Must better return on the $1.)
Le rant = over.
