Sunday, February 01, 2009

 

Carnival Of the Elitist Bastards IX


The Carnival Of the Elitist Bastards IX has launched all boats at Ecstathy.

Choosing from one of the entries, this point on probabilities and predictions should be a lesson for every kindergarten student:

As the old saying goes; "The battle does not always go the strong, nor the race to the swift, but that's the way to bet." Yet casinos are full of people betting against the house. Somehow it does not occur to them that the size and opulence of the casino is testament to the likely outcome.

Go hunt for that winning hand and enjoy the search for the pot at the end of the rainbow.

.

Labels:


Comments:
Dave S. said...

I think it's not so much about the probability of winning for most people, but the possibility of winning. For that brief instant between the placing of your bet and the spin of the wheel or the fall of the lotto balls you may possibly be a winner. At least, you've as much a possibility as anyone else, and sometimes someone wins, and why can't that someone be you? Is it a rational bet? No, but it does satisfy an emotional need, for at least a little while.
 
Sure. And I buy the occasional lotto ticket too. But when I do, I count that dollar not as a "bet" but as an entertainment fee, like I might pay to get into a movie, and calculate, like I would at the ticket booth, whether the entertainment value is worth the price.
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

. . . . .

Organizations

Links
How to Support Science Education
archives