$200 Million Too Much? Sure Is!

[The Ceej]

Now that the Powerball payoff is bigger than the odds, anyone who lives in or near a Powerball state would be stupid not to play.

How do I figure? Well, in the Powerball, you choose five numbers from one to 55, and then a sixth Powerball number from one to 55 which is drawn from a different pot and, therefore, can be a repeat of one of the first five.

The odds of drawing the correct five original numbers and the correct Powerball number are (55*55*54*53*52*51)/5/4/3/2:1 or:

191,331,855:1.

Compare that to the payoff of $200,000,000.

(Yes, I know that after taxes, it becomes below the odds. So sue me.)

Okay, odds aside, the topic of this post is learning from previous lottery winners' mistakes. What do you do if you win?

First: Don't quit your job unless you absolutely hate it. And even if you do, make sure you get another job later. One you like.

Second: Call you job and tell them you're going on an indefinite leave of absence effective immediately. This is because you're going on vacation. This is your "me time." Take friends and family with you if you so desire. A private jet is fine. It's the only way to go long distances.

Third: When you get back from your vacation, or perhaps before you go, pay off your debts. Why do you need debts? You have $200 million.

Fourth: Give everyone you know $10,000. Why ten thousand? Because that's the most you can give them, in the US of course, without their having to pay taxes on it. $200 million is too much for you. You might as well share. Give some to some charities too, if you so desire. Just make sure they're reputable and your money is going to good use.

Fifth: Buy a sensible house and car. Not more than you need. Sure, you have $200 million, but that's no reason to splurge. Just buy what you need. You don't want to end up bankrupt a year from now like all of those other lottery winners.

Sixth: You probably have a lot remaining. Yeah. Well, this is the fun part. You get to make a difference with this money. Use this money to do something for society. Use it to make a movie or start a band. Use it to start a business that will benefit your area. You know. Whatever you like and benefits society. You can use it as leverage for that important dream job. Personally, I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards making a movie which is why I mentioned it first.

And one more thing: Won't it be fun when you go to the bank with your check, to bring a briefcase with you and fill it with twenties? You're putting the rest in your accounts anyway, so what the hell? That would be a great prop for entertainment, leverage, and just all around anything. Imagine this scenario:

"I want to purchase -insert game here-"

"I'm sorry. That game doesn't come out till next week."

"Your boss said I can buy it today."

"My boss? You know my boss?"

"Sure, I know your boss. Who is he again?"

"Oh, I'm just in it for the money."

"Oh, really?" Then you put the briefcase on the counter and open it up.

_____________________________

Another great line would be this, "Andrew Jackson was known for getting what he wanted regardless of what the law said."

But anyway. Topic is the Powerball and the lottery in general. I guess if you want to get specific:

1. Powerball payoff being above the odds.

2. What you think of my lottery plan?

3. Lottery ideas of your own. What would you do?

[Remulak]

I would not play the lottery.

[erikramza]

I would not play the lottery.

[Shlup]

I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be!

[Rostum]

I don't see why I wouldn't quit my job if I won $200M. I'd use the money to study something I really love, not having to worry if there's a job for me after it. I wouldn't really go around spending it all though, I'm content with every single thing I have and wouldn't want more, it'd just be used as an extremely large saftey net. Hmm, maybe just spend a few years traveling the world too. But that's it, honest.

:D

[The Ceej]

I would not play the lottery.


I would not play the lottery.


I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be!

Here I was thinking all of you were the same person.

Seriously, the payoff is above the odds. Is that not enough incentive? What if someone gave you 3:2 odds for the outcome of flipping a coin?

[erikramza]

i've been to the casino enough to know that no odd, no matter how amazing it may sound, is never on your side.... concerning gambling.

[The Ceej]

Is that why I never stand up from a Roulette table with less than I sat down with?

I never said the odds were on your side. I said the payoff is above the odds.

If you're playing $1 against $200,000,000 and your odds are 191,331,855:1, you're doing the right thing.

Seriously, in this scenario, what the hell's a dollar? It can't even get you a half a gallon of gas anymore.

[erikramza]

a dollar is a fortune to a homeless man.

instead of getting a ticket, buy a water bottle for a dollar and give it to a bum. that will be your charity.

[Balzac]

The lottery is tax free here.

[Rostum]

a dollar is a fortune to a homeless man.

instead of getting a ticket, buy a water bottle for a dollar and give it to a bum. that will be your charity.

I don't know about America, but a single dollar ain't even going to get you bottled water here. Honestly, you're argueing against something so trivial. It's just a dollar, that's it, no http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif about homeless people.

[erikramza]

ok. let's say not even all the people who play, half of the people who play the lottery gave that one dollar, to one man who needs it, instead of pursuing their greed.
still trivial?

my point is, a dollar can be used for more than fueling dreams of grandeur.

[Old Manus]

The national lottery in the UK has odds of around 14million to 1 for the jackpot, iirc. Does this mean I'll auto-win next time I buy a ticket?

[Rostum]

ok. let's say not even all the people who play, half of the people who play the lottery gave that one dollar, to one man who needs it, instead of pursuing their greed.
still trivial?

my point is, a dollar can be used for more than fueling dreams of grandeur.

I never said poverty or the such is trivial, I think bringing it up in this thread is trivial. But yes, I'd rather put a dollar towards gaining more dollars than handing it to some bum on the street who'll just go buy booze.

[erikramza]

hence the reason i said, 'buy a water bottle'.

[Rostum]

Sorry to get off topic, but I had a friend buy a sandwich for a bum and the bum threw it back in his face saying he wanted cash. :p

[Levian]

Or you can buy a water bottle to a bum and enter the lottery. I think maybe this is one of the cakes you can both have and eat.

[Jiro]

Enter the lottery. When/ If you win, buy the bum a lifetime worth of water. Better than just one bottle, isn't it? :D

[Momiji]

If I ever won such a ridiculous amount, I would pay off my college fees and tuition, buy a decent house and a good car (nothing too fancy), and buy everything my heart desires (which could not possibly put a dent in 200 million dollars, let alone one million). Then I'd set away some in case of medical emergencies/natural disasters. Never having to worry about gas prices would be very nice.

Then I'd pay off my family's debts and set some aside for my brother's college education. By this time, I may have spent a few million.

After that, I'd put around 50 million away, so when I die, my family will never have any financial hardships, as long as they aren't stupid with it.

I would spend the rest of my life giving the rest away to charites. No one person needs this much money. Ever. The needs of many by far outweigh the desires of one. I'd never be able to spend such a ridiculous amount of money even remotely wisely on my own.

I am not making any of this up. I've actually put a lot of thought into it, being approached with hypothetical situations like this before, and every day you see celebrities on TV with much more than $200 million on hand, and just wasting it on themselves for stupid things. No one needs a house that big. No one needs that many cars, and let's face it, you'd be hard-pressed to actually make a friend who doesn't view you as a walking ATM machine.

For those with attention deficiency disorders, here is a summarized snippet of the general ramblings for you to ponder over - I'd take care of all financial issues for the rest of my life, I'd buy myself a few nice things, I'd help my family, I'd set some aside for later days, so the rest of my family never has to worry about financial issues for the rest of their lives, and then I'd just give the rest of it away.

Wealth only leads to self-absorption and grandeur anyway.

EDIT: Hahaha, too long; didn't read wordfilters. :p

[Flying Mullet]

In regards to the payoff being higher than the odds, the Powerball jackpot's been over $300 million before and people have tried the strategy you're describing and failed. The problem is that you can't print tickets fast enough to come even close to generating tickets with all of the number combinations between powerball drawings.

If you're extremely fast at typing in numbers, I'll give you five seconds per ticket to punch in and print:
5 * 191331855 = 956659275 seconds
956659275 / 3600 = 265738.6875 hours
265738.6875 / 24 = 11072.4453125 days
11072.4453125 / 365 = 30.335466609589041095890410958904

So 30 years to print up all of the winning combinations.

At 5 seconds a ticket you could print up (I'll use Saturday to Wednesday for four days):
4 * 24 = 96 hours
96 * 3600 = 345600 seconds
345600 / 5 = 69120 tickets

Anyway, you get the picture.

[Rye]

Right at this moment?

Pay off college things. Buy a new car. Buy a small plane or a nice boat for traveling. Give a few million to my parents to buy them off to leave me alone and so I don't owe them anything. Give a few million to Huxley's Mom and Dan so that they can live comfortably and buy books and LARP for the rest of their lives and visit us. Buy a small island. Have a nice estate on it for me and Huxley with plenty of rooms for visiting friends. Have another estate for his Granny so that she's living comfortably and happily near us and she is safe. Live there with my true loved ones for the rest of my life. Buy a nice apartment in Manhattan to go to when I feel like seeing people and things.

The rest of the money will be used as seen fit so that any children will have the opportunity to do what they want, and for traveling around the world constantly. When it comes down to it, I just basically want to be left alone with people I love for the rest of my life.

Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it gets me the means to be with and have what makes me happy.

[rubah]

Arkansas doesn't have a lottery [yet]

[Levian]

I can't believe none of you would buy EoFF.

[Tavrobel]

I would buy EoFF at a discount and flip it for profit. This is turning out to be an awesome day for Dwight Schrute me.

Your lottery plan sucks, but so does most lottery plans, so I guess it comes out as a null vote. Ohh, and hell yes money buys me happiness. Does not money pay for the food I eat, or the DVDs I buy? Does not money pay for the friend that is a girl with whom I spend a great majority of my company? Plus, if you sniff it, it gives you a bit of a headache, but it makes you feel pretty good.

[Bunny]

Depending on what option you take when asking for your payment. The one-time payment is usually lower than the advertised lottery pay out, sometimes even as low as half before taxes are applied. I've read and heard from various sources that the US applies a 28% withholding tax to all winners of lottery prizes from any winners totally over $5,000. Also, the federal tax bracket can go as high as 39.6%. Because of all this, you'd get a fair amount lower than the advertised winnings, but still enough to live an nice leisurely life.

I would do some of the things mentioned in the original post but not all. I would not give to some charity nor would I give a set amount of money to any of my friends. Why? Because I don't feel that it is necessary and I am not a nice person. I would, however, do the following:

1. Buy a house and a car. Nothing too big or too fancy, a 3 bedroom would be fine. A car that gets me around would also suit my needs.

2. Quit my job. I don't need it anymore because jobs are for people who need to make a living, I don't. If my funds ever run out, I would be doing something seriously wrong.

3. Travel. I've always wanted to, so why not? I wouldn't do it in my own private jet, either. Unnecessary spending.

4. Buy Levian. He would be my pool boy and have to wear tight cutoff jean shorts and no shirt. Mmm.

[Heath]

I'd build my own version of EoFF but we'd be able to make social groups for everything, there'd be no Shinra-esque Cid's Knights getting in the way and there'd be an attack button.

I bought two lucky dips for the Euromillions draw tomorrow night which is £100m. I'd be happy if I won any prize at all, but I should imagine my time in university would involve significantly less worries about financies. I'd probably buy a 360, give a significant amount to certain charities and see about going on holiday over the summer to somewhere nice. If I had £100m, I'd keep perhaps £5m to live off for a while and put the rest into some high interest savings account or invest it in something. I'd still go to work and university. Learn to drive next summer as well and get myself a decent car. A car would be a luxury I'd like to have, definitely.

[scrumpleberry]

Am I the only person who'd be at all tempted to buy everything I've ever wanted ever? After that, there honestly would not be much left x)))))

[Bunny]

Am I the only person who'd be at all tempted to buy everything I've ever wanted ever? After that, there honestly would not be much left x)))))

I would. But I haven't ever wanted a lot, so it wouldn't cost that much.

[Roto13]

Seriously, the payoff is above the odds. Is that not enough incentive?

Not really. The odds of winning are still retardedly low, and even if you managed to buy a ticket with every possible combination of numbers, there's always that chance that someone else did the same thing, in which case you'd have to split the winnings and be out like a hundred million dollars.

If I spend my dollar on a chocolate bar, however, that's got about a hundred percent chance of being yummy. I pick the chocolate bar.

[rubah]

oh, and as for what i'd do with the earnings, I'd buy a hybrid diesel car, build my dream house and then set up a scholarship for someone at uofa to study whatever I feel like on a given year.

[Roogle]

Oh, you know, the lottery might be something that I would do with spare change. It seems like a good way to get rid of a small amount of change if the cost of entry is only one dollar.

[Madame Adequate]

1) Pay off any fees, debts, etc. of my own and those important to me, like Jess, Mommy and Dan, Granny, Barry, and so forth.

2) Invest enough money in a US business that I'm legally allowed to move there. Or just outright bribe someone.

3) Design and have built a hi-tech house, like Tony Stark's in Iron Man. Include an underground bunker sufficient for 20 years of life by up to 10 people. Buy a couple of cars, etc.

4) Research locations and build emergency retreats from disaster, three or four of them. Nothing fancy, just secluded and self-sustaining for as long as possible.

5) Divide the remainder into quarters: Invest 3/4s in three different banks, for safety. Two for saving/the future, one for general use. The final quarter will be used for investing into hi-tech industries.

[The Ceej]

I just got back from the nearby Powerball state where I had been buying everyone's tickets to avoid multiple 40 mile round trips, and after filling out the form where you pick numbers, I realized the odds are even better than I thought they were. The Powerball number only goes up to 42, so the odds are as follows:

(42*55*54*53*52*51)/5/4/3/2:1
OR
146,107,962:1.

I never said you should buy all those tickets, but if you've ever been to a casino, you know that the payoff is rarely bigger than the odds. They give you even money odds on a 47% chance.

If someone told you that they'd give you a 3:2 payoff for only flipping a coin, would you not take that bet? I sure would. Why? Because the payoff is bigger than the odds.

Nice lottery plans, people. Especially the people who have been learning from other lottery winners' mistakes.

EDIT: And, sure, I'd be tempted to by anything and everything I'd always wanted, but if you look at previous lottery winners, that just doesn't work out practically. How many of them are bankrupt in a year? You should never file for bankruptcy after winning the lottery. Ever. That's more money than you'll ever need.

[Yar]

My uncle spends so much money on lottery tickets and cigarettes.

It probably costs him tens of thousands of dollars every year.

I'd rather just invest my money.

[The Ceej]

Well, someone won last night, and the jackpot is back down to $15 million. That means the odds are much greater than the payoff, and now it's a bad idea to buy a ticket. I guess we just have to wait for the payoff to surpass the odds again.

[Aerith's Knight]

Spend it? Psh!

I'll live off the millions of interest. Then my decendants can live off the millions of interest as well.

Money makes money, literally.

[Madame Adequate]

Well, someone won last night, and the jackpot is back down to $15 million. That means the odds are much greater than the payoff, and now it's a bad idea to buy a ticket. I guess we just have to wait for the payoff to surpass the odds again.

That really isn't how gambling works.

[Aerith's Knight]

You know, if you're going to do it like that, you could just as well put $10 on red in any random casino and just keep playing until you hit 200 million.

Better odds, as you yourself said. Payoff is always the same as chances.

[Roto13]

Well, someone won last night, and the jackpot is back down to $15 million. That means the odds are much greater than the payoff, and now it's a bad idea to buy a ticket. I guess we just have to wait for the payoff to surpass the odds again.

That really isn't how gambling works.

Seriously. >_>

The odds are always the same, the only thing that differs is the amount of money there is to win. If there was actually a decent chance to win that $15 million (and I was eligible) I'd totally buy a ticket. There's not, though, and the odds are the same as the $200 million jackpot.

[The Ceej]

Well, someone won last night, and the jackpot is back down to $15 million. That means the odds are much greater than the payoff, and now it's a bad idea to buy a ticket. I guess we just have to wait for the payoff to surpass the odds again.

That really isn't how gambling works.

Seriously. >_>

The odds are always the same, the only thing that differs is the amount of money there is to win. If there was actually a decent chance to win that $15 million (and I was eligible) I'd totally buy a ticket. There's not, though, and the odds are the same as the $200 million jackpot.

So, what you guys are telling me is that if someone gave you 3:2 payoff for a coin toss, you would have the same chance of taking the bet as if they gave you a 2:3 payoff?

Trust me. I never leave a casino with less than I went in with. I know how to gamble. I know odds. I know payoff. And I know when the bet is worth taking.

The odds are the same, but the payoff isn't. The odds are still 146,107,962:1, but now the payoff is only 15,000,000:1. Even if you win, you're being ripped off.

[Momiji]

Trust me. I never leave a casino with less than I went in with. I know how to gamble. I know odds. I know payoff. And I know when the bet is worth taking.

The odds are the same, but the payoff isn't. The odds are still 146,107,962:1, but now the payoff is only 15,000,000:1. Even if you win, you're being ripped off.


What you don't seem to get here though is that even though the payoff is/was $200 million, and is higher than the odds, the odds are still 146,107,962:1. Put in the form of a percentage, you have approximately a .0000000007% chance of winning.

I'd rather keep my money than blow it on a .0000000007% chance of winning a lot.

[Aerith's Knight]

Well, someone won last night, and the jackpot is back down to $15 million. That means the odds are much greater than the payoff, and now it's a bad idea to buy a ticket. I guess we just have to wait for the payoff to surpass the odds again.

That really isn't how gambling works.

Seriously. >_>

The odds are always the same, the only thing that differs is the amount of money there is to win. If there was actually a decent chance to win that $15 million (and I was eligible) I'd totally buy a ticket. There's not, though, and the odds are the same as the $200 million jackpot.

So, what you guys are telling me is that if someone gave you 3:2 payoff for a coin toss, you would have the same chance of taking the bet as if they gave you a 2:3 payoff?

Trust me. I never leave a casino with less than I went in with. I know how to gamble. I know odds. I know payoff. And I know when the bet is worth taking.

The odds are the same, but the payoff isn't. The odds are still 146,107,962:1, but now the payoff is only 15,000,000:1. Even if you win, you're being ripped off.

Hmm, not to bust your balls here, but that just duuuh..

Coin toss is 50% to win. Now you can have odds like 1 buck in, two bucks if you win(1:2 or 2:1) or three bucks to one(1:3 or 3:1)..

But seriously. xD

Better 3:2 than 2:3?

So you'd rather give two bucks to win three than give three bucks to win two? XD

Noooooh, really? :p

And the fact is that no matter what happens, you can't use odds in a casino, because a casino is rigged that when you keep playing, you always lose. This is the 0 and 00 in roulette, the "dealer always wins" in blackjack, and the settings in a slot game that makes sure you always lose more than you win.

Which makes it pretty much impossible to keep putting money on red, so to say.

So you can't always walk out more out of a casino, except for exceptional good luck. xD

So why do people do a lottery like that? Because the odds are still better than in a casino.

Not that I would, of course.

[Yar]

Someone needs to study probability.

[Aerith's Knight]

Someone needs to study probability.

If that was aimed at me, I have, which brings me to the point that odds stay the same no matter how long you look at it, so winning at a casino because you "know your odds" seems like a nice bend of physical laws. xD

[The Ceej]

So you can't always walk out more out of a casino, except for exceptional good luck.

Someone needs to watch me gamble.

I won't tell you my strategy at Roulette, because if it gets out, people will beat Roulette and they'll close the tables down. That's my game. I can't let that happen.

[Aerith's Knight]

So you can't always walk out more out of a casino, except for exceptional good luck.

Someone needs to watch me gamble.

I won't tell you my strategy at Roulette, because if it gets out, people will beat Roulette and they'll close the tables down. That's my game. I can't let that happen.

I know what you do, I know about statistical gambling.

Put 10 on red, if red loses, put 20 on red.

Double until you win. Then start over. All you need is lots of cash to begin with.

Problem though, 0 and 00. That is why I said the casino always wins if you keep playing.

Not to mention that there is a raise limit and therefore there is a chance you'll lose it all.

[bipper]

wth? The ceej does have a point here, folks.

The buy in of a dollar never changes, the reward does. The odds of number matches never changes.

I think the missing link is the odds of being the only winner slim down, cutting the jackpot to a shared benefit.

However, if you ignore that - your odds stay the same, and the benefit vs the buy in change. This is intuitive to many people, as long as they don't get stuck on logic.

It is a gambling trick of the trade. Don't believe me, buy most any 30 dollar how to gamble book out there. It gets a little more in depth, but I feel it should make enough sense.

It is like say, ah, the jackpot is only 100 thousand dollars. I am not paying a buck. Then throwing in a dollar when it is worth a MEGACRAPgillion. Odds, mathematically are one thing. Odds to a gambler, are a bit different. I think lines are getting crossed here.

By the way, damn these numbers ceej!

[Aerith's Knight]

I just noticed a possiblemistake in the calculation. xD

1/(55/5) * 1/(54/4) * 1/(53/3) * 1/(52/2) * 1/(51/1) = 1/55 *1/11 * 1/13.5 * 1/17.666 * 1/26 * 1/51 = 3.478.759

So it's 1 : 3.478.759

Then the powerball.. * 42


and one additional number from 1 to 42

So the odds would be: 1 : 146.107.906.9

[The Ceej]

So you can't always walk out more out of a casino, except for exceptional good luck.

Someone needs to watch me gamble.

I won't tell you my strategy at Roulette, because if it gets out, people will beat Roulette and they'll close the tables down. That's my game. I can't let that happen.

I know what you do, I know about statistical gambling...

You couldn't be more wrong if your name were W. Wrongy Wronginstein.

No one knows what my strategy is because it would be in a book somewhere if people knew about it. The books I read say that the only way to win at Roulette is to get lucky, but they haven't seen me play.

[Roto13]

Oh please.

[Yar]

You couldn't be more wrong if your name were W. Wrongy Wronginstein.

No one knows what my strategy is because it would be in a book somewhere if people knew about it. The books I read say that the only way to win at Roulette is to get lucky, but they haven't seen me play.

Just so you know, the only way to win Roulette is with luck. Roulette is a game of chance, not skill.

[Aerith's Knight]

You couldn't be more wrong if your name were W. Wrongy Wronginstein.

No one knows what my strategy is because it would be in a book somewhere if people knew about it. The books I read say that the only way to win at Roulette is to get lucky, but they haven't seen me play.

Just so you know, the only way to win Roulette is with luck. Roulette is a game of chance, not skill.

You can keep bragging that you always win, but propability physics say that winning keep 1:2, 1:36, etc on what you bet.

The only way to win is to do as I said and keep doubling, which would work.

And it would always be spoiled by 0 and 00.

Now be deflate your head. Smarter men than you have tried to beat the system and failed.

[The Ceej]

You're telling me that I'm just lucky, then?

Really, now? I'm that lucky where I can't stop making a profit at Roulette? Either that or you're calling me a liar. Not like I care, though. Your disbelief doesn't stop me from winning.

The odds of my strategy are as follows:

16% chance to win.
47% chance to break even.
37% chance to lose.

Keep playing long term and the odds say you'll always come out ahead.

[Roto13]

So I guess you live in a diamond-encrusted mansion with golden penguin butlers? Because last I heard, you do not live the life of someone with an unlimited source of income.

So yeah. You're full of crap.

[bipper]

probability only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades; and that is if you are the pole.

[Aerith's Knight]

Unless you share this magnificent secret of yours, stop bragging talking.

And I wouldn't be suprised if it's something like: "Distract the employee and grab some free fishes."

[Yar]

Whatever. If you're that confident in your "abilities," why don't you go take all your money and defeat Vegas?

[The Ceej]

I have one rule with gambling:

Never wager the winnings. That means you have to have an unlimited source of income to do what you guys are claiming anyway. It's fun. It's a game. It's not life.

And to those wishing I would share it, I have no interest in destroying Roulette which is what would happen if I did. Now get the smurf off my back.

[Old Manus]

Hey guys have you seen my awesome technique at winning in poker at the casinos

I get my hand and place bets depending on how confident I am with it, then if I win I get the money

Hell yeah bitches

[bipper]

Wow, flame guy that possibly knows something you don't.

Take that progressive science.

And I have a hand that beats all at poker, a Smith&Weston.

[Momiji]

I have one rule with gambling:

Never wager the winnings. That means you have to have an unlimited source of income to do what you guys are claiming anyway. It's fun. It's a game. It's not life.

And to those wishing I would share it, I have no interest in destroying Roulette which is what would happen if I did. Now get the smurf off my back.

No one has any interest in your 'strategy' other than seeing how ridiculous it is. :p

Come back when you're rich and can prove everything you say as true. ;)

[Aerith's Knight]

Wow, flame guy that possibly knows something you don't.

Take that progressive science.

And I have a hand that beats all at poker, a Smith&Weston.

Trust me, if he did, he would be:

1. Rich (or at least richer)
2. not bragging about it
3. Banned from all casino's (oh yes they would. They can do it without reason)
4. an author of: "How I beat the system"

and trust me, they wouldn't stop the game. Blackjack is beatable(although with machines they made it almost impossible), but that didn't stop them keeping it in Vegas.

[theundeadhero]

There's a lot of angry talk in this thread. Angry talk gets threads closed.

[bipper]

ridiculing and scoffing because he has a secret isn't funny, this what created Hitler! I for one am open to trying something new. I would try it, lol. If he claims it, and I cannot counter claim it - cool. Lets not be so tight assed about it, maybe? Don't believe him? Great, whats with the relentless :p:tongue::rolleyes2;)
:greenie:

p.s. I know the secret, and I think it would work. I was told this in strict confidence, and torture would not move muh tongue.

lawl.

[Fonzie]

ridiculing and scoffing because he has a secret isn't funny, this what created Hitler! I for one am open to trying something new. I would try it, lol. If he claims it, and I cannot counter claim it - cool. Lets not be so tight assed about it, maybe? Don't believe him? Great, whats with the relentless :p:tongue::rolleyes2;)
:greenie:

Everytime you post like this, I die inside. :(

[bipper]

ridiculing and scoffing because he has a secret isn't funny, this what created Hitler! I for one am open to trying something new. I would try it, lol. If he claims it, and I cannot counter claim it - cool. Lets not be so tight assed about it, maybe? Don't believe him? Great, whats with the relentless :p:tongue::rolleyes2;)
:greenie:

Every time you post like this, I die inside. :(

That is the inner hitler, taking over. Don't let go fonz, don't let go.

[Fonzie]

ridiculing and scoffing because he has a secret isn't funny, this what created Hitler! I for one am open to trying something new. I would try it, lol. If he claims it, and I cannot counter claim it - cool. Lets not be so tight assed about it, maybe? Don't believe him? Great, whats with the relentless :p:tongue::rolleyes2;)
:greenie:

Every time you post like this, I die inside. :(

That is the inner hitler, taking over. Don't let go fonz, don't let go.

That's what she said, bra.

[The Ceej]

I wonder if anyone still remembers what this thread was originally about. Or even cares. I know I don't and it was my thread.

[Aerith's Knight]

I know it started with you making a mistake in a propability equation.

Which brings me to my lack of trust in your "foolproof" method of winning.

[Roto13]

The fact that roulette is incredibly simple should be enough to not trust his pretend method of winning.

[The Ceej]

And my mistake led to my probability being off by more or less 50 points. When it's close to 150 million to one, do fifty points really matter?

Lack of trust, eh? You think I care? I visit a neighboring state's casino town once a year. I devote so much money to each game. I usually devote $200 to Roulette and more or less double it during my time. When I gamble, I keep two sets of chips. One is the set with which I sat down and the other are my winnings. I play until the first stack is gone and then stand up with the second stack. This is not my strategy, but rather a safety plan I have when gambling, because otherwise I'd be playing until I ran out of money or time, whichever came first. I do this at every table with every game, so don't mistake this for any strategy I have at any game.

Besides, I never said I beat any system. I said I know how to shift the odds into my favor at Roulette. I'm also a decent BlackJack player, though not on third base. When it comes to these poker games like Let It Ride, I often joke that they should change the name of the game to "Take CJ's Money." I play for fun. For recreation. And it doesn't matter that I lose at some games, because Roulette more than makes up for what I lose at the games where I do.

Some people just think they're too smart to gamble, and don't want to believe any strategy that anyone might have lest they be wrong that only idiots gamble. Reminiscent of the religious people who don't want to listen to the latest scientific discovery lest they be wrong about their Bible being the inerrant, literal truth. Not meaning to turn this into a religious debate or anything, so if you believe that, no offense.

[Roto13]

Oh, there are games that involve strategy. Poker involves strategy. Black Jack involves some strategy.

One thing you don't have is a strategy to constantly win at Roulette.

[Big D]

Looking back at the original topic... Ah, $200 million lottery win. Even with that colossal US tax, that's some $100 million in the bank. In my savings account, the interest alone would be close to five million a year - that's enough to live a full and exorbitantly comfortable life, while still giving a couple of million annually to charitable interests. There's be plenty left over for gallivanting, globe-trotting, adventuring, going back to uni to earn a few more degrees... nigh endless possibilities.
AK sums it up:
Spend it? Psh!

I'll live off the millions of interest. Then my decendants can live off the millions of interest as well.

Money makes money, literally.

I think I'd still like to work part-time, though, just so I'm doing something productive and useful rather than self-indulgent idleness.

:edit: as for the other topic - 'strategic gambling' and all that...
In the past, there've beeen companies that purposefully assessed the odds then bought tickets featuring every possible combination of lottery numbers. They were able to earn a comfortable profit, even though buying that many tickets required a lot of initial expenditure. You have to be rich to start off in a game like that, but it can pay for itself pretty well. Still, it's not something that can work as a solo effort because of the sheer number of tickets that need to be purchased. Those companies tend to get outlawed pretty fast, anyway, and are prohibited in a lot of US states and various countries.

As for games of chance? If you keep playing, you'll eventually lose. That happens when the odds are against you. You can, however, quit when you're ahead and walk away with winnings, rather than continuing to risk them on ever-larger bets. "Gamblers' ruin" is a sound principle. Card games are a little different - it's possible to get an edge by counting cards and re-evaluating probabilities, but that takes a pretty awesome amount of observational and mathematical skill.

[The Ceej]

Oh, Roto, Roto, Rooter. If only I could explain it to you and manage to still keep it a secret, I would. I'm not posting it online where anyone can read it, then run to the casino and try it out, but if I knew for a fact you would keep it to yourself, I would PM it to you just to shut you up.

[Aerith's Knight]

I wish you would tell me, just so I can debunk it and wipe that smug smile off your face.

but..

Let's get on topic.

I would still never but a ticket, because you'd have a higher chance to get hit by lightning, over 5 times as much, in fact.

I'd like to live off the interest though. But I think I'd get a job anyway, too boring otherwise.

[The Ceej]

I wish you would tell me, just so I can debunk it and wipe that smug smile off your face.

There's one reason I wouldn't tell you, AK. And that reason is, I know for a fact you would post it where everyone could see it and it would no longer be a secret. I'm not destroying my game to win an argument. My game is more important.

[Shlup]

Ceej, either share your strategy or shut the hell up about it. Every post stating that you have a strategy but are not going to share it does not add anything to the discussion, and further posts stating such will be considered spam and thereby be spamminated.

Roto, just plain shut the hell up and quit trying to goad Ceej into making himself look dumber.

Thank you,
The Management

[Bunny]

Good going guys. You made The Management angry.

[Roto13]

Ceej, either share your strategy or shut the hell up about it. Every post stating that you have a strategy but are not going to share it does not add anything to the discussion, and further posts stating such will be considered spam and thereby be spamminated.

Roto, just plain shut the hell up and quit trying to goad Ceej into making himself look dumber.

Thank you,
The Management

But my hobby. :(

[The Ceej]

Roto, just plain shut the hell up and quit trying to goad Ceej into making himself look dumber.

If you think I look dumb, it's because you're not smart enough to understand what I'm saying.

[Roto13]

The day you start making sense is the day I check myself into a nut house.

[The Ceej]

Canada must have some really nice healthcare because the mental hospitals I've been in don't have internet access.

[bipper]

Ceej, either share your strategy or shut the hell up about it. Every post stating that you have a strategy but are not going to share it does not add anything to the discussion, and further posts stating such will be considered spam and thereby be spamminated.

Roto, just plain shut the hell up and quit trying to goad Ceej into making himself look dumber.

Thank you,
The Management

Wow, I cannot agree with that move one bit. An admin just ousting and saying that Ceej is making him self look dumb because he is getting mad trolled and reverse trolling. Funny - I could a sworn this was the final fantasy VIII forums for a moment.

Sides, Roto and Ceej are like peanut butter and jelly. So opposite. One is chunk and brash, and the other is smooth and fruity-sweet. Putin them back to back like this is like one great big trolls trolling trolls flaming smores festival, all in one amazing PBJ sandwich. Fonz and I are totally the bread - though fonz is more wheat, from what I hear.

On that note, I can win at tic-tac-toe every time, and no one will ever give me 200 million for that.


...will they?

[Goldenboko]

On that note, I can win at tic-tac-toe every time, and no one will ever give me 200 million for that.


...will they?

Its on. Now!

___|____|_X___
___|____|_______
.....|......|

[Aerith's Knight]

On that note, I can win at tic-tac-toe every time, and no one will ever give me 200 million for that.


...will they?

Its on. Now!

___|____|_X___
___|____|_______
......|...O...|

I'll take the first one. :)

[rubah]

aexoden has a tic tac toe script he'd like you to meet 8)

[Roto13]

I can win at tic tac toe every time if I get to move first.

[theundeadhero]

But my hobby. :(I'm pretty sick of you getting away with your hobby. Final Warning time. I see you troll ever again you're banned. Then when you come back and do it under Cim's account it's banned for letting a banned member use it.


If you think I look dumb, it's because you're not smart enough to understand what I'm saying.For someone who whines save me in warned posts every time someone says something you don't like you were pretty quick to flame a mod yourself.