EV of taco bell donation game thing

[Sponger15SB]

I absolutely friggin hate change, I mean hate hate hate it. Every time I get home I clear my wallet out.

So I was in TBell the other day and I had a ton of change in my pocket. For those who don't know, Taco Bell has a thing where you drop your change into a tank of water and if it lands on a little plastic disc you get a free food item.

5c gets you cinnemon twists, 10c gets you a taco, 25c gets you a burrito. Now, the price of a cinnemon twist is 75 cents, or 15 nickels.

I threw down 4 nickels and 4 pennies (like i said, hate change), and one of my nickels hit.

So I was 1 for 8, instead of the 1 for 15 I'd need to be to break even.

I was thinking, would it be a +EV play the game instead of actually buying one?

Can anyone comment on this game if they have done it a lot and if they think it can be beat more than 1 in 15?

[astroglide]

good post, this really is the best forum on 2+2 by a mile. the others could fall into the ocean and it wouldn't have a material impact on my life.

the off-topic sections on other forums are dry and boring because they aren't gamblers.

[Topflight]

I've never actually seen anyone land a coin on that thing. You could be running extremely hot.

[dmk]

your sample size is too small

(sorry, someone had to say it!! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif /images/graemlins/wink.gif)

[benfranklin]

The game is rigged. They always let you win the first time you play. My long term results in TT (Taco Tracker) shows results of -2BB (big burritos)/hour.

[B00T]

dont forget tax, thats just about another throw. Or every other "session" you get an extra toss

[SoaringAngle]

Wow, this is why i love the 2+2 forums. Where else can i find people discussing the excpected value of the taco bell donation game. Anyway i too have won at this game, but i would just feel like a bum if every time i wanted cinna sticks i played the coin game 8 times, no matter how +EV it was.

[Ulysses]

Are any of you guys old enough to remember when they had Cinnamon Crispas instead of Cinnamon Twists? I like the twists, but the Crispas were so much better.

The history.... (http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2000-02-16/potluck.html)

[astroglide]

crispas > twists, but old cheese >>> new cheese. it used to be very thinly shredded and was much better.

[JustSomeJackass]

My 9 year old son wanted me to give him a quarter so he could try this game, absolutely CERTAIN he was going to win. I figured I could teach him a quick lesson about throwing his money away (told him the quarter was coming out of his allowance)...and he proceeded to stick it right on the disk for a burrito. The smug look he gave me was priceless. 2 weeks later in Burger King, we notice the same game and of course he is just the King of this game now, so I try again to teach him a lesson and he sticks another quarter dead center on the disk for a free value meal. Score: Son 2 Dad 0. At Kings Island (amusement park) they have a game where you try to climb the rungs of a rope ladder up to ring a bell. This game is like $3.00 so this lesson will be a little more expensive, but worth it in my mind to level the score, since I have watched people attempt to climb this thing all the time, and the only ones successful are the people that work there. As he gets to the top rung and rings the bell, he gives me another "WHO'S YOUR DADDY, NOW BEEEE-YOTCH!!!" look. Updated Score: Son 3 Dad 0. He then completed the knockout blow when after 6 straight gutter balls (by him damn it!) I told him I would give him $20 if he got a strike on his next ball. I knew it was a strike when it left his hand...What planet is this kid from????

Final Score: Son 4, Dad will never gamble against his son again

JSJ

[Topflight]

paternal pride is funny

[mmbt0ne]

Your son is my hero.

[bonanz]

[ QUOTE ]
I like the twists, but the Crispas were so much better.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow this is hilarious. by chance, i happened to eat taco bell tonight, and i bought some twists. and as I ate them I was thinking the exact same thing, and was wondering how many people even remember crispas.

Also in a taco bell near me that coin drop game has bubbles shooting through it directly under the slot you drop your coin in. pretty rough.

[astroglide]

the cheese is so much more important!