Settle a Bet: Gambling Lingo ?

Player A and Player B wager $10 on a coin flip. Player A has heads, Player B has tails. Its heads. Player B says "double or nothing on another flip". Player A says "Ok". Player A has heads again, Player B tails again. Its heads again.


How much money does Player B owe Player A?


Thanks,


KJS

$20

is this a trick question? if it is it is presumably because both parties put a $10 bill at risk and the winner has possession of $20, although he has only won $10. but the common usage by every bettor that i know of would say $20.


Pat

Not a trick question.


One of the parties in my bet believes that the term "double or nothing" means that the loser is putting up 2X the original on the second flip against the chance to owe nothing. Therefore, they would owe $30 if they lost again--$10 from the first bet and $20 from the second bet. This would mean that "double or nothing" has a meaning distinct from "let's bet again".


KJS

if he just said "i'll bet $20" or "double it" maybe he would be right. but when someone says "double or nothing" the double refers to a second bet not to twice the money. or at least that is how everyone undestands it.


Pat

I think $30 and here's why. Let's see if anyone agrees. In my opinion, the phrase "double or nothing" is distinct from the phrase "let's bet again". I do not think that most people share this view, but I do think it is correct.


To me, the phrase "double or nothing" is applicable when people have a bet and the winner does not want to make the bet again. The loser, in order to attempt to get out of the hole, ups the ante by saying "OK, double or nothing", which I understand as "I will put up double the amount whereas you can only put up IOU from the previous bet". If the winner wins again, the IOU increases by a factor equal to double the amount of the first bet. In my example, from $10 to $30.


I do think that this phrase is commonly misused, much like "begging the question". Still, the bet I have is not on the common understanding but the definitive meaning of the phrase. Does anyone know a source to verify this?


Thanks.


KJS

Who expects to get 2-1 on an even money bet? Yes they are out there, but the common meaning is as everybody above said it. You get double of what you have now =$20 or nothing =$0. It means let's bet again. Not OK you beat me, so now I'll lay you odds so you can really kill me. It makes more sense on the 3d bet. Let's say you win the first two $10 legs. You're up 20. The guy wants to get even. Double or nothing now means the bet goes to 20. You either win 40 or break even. Sometimes I saw that in pool halls where guys were playing sets like races to 7 or 9 or whatever. More commmonly I saw it when I was a kid playing stupid games. :-)

I told you a while back you should run for office. The strained interpretation you put on this proves your potential. Particularly since you are liberal, you could tell people their taxes were doubling when they were really tripling.:-)

in ordinary speech often times a lot is left out because it is understood.


so in this case its


lets bet again and if you win ill owe you double,or if i lose ill owe you nothing.


...double...or...nothing.


again, this is very very common in spoken conversation and easy to see all the time in contrast to writing, but at the moment i cant think of a good example as going from general to specific example is sometimes very hard for my brain to do /images/smile.gif


brad

Nah, no one thinks 30. Tell whoever is mistaken that the amount owed is 20 bucks. Period.

KJS: 'To me, the phrase "double or nothing" is applicable when people have a bet and the winner does not want to make the bet again. The loser, in order to attempt to get out of the hole, ups the ante by saying "OK, double or nothing", which I understand as "I will put up double the amount whereas you can only put up IOU from the previous bet".'


Look what you are doing here. You are not being consistent! You are using the word "double" and saying that is the amount the loser is offering to bet. But to be consistent you would also have to apply the word "nothing" in the same way, i.e., the winner of the previous bet would have to bet NOTHING vs. the $20, not bet the $10 previously won vs. the $20. Betting $20 vs. nothing would be consistent although nonsensical. The only other consistent application of the words "double" and the "nothing" in the same phrase would be: for both words to refer to the amount to be owed instead of the amount to be bet...in which case the phrase makes perfect sense. Get it? You can't have one word referring to the amount to be bet while the other word refers to the amount to be owed--trying to do that without specific differentiation is like...apples and oranges, man...see?


Both key words in this simple phrase have to refer to the amount to be bet--or both key words have to refer to the amount to be owed--but you can't just mix and match what they refer to at your whim. And only one of the above makes any sense at all.

KJS,


Take some solace--you are right about the phrase "it begs the question."


John

IMO.


"lets bet again and if you win ill owe you double,or if i lose ill owe you nothing.


...double...or...nothing."


A rare day indeed when Brad and I agree completely.


Double or nothing it doesn't happen again next time.


/images/wink.gif

i think i agree with this explanation. the nature of the phrase is to allow the original loser to walk away even if he wins the next bet. i also understand why you would think what you do, KJS. perhaps it helps to think of it like this:


if i win 2 $10 bets on a coin flip, i have won $20. if we go 'double or nothing' i am now asking you to bet $20 on the next flip. if i win, i am even. if you win, i ALSO have to put up another $20, doubling your win/my loss.

It would be $40 if it happened next time;-)