HOH v1 Mistake p.120

On page 120 he gives an example on pot odds. Given a simple die, "You're willing to bet $1 that you can roll a six. He bets $6 that you can't". It's a favorable bet because the odds against you winning is 5-to-1 but the payoff odds are 6-1.

Not really. If you think about it, you're gonna lose $7 five times and win $7 once on average. If you roll a six, you win your bet and his bet. If you roll anything else, you lose your bet and his bet.

It's blatantly obvious what he's trying to say, but it's still wrong.

[KramerTM]

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On page 120 he gives an example on pot odds. Given a simple die, "You're willing to bet $1 that you can roll a six. He bets $6 that you can't". It's a favorable bet because the odds against you winning is 5-to-1 but the payoff odds are 6-1.

Not really. If you think about it, you're gonna lose $7 five times and win $7 once on average. If you roll a six, you win your bet and his bet. If you roll anything else, you lose your bet and his bet.

It's blatantly obvious what he's trying to say, but it's still wrong.

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HAHA what?

This is offensively wrong my friend. Read before you post.

[MCS]

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It's blatantly obvious what he's trying to say, but it's still wrong.

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No it isn't. Think carefully about what you will lose and what you will win under the different scenarios.

Ok...I roll a 5. I lose my $1 bet for not rolling a 6, and I lost his $6 bet cause I did not roll a 6.

Take each sentence one at a time. "I bet $1 that I can roll a 6". So if I roll a 6, I win $1. "He bets $6 that you can't". So if I don't roll a six, I lose $6. The conceptual error here is that it's a bet. He's not just "giving" you $6 if you roll a six, he fully expects you to pay $6 if you don't because it was a bet and that's what a bet is.

It's a pretty obvious error once you see it. Call me nitpicky if you want, but the people who could possibly get confused by this are the people that actually need to be explained how pot odds work. Or they're not that good at English.

I don't get how this is offensive at all. If the mistake is there you might as well fix it.

Sorry if this was the wrong place to point it out, but I don't know where to put it.

I really wouldn't say this is a negligible mistake, which is why I posted it. 50 pages follow that are all about pot odds, and this is an error that can only matter to those it can harm.

[JohnnyFX]

I feel sorry for the people you [ QUOTE ]
be explained how pot odds work.

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Or they're not that good at English.

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Lol.

Stop before you make yourself look any sillier.

[Jordan Olsommer]

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I really wouldn't say this is a negligible mistake, which is why I posted it. 50 pages follow that are all about pot odds, and this is an error that can only matter to those it can harm.

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You don't "lose" his $6 when you don't roll a six, any more than you lose $20 million when your lottery ticket doesn't win.

The two possibilities here are that you either roll a six, or you do not. On a fair die, 1/6th of the time you will roll the six, and therefore 1 - 1/6 = 5/6ths of the time you will not. 1/6th of the time you win your friend's $6, and 5/6ths of the time you lose your $1.
(1/6)(6) + (5/6)(-1) = 1/6, meaning that each time you make this bet, it's worth 1/6th of a dollar to you in positive expectation - there's no error.

If it's any consolation, I post without thinking things through all the time too. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see if my grandmother is finished borrowing my ball gag and leather chaps.

[MCS]

I think it was clear from context what Harrington meant.

I understand your technical language argument, but I disagree with it as well. I don't see why anyone would interpret it the way you did.

Do you think readers are really saying to themselves, "Okay, so we're betting a dollar each...wow, now we're each betting six more!"

It may work in other books, but this is a poker book. A bet should really only mean one thing, and in a poker context that is exactly how you should interpret it at first until he explains what he's trying to say. "Common sense" is a vague term.

[smoore]

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"Common sense" is a vague term.

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bahahahahaha. Perfect.

Sorry man, everyone else understood the example. I'm laying $1, he's laying $6 (Instead of the $5 that would make it an even bet with a fair die). I win.