h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Anything to get us away from these people who are asking me what I'm doing/wearing "at this moment." Surely the fact I'm on h2g2 should be enough

Anyway, my question: We are familiar with the way bookmakers odds are notated, with 2-1 representing a (putative) 33% chance, and these odds increase fairly logically, to whit: 2-1, 5-2, 3-1, 7-2 etc.

Why, then, when they encounter a probability equating to 3 in 13, is it expressed as 100-30, rather 10-3 (the lowest common denominators)?

Just wondering....

B

i think 10 to 3 could be misinterpreted....

As what? The time?

B

I always used to wonder that too

Perhaps it's because they don't like to express odds with a single digit after the slash unless it's X/1. I guess 100/30 isn't far off 3/1, and 10/3 just don't look right. Or maybe it makes it easier to work out the winnings on an each-way bet.

I dunno, I've only ever been in a betting shop twice in my entire 46 years.

Top marks for trying steer things away from "What colour underpants are you wearing right now" though

100/30 is used precisely to avoid confusion with "ten to three" which is a race time

Ah...thanks Washington - so why do they still use 10-1 then?

B

What a swizz...

nothing about trifles at all!



Jack-oh

So can't 5-2 also be misinterpreted as the time?

Be very careful if you are told that your train is at 2210.

(Very old train joke)

That's just the odds of it arriving.

B

at all? or just one time?

It's quoted 100-30 because that's how the French used to quote all their odds.
Anything quated against 100 is still known as French odds.
I heard it was because they had a metric currency long before us, so using odds based on 100 made it easy to work out returns, where as with our pounds shillings and pence, noone knew what was going on

I'm not sure why only this one migrated across the channel, perhaps the others got detained by customs on the eurostar

100-30 is often called a Berlington Bertie. Which I think is cockney ryming slang for 30 too.

Simon the who feels like he spends far too much time in the bookies now.

That sounds more reasonable

This worries me...given that this system is continental in origin do we, under our new Euro-Friendly Government, now have to await the EC bookies legislation:

"All odds quoted on any sporting or non-predetermined event must be offered as fractions of one hundred, in order to concur with the current metric system. Any bookmakers found taking bets at 9-2, 7-2, 5-1 or other firvolous odds will be prosecuted to the extent of the law and all customers' bets will be declared null and void. Conversion tables for the hard-of-multiplication will be issued as standard to all branches of Ladbrokes and W Hills."

Think what it'd do to insurance calculations

B