Has anyone wagered that all four #! seeds will make it to the Final Four this year?

SanctionII · March 29, 2008 5:04AM

To my knowledge all four #1 seeds have never made it to the final four since the tournament expanded to a field of 64(5) teams.

This year's tournament raises the possibility that all four #1 will play in the Final Four. Mephis, UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas are still playing. If these teams win today and tomorrow, anyone who placed a bet on all four #1 going to the Final Four should enjoy a nice payday. I suspect that the line on this type of bet was fairly high.

stevek · March 29, 2008 7:44AM

<<< anyone who placed a bet on all four #1 going to the Final Four should enjoy a nice payday. >>>

A nice payday? Yea right - LOL. These prop bets are absolutely all pathetic sucker bets. Sure a gambler will hit a good one once in awhile, but overall they'll go broke sooner or later making bets like this, and of course it's usually sooner.

There's no such thing as a "nice payday" making sports bets - hitting something like this only keeps a gambler in action a bit longer until their betting account is down to a zero balance again, and then it's time to make another withdrawal to pay the sports bookie.

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jlbsquared · March 29, 2008 9:37PM

Sanction, you've been here since '04 you don't know the rules? Any gambling thread will be questioned, berated, and lectured upon by the resident busted gambler. It's like trying to have a beer around a dry drunk.

Anyhoo, I think the odds were like 7.05/1 that all 4 No. 1 seeds would make the final 4...

stevek · March 29, 2008 10:02PM

<<< Sanction, you've been here since '04 you don't know the rules? Any gambling thread will be questioned, berated, and lectured upon by the resident busted gambler. >>>

Just trying to share lessons that I learned the hard way. Most people appreciate that and learn from it, but unfortunately some won't.

<<< It's like trying to have a beer around a dry drunk. >>>

You're so far off base that it's not even funny. I've often enjoyed here in many posts talking about odds and chances of teams winning or losing. I am not and never have been against gamblers...I happen to like gamblers and have friends who are gamblers...I just don't gamble and yes I'll continue to point out sucker gambling bets whenever possible so that hopefully people won't lose too much money to the stinkin' bookies...and if you don't like it, that's your problem.

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stevek · March 29, 2008 10:04PM

<< Anyhoo, I think the odds were like 7.05/1 that all 4 No. 1 seeds would make the final 4... >>

And BTW...if those were the odds, then that has to be one of the most pathetic sucker sports bets I have ever seen. LOL

jlbsquared · March 30, 2008 12:26AM

<< You're so far off base that it's not even funny. I've often enjoyed here in many posts talking about odds and chances of teams winning or losing. I am not and never have been against gamblers...I happen to like gamblers and have friends who are gamblers...I just don't gamble and yes I'll continue to point out sucker gambling bets whenever possible so that hopefully people won't lose too much money to the stinkin' bookies...and if you don't like it, that's your problem. >>

I'm not sure what good pointing out a sucker bet weeks after the bet can be made does, but it sure does sound preachy... You say you have friends that gamble, I'm sure most of them are like the people who like to gamble on this board or in general - they do it as entertainment, win some, lose some, have a good time doing it and dont lose the mortgage. I think golf is a big waste of time and money, but I'd never stalk the boards to voice my opinion every time someone siad they just wasted 100 in greens fees and however much more at the 19th hole - I just don't feel the need to crap on others good times...

jlbsquared · March 30, 2008 12:29AM

oops, wrong thread, this post moved to the Phillies thread...

stevek · March 30, 2008 2:52AM

<< 

<< You're so far off base that it's not even funny. I've often enjoyed here in many posts talking about odds and chances of teams winning or losing. I am not and never have been against gamblers...I happen to like gamblers and have friends who are gamblers...I just don't gamble and yes I'll continue to point out sucker gambling bets whenever possible so that hopefully people won't lose too much money to the stinkin' bookies...and if you don't like it, that's your problem. >>

I'm not sure what good pointing out a sucker bet weeks after the bet can be made does, but it sure does sound preachy... You say you have friends that gamble, I'm sure most of them are like the people who like to gamble on this board or in general - they do it as entertainment, win some, lose some, have a good time doing it and dont lose the mortgage. I think golf is a big waste of time and money, but I'd never stalk the boards to voice my opinion every time someone siad they just wasted 100 in greens fees and however much more at the 19th hole - I just don't feel the need to crap on others good times... >>

When I reach 10,000 posts maybe I'll consider "Preacher SteveK" for a title.

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Connecticoin · March 30, 2008 9:01AM

Well, all #1 seeds made it --- Kansas made it by one Curry missed 3-pointer!

Estil · March 30, 2008 11:00AM

If you want to actually WIN at gambling, learn how to play Deuces Wild video poker correctly.

Boopotts · March 30, 2008 2:07PM

<< If you want to actually WIN at gambling, learn how to play Deuces Wild video poker correctly. >>

This is only true for the games that have the correct pay schedule, and even those games can only be found in $.25 denominations in Las Vegas. So, if you want to make $5 an hour playing vid. poker, and you want to move to Vegas, there are some opportunities for you. Otherwise, there are not.

Anyone playing a short pay machine (i.e., any game that pays 4 for 1 on quads) will lose everything they own if they play long enough. The exception is with progressive machines, but it's very hard to find any decent progressives-- even in Vegas.

Estil · March 30, 2008 9:01PM

Doesn't all that count under playing it correctly?

Let's just say the last time I got to play it for real in a casino, I definetly saw I needed more practice mastering the table (the list that tells you how you're supposed to play your hands). I'd also love to try Spanish 21 (or at least regular blackjack) but every casino I've been in makes you bet at least $5 a hand; too rich for my blood...

SanctionII · March 31, 2008 12:30AM

I do not gamble, other than tossing $10.00 worth of quarters into a slot machine if I am in Nevada and playing nickel/dime/quarter poker with the guys. I posted this thread because I thought the possibility of four #1 sees making it to the final four was interesting. Funny that it actually happened [Kansas got lucky though].

If the odds were only 7.05 to 1, that seems pretty low to me. but what do I know since I do not gamble.

bigfische · March 31, 2008 12:44AM

<< Doesn't all that count under playing it correctly?

Let's just say the last time I got to play it for real in a casino, I definetly saw I needed more practice mastering the table (the list that tells you how you're supposed to play your hands). I'd also love to try Spanish 21 (or at least regular blackjack) but every casino I've been in makes you bet at least $5 a hand; too rich for my blood... >>

I love spanish blackjack!

stevek · March 31, 2008 12:44AM

<< I do not gamble, other than tossing $10.00 worth of quarters into a slot machine if I am in Nevada and playing nickel/dime/quarter poker with the guys. I posted this thread because I thought the possibility of four #1 sees making it to the final four was interesting. Funny that it actually happened [Kansas got lucky though].

If the odds were only 7.05 to 1, that seems pretty low to me. but what do I know since I do not gamble. >>

And it was interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that it never happened before.

SanctionII · March 31, 2008 5:55AM

I played high school and college hoops in the 70's and in the early 80's (before getting married) hung out with So. Cal. D-1 college coaches, D-1 college players and some D-1 players that played in the NBA or in overseas pro leagues.

I have always liked the college basketball tournaments and have followed same closely for decades. Since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 (65) teams in the early 80's, no tournament ever had four #1 seeds make it to the final four. Until the 2008 edition (though Kansas barely escaped an upset by Davidson).

At first impression it would seem unusual that in the past 25 or so years of the tournament this has never happened. However, thinking about it more leads me to believe that if a mathmetician/statistician calculated the odds of four #1 seeds making it to the final four (with these four teams competing against 61 other teams in the field of 65), the probability of this happening is pretty remote (less than 10% or 1 in 10 I suspect).

What would be interesting to see would be the same mathmetician/statistician calculating the probability of all four #16 seeds making it to the final four (less than .1% or 1 in 100 I suspect)

Who says nath is not fun

Boopotts · March 31, 2008 10:43AM

<< I do not gamble, other than tossing $10.00 worth of quarters into a slot machine if I am in Nevada and playing nickel/dime/quarter poker with the guys. I posted this thread because I thought the possibility of four #1 sees making it to the final four was interesting. Funny that it actually happened [Kansas got lucky though].

If the odds were only 7.05 to 1, that seems pretty low to me. but what do I know since I do not gamble. >>

Assuming #1 seeds make it to the final 4 40% of the time (which is about the historical percentage), the odds of all four making it to the final four are .40^4, or about 2.5%

Has anyone wagered that all four #! seeds will make it to the Final Four this year?

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