
Parrondo's paradox - ColinWright
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrondo%27s_paradox
======
tedunangst
I don't think the first example is illustrative at all. "Now consider the
second case where we have a saw-tooth like region between them. Here also, the
marbles will roll towards either ends with equal probability." Not if it's
anything like the included illustration, in which case the marble is more
likely to roll towards A than B. "Now if we tilt the whole profile towards the
right, as shown in Figure 2, it is quite clear that both these cases will
become biased towards B." Again, no, it's quite clear to me that the second
case remains biased towards A.

~~~
gizzlon
Think the illustration is off. Think the sawtooth pattern is suppose to be
perfect.

------
spektom
Should one learn from this paradox that switching between games in casino will
lead to win?

~~~
iclelland
Sure -- this is like playing roulette, (game A, a constant-losing-odds game,)
while simultaneously watching the blackjack table (game B,) waiting for the
deck to become favorable. As soon as the card count gets high enough, switch
games. Once the blackjack game turns negative, switch back to roulette to pass
the time.

This should be a winning strategy, against two losing games. The key is that
the odds in game B vary, and you structure your gameplay such that you're
mostly playing game B when the odds are better than even.

Oh, and you'd likely be kicked out of any casino in Vegas for doing this.

~~~
ehao
Or you could just wait for the blackjack deck to be favourable and not play
roulette....

~~~
gcp
The analogy would have worked if you changed roulette by 2 blackjack tables.

