# I'm one in a googol! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070 "2006-04-24T23:16:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/1 "2006-04-24T23:16:55Z")
I’ve been playing holdem online today, and in 89 hands, I’ve been dealt a grand total of 0 pocket pairs. The chances of this happening on any given hand are 3/51, so the chances of this happening 89 times in a row is (3/51)^89 = .3090622752 \* 10^-109. That means that I’m one in .3235593860 \* 10^110, or 1 in 3 billion googol. 🆒 I feel special, although not in a very encouraging way. I stopped playing after hand 89, when I finally turned a profit. Who knows how long my ungodly “lucky” streak will continue. Maybe I should be playing Razz . . . ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/2 "2006-04-24T23:35:55Z")
Sorry to burst your bubble of specialness, but you did your math wrong. If the odds of getting a pocket pair are 3/51, then the odds of not getting a pocket pair are 48/51. Thus, the odds of not getting a pocket pair 89 times in a row is only (48/51)^89. I don’t have my calculator handy right now, but I’m guessing it’s less than 1 in a googol. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/3 "2006-04-24T23:44:13Z")
**Giraffe** , may I introduce [Google Calculator](http://www.google.com/help/calculator.html). Just go to Google, type in (48/51)^89, and you get **(48 / 51)^89 = 0.00453653696** which is almost 0.5%. To put that into “one in…” terms, copy the new answer into the search bar and put “1/” before it. Or retype the original, but stick a “-” in before the 89. Either way you get 220.43246. So it’s about 1 in 220, assuming I didn’t screw that up somewhere along the way. Still pretty unlikely though. And it sounds pretty annoying too. I think the calculation in the OP is the odds of getting pocket pairs 89 times in a row, which would be rather impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/4 "2006-04-25T00:05:09Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Sorry to burst your bubble of specialness, but you did your math wrong. If the odds of getting a pocket pair are 3/51, then the odds of not getting a pocket pair are 48/51. Thus, the odds of not getting a pocket pair 89 times in a row is only (48/51)^89. I don’t have my calculator handy right now, but I’m guessing it’s less than 1 in a googol. 😛 Wow. :eek: That’s the most egregious mathematical error I can recall making. Rerunning with the correct numbers, I’m actually 1 in 220. Not quite so impressive. And I can’t believe I made that mistake. That would have been acceptable in the seventh grade, but sheesh. Not good for last year’s state math champion (I got a trophy and everything), an aspiring mathematician. :smack: :smack: :smack: :wally [**Mayo** Hides in shame and hopes he gets this out of his system before next week’s Calculus final] And I’m still special in my book, dadgummit! ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/5 "2006-04-25T00:09:09Z")
> [@TJdude825](#): > > \ > I think the calculation in the OP is the odds of getting pocket pairs 89 times in a row, which would be rather impressive. Yeah, that’s exactly what I calculated. I’m an idiot. I am to mathematics what Raven Symone is to acting. And when I _do_ get 89 consecutive pocket pairs, I WILL be on in a googol. It’ll happen. I feel lucky, if a bit stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/6 "2006-04-25T09:16:39Z")
So how many hands would it take to really reach one in a google then? Google calc doesn’t like (48/51)^X=10^100 ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/7 "2006-04-25T09:17:46Z")
goog **o** l :smack: I knew that ---
**Author:** ![Praetor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@Praetor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Praetor)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/8 "2006-04-25T15:19:56Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > So how many hands would it take to really reach one in a google then? 3799 hands of no pocket pairs. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-one-in-a-googol/354070/9 "2006-04-25T17:51:40Z")
> [@Praetor](#): > > 3799 hands of no pocket pairs. Well, \*my \*streak’s still alive. I’ll let everyone know when I’ve hit 3799. 😃