# So I drank the right beer, beat the odds, and won a prize **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 22, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515 "2007-08-22T16:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/21 "2007-08-22T20:08:00Z")
When I was a grad student, they had a raffle every year at the department Christmas party. Tickets were something like 3 for $5, with the proceeds going to charity. My final year in the program, I bought my standard 3 raffle tickets, and wound up winning two major prizes! I got a new printer (very useful when you’re a student), and a gift basket of nice bath products. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/22 "2007-08-22T20:09:43Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I won a Sony WebTV from a Snapple under-cap contest about 10 years ago. [/QUOTE] \ ---
**Author:** ![2gigch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2gigch1/32/3313_2.png) [@2gigch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2gigch1)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/23 "2007-08-22T21:42:25Z")
Local am radio station said to check in to their website for tickets to a Ravens preseason game two weeks ago. Got home and logged in, just for amusement. Next morning (Monday) got the call, that evening we were off to Baltimore (about an hour away) for an amusing evening with great weather and deserts at the Double-T on Rt 40. Never in my life would I have done that on purpose but it sure was fun for an on the fly event. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/24 "2007-08-22T21:54:16Z")
Haha, I just remembered that I also recently won 2 tickets to a live tv taping of The Fratellis. Since the taping was to be in Chicago on a Thursday, I wasn’t going to be able to go, but I got another email from them saying that the taping had been cancelled, so they were instead sending cds to the winners. That was a website promotion. Must just be a music thing for me? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/25 "2007-08-22T21:55:41Z")
I never win anything. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/26 "2007-08-22T22:04:22Z")
Biggest thing I ever won, in college I filled out a survey asking what I thought of the dining hall food (pretty good, actually, but horrendously overpriced), and won an $80 travel gift certificate. Which was nice, since that was just about the price I was paying for my next trip home (Amtrak). ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/27 "2007-08-22T22:59:51Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] He had won an all-expenses-paid, plus $1500 spending money (plus loads of other stuff when we got there) trip to the Marlboro Ranch in Montana. [/QUOTE] Is that ranch near the Crazy Mountains, north of Livingston? ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/28 "2007-08-22T23:42:41Z")
I entered a short story contest and got onto the shortlist - we went off to the wine and nibbles evening. They had a few prizes to give away, sponsors (a local Vintner) product. Very nice. From the Sponsors speech, I was able to work out when the Vinyard opened and won a bottle of wine and a pen, very nice. It wasn’t till later I realised that, in a writing competition, I won the \*maths \* prize. Still, it was very nice wine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2007, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/29 "2007-08-22T23:58:45Z")
I only won a radio contest once, but it was $10K. Oh, and once at the skating rink I won a 45 of “Whip It” by Devo. With those two facts, a dedicated sleuth should be able to triangulate my true identity! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/30 "2007-08-23T00:14:05Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] I never win anything. ☹ [/QUOTE] Aw, your sad face has made me award you my first ever internet hug - {{{astroboy}}} {surreptitiously cops a feel} heh heh heh ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/31 "2007-08-23T00:16:41Z")
My husband entered a raffle (I forget where) and won a Michael Jordan-autographed basketball. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/32 "2007-08-23T01:31:17Z")
When I was about 12, I won one of those “guess how many jelly beans in this gigantic jar” contests. The contest was run by a toy store, and I got a $5 gift certificate to the store. I was very excited about this. The next time we went to the store, I was all set to redeem my gift certificate, but it had gone out of business. My stepfather gave me $5 to make up for it, though, which was nice of him. Also, last week at my weekly Pub Quiz, my team won. This was a special week though, and in addition to our prize money they gave us one of the lights that had been hanging over the pool tables in the [bar](http://www.pandhcafe.com/), which is a bit of a local institution, for a couple of decades. It’s in my shed out back now, a little piece of Memphis history. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/33 "2007-08-23T02:25:44Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] Is that ranch near the Crazy Mountains, north of Livingston? [/QUOTE] Yup. Have you been there? When we went, it was actually the 50th anniversary celebration, so the gifts were “off the hook” as was the whole experience. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/34 "2007-08-23T02:41:57Z")
I’ll be resurrecting this thread in January so I can tell everyone how I won [this contest](http://franchising.owenscorning.com/bfs/promo/index-2007.aspx#) for a finished basement from Owens Corning. I’ve never won anything of much value, but for some reason I’ve been obsessed with this drawing since it opened in January. I just FEEL like I’m gonna win… ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/35 "2007-08-23T03:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=jackelope] When I was about 12, I won one of those “guess how many jelly beans in this gigantic jar” contests. The contest was run by a toy store, and I got a $5 gift certificate to the store. I was very excited about this. [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, I won a “guess how many jelly beans are in the jar” contest too, back when I was about 8 or 9. The prize was the jar of jelly beans. It took me months to get through them all! Come to think of it, I should ask my parents how they really felt about that particular prize next time I talk to them… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/36 "2007-08-23T03:48:33Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] Yup. Have you been there? [/QUOTE] No. But I was flying my glider in that area a month ago, and I got low over the ranch - thought I might have to land at the airstrip there. The Crazy Mountains are beautiful - some of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/37 "2007-08-23T04:04:35Z")
[QUOTE=InLucemEdita] Won shotgun in a raffle at a gun show nearly 15 years ago. Still have it. [/QUOTE] My dad won four guns one night. Two shotguns (I think each was valued at about $800) and little guns\* The shotguns he has since sold (this was about 15 years ago) but the little ones are still laying around. (After he won them, he realized the waitress had thrown away the tickets when she cleared the table, but they dug them out of the garbage). Just a few weeks ago he won something like 40# of pork (roasts, tenderloins, bacon etc…) at a hunting dinner. Luckily we have a walk in freezer at work where it currently resides. Oh, and a cowoker’s sister won a Harley just by filling out a raffle card at a festival. - lesse, (digs them out from a hiding spot) they are Raven Arms MP-25’s ([http://www.sullivansclassicarms.com/images/UPL11-1.jpg](http://www.sullivansclassicarms.com/images/UPL11-1.jpg)) ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/38 "2007-08-23T05:30:36Z")
While I was out of town as a kid, staying with my Grandma, I won a coloring contest at a Safeway. The prize was a 50 pound pumpkin (That may be an overstatement, it was many years ago.) My grandma baked dozens of pies from that thing, and I got to have a few slices at Christmas. I would have liked to see that thing before it got hacked up. I really wonder how my “Size 0 Petite” grandma managed to wrestle that thing home. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/39 "2007-08-23T11:10:07Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] No. But I was flying my glider in that area a month ago, and I got low over the ranch - thought I might have to land at the airstrip there. The Crazy Mountains are beautiful - some of my favorites. [/QUOTE] The Crazy Mountains were gorgeous. The ranch is absolutely amazing, too. They have it set up like a “ghost town” with a lot of original buildings (disassembled and brought in and reassembled) and some recreations. Of course, it was November, so the first morning we woke up to snow. It was wonderful. [Here](http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=8714201&uid=3941633) are some pictures I took (with my digital camera, which was one of the gifts we got!) while there. I would give my left ovary (ok, actually, both of them, as I never wanna have anymore kids!!) to win another trip. I keep hoping they will just send me an invitation for my birthday – they do that sometimes… ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515/40 "2007-08-23T15:28:10Z")
[QUOTE=Astroboy14] I never win anything. ☹ [/QUOTE] I would have said the same until not that long ago… a $5 payout after playing about 50 lottery tickets was my biggest win ever. You know those cardboard contest entry boxes they sometimes have in the liquor store? I got a voice mail saying I’d won something for entering my name in one, and to call them back. I figured it would be one of those “1/2 price gym membership” non-prizes, but it turned out that a multinational distillery was giving me a flat-panel TV! (Which was nice, since I didn’t own one at all at the time). Now I always bring a pen with me when I buy beer. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-drank-the-right-beer-beat-the-odds-and-won-a-prize/416515.md?page=3)