# You find real magic 8 ball **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 12, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446 "2015-10-12T17:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/41 "2015-10-13T17:36:16Z")
“What band is Jon Anderson best known for?” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/42 "2015-10-13T18:05:07Z")
A cheesy NY DJ did this bit to death almost 20 years ago. He never got tired of laughing at his own jokes. I never got tired of changing the station. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/43 "2015-10-14T12:08:01Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Does God, as defined in the Judeo-Christian traditions, exist? > > Any other questions are mere details on life. Basically, yes, this would be the question to ask. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/44 "2015-10-14T12:15:32Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Does God, as defined in the Judeo-Christian traditions, exist? And when you share your new knowledge with all of mankind, how does that work? “See, I asked this for-reals Magic Eightball. No, I don’t have access to it, once used it auto destructed.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/45 "2015-10-14T12:30:59Z")
An interesting side-question here: What’s the most money one could \*\*guarantee \*\* earning using a single yes/no answer? Somebody has already pointed out that a roulette spin would still have a 1% shot of bankrupting you. For sports betting, you still have to get lucky enough to find a matchup where the underdog is going to win. You might ask if some nobody schlub is going to beat Manny Pacquiao, but the ball is going to say “no” and you won’t be able to make much money on the bet. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/46 "2015-10-14T12:35:38Z")
“Can entropy be reversed?” ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/47 "2015-10-14T13:02:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > An interesting side-question here: > > What’s the most money one could \*\*guarantee \*\* earning using a single yes/no answer? Somebody has already pointed out that a roulette spin would still have a 1% shot of bankrupting you. > > For sports betting, you still have to get lucky enough to find a matchup where the underdog is going to win. You might ask if some nobody schlub is going to beat Manny Pacquiao, but the ball is going to say “no” and you won’t be able to make much money on the bet. The green slots on a roulette wheel won’t bankrupt you if you play smart. If the answer to “will it land on red” is yes, then you can confidently put 10 grand on red and double your money. If the answer is no, then you put about 800 each on 0 and 00 and the rest on black and you still do OK. The problem, as mentioned earlier, is really table limits. You could get a bunch of your friends together and divvy up your money between them, but in no way is it going to be a retirement level of winnings. Basically, yeah, the odds need to be slanted, and then if the 8-ball tells you that the expected outcome is indeed the winner you can’t leverage it. Even odds are the best way to make money on this but then your winnings are capped pretty low. I’m stumped. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/48 "2015-10-14T13:11:39Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “Can entropy be reversed?” Well-played, sir. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/49 "2015-10-14T13:26:13Z")
“Will I be diagnosed with cancer before age _x_?” You’d have to give some careful thought to the choice of age to ask about, and it would depend on your current age, estimated cancer risk, and life goals. “Will Bashar al-Assad still rule any portion of of Syria in ten years?” Opportunities to profit from knowing the answer to this question might be morally questionable. “Will I ever acquire a sexually transmitted infection?” Think of all the fun you could have if the answer were “no”! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/50 "2015-10-14T16:27:59Z")
Does P = NP? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/51 "2015-10-14T16:47:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Does P = NP? Best question so far! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/52 "2015-10-14T16:54:10Z")
I’m still thinking about what question I’d ask, but one that might top my list is, “will I outlive my wife?” At this point, given our ages and our individual and family health histories, it’s probably a coin toss as to which of us will outlive the other. But strange as it may seem, I’d like to know which way that coin toss will come up. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/53 "2015-10-14T17:00:28Z")
Will a barrel of oil, ounce of gold, share of Google, be worth more than $X.XX in 10 years. It would take a lot of research and capitol but can’t you buy futures, or short sell stuff to make a profit either way. I admit I really don’t know what I’m talking about but I have some vague thought that this could work. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/54 "2015-10-14T17:04:36Z")
If WidgetCo stock is currently selling at $25 a share, and you ask if it will be worth more than, say, $50 a share in 10 years… yes? Buy all the stock you can, make a decent profit. no? This is where it falls apart. You can’t short it because it may hit $49.99. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/55 "2015-10-14T17:10:45Z")
Stock has the same problem as sports betting. First you have to pinpoint a stock that you expect will see a remarkable rise in profit in x number of years, or else risk wasting your question. If you could do that with any consistency, you wouldn’t need the magic 8 ball. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/56 "2015-10-14T17:16:49Z")
A question that is on my mind constantly these days: Is staying in my current career path the right thing to do for my growth? ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/57 "2015-10-14T17:56:41Z")
I think the best question for gambling would be " in this Baccarat deck, will the Player win a hand before the Banker?" Baccarat generally has much higher stakes, and a lower house edge, than Roulette. It’s also less messy than spreading your bet across the table. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/58 "2015-10-15T00:33:04Z")
This was a good post. Given my family longevity history, the question I would ask is “Will I live to be 85 years old in good mental health?” An answer to that question would provide sound advice for my financial investment plans. P.S. You young kids might not get it. But when you reach my age, how much longer you have is a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/59 "2015-10-15T06:39:22Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > These kinds of questions seem mildly interesting, but essentially useless. Say you get an answer of “YES.” Then what? You can’t do anything about it, you won’t convince anyone else it’s true, you’ll just know that one day, probably long after you’re dead, it will happen. And that’s all you know; you still have to guess the outcome. Is that really that great an advance from guessing whether it will ever occur at all? I disagree. I’m not sure what you are using as a determining factor for “useless”. This is something I would just like to know. It would be deeply satisfying to me to know either way. Re the God issue, I don’t need an 8 ball to know God doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446/60 "2015-10-15T21:43:44Z")
If you’re going for the money approach, I think the best bet is to turn it into some kind of media frenzy. [This guy](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2004-04-12-big-gamble_x.htm) was in the news a while ago. Liquidates life savings and bets it on red. Presumably, if there were table limits, they were temporarily lifted by the casino. I can easily imagine a big media event centered around “man bets life savings on Magic 8 Ball”. No one has to know that it’s real; it’s not like a single winning coinflip means anything. Relatively cheap advertising for the casino. You might actually come out with more than double your money if you can tap into the advertising dollars somehow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-find-real-magic-8-ball/734446.md?page=4)