But it's easy!

[Muses_nightmare]

Okay, so a little lesson about one of the sidebets at the casino I work for, we have a side bet on blackjack called lucky ladies, basically if your first 2 cards equal 20 then you win either 4 to 1, 9 to 1, 19 to 1, 125 to 1, or 1000 to 1, all based on what cards you have, and of course, whether you've bet there. (Not all of this is relevant, but it may be handy to know)

Okay well, most people bet $1 - $5, but you can bet up to $100, in this case the player bet $17, and he got a 4 to 1 win. I hate bets like that, because unlike other more common bets it slows the game down while I figure out what I need to pay out, it's a pain in the ass. So I'm standing there at first trying to do the math in my head, which is not at all my strong point, I forget numbers as I'm figuring them out in my head, and the player beside the winning player does the "I'm so superior to this stupid peon" sniff and says "that's easy! Just pay it like *ch ch ch* (I think he was suggesting I pay out the chips in a line...which is not what we do with that type of bet)". So I eventually have to use the chips in the tray to figure this out and the game continues, and the guy who made the comment decides to take it upon himself to say the numbers of the cards as I'm going through them, like I can't figure it out myself.

Needless to say I spent most of the time he was at my table wishing he'd lose and leave, but those kind seem to have an endless supply of $100's to throw at me.

[smileyeagle1021]

who the hell bets $17... the only time I do something other than even $5s is when it's a min bet lower than $5 and I'm feeling cheap.

[rvdammit]

Last punt of the night?

[gaspode]

last "what" of the night? Oh sorry my hearings is playing up

[rvdammit]

punt - longshot bet you don't expect to win, but it would be nice if it did

[Muses_nightmare]

Actually the guy was sitting there for another hour or so, and had lots of chips in front of him, so either it was just some random chips he decided to bet or he knew it would be a pain in the ass, some people try to slow the game down on purpose.

[dbblsanta]

Here's a quick little tip. Instead of multiplying 17 by 4 all together, carrying numbers over, etc.

Remember that 17 = 10 + 7

Do 10 x 4 = 40
7 x 4 = 28

40 + 28 = 68

If he bet $17 on a 1:19 bet, you'll have to do 4 easy multiplications instead of just two like the previous.

17 = 10 + 7
19 = 10 + 9

10 x 10 = 100
10 x 9 = 90
10 x 7 = 70
7 x 9 = 63

100 + 90 = 190 + 70 = 260 + 63 = 323

17 x 19 = 323

[BookstoreEscapee]

Here's a quick little tip. Instead of multiplying 17 by 4 all together, carrying numbers over, etc.

Remember that 17 = 10 + 7

Do 10 x 4 = 40
7 x 4 = 28

40 + 28 = 68

If he bet $17 on a 1:19 bet, you'll have to do 4 easy multiplications instead of just two like the previous.

17 = 10 + 7
19 = 10 + 9

10 x 10 = 100
10 x 9 = 90
10 x 7 = 70
7 x 9 = 63

100 + 90 = 190 + 70 = 260 + 63 = 323

17 x 19 = 323

Uhhh....

/majored in English for a reason...

[dbblsanta]

Uhhh....

/majored in English for a reason...

Ok, it sounds hard to explain, but it really is a lot easier to do in your head than straight multiplication.

If you have 2 numbers you are multiplying, break them down into powers of 10. For example, let's multiply 15 and 16.

15 = 10 + 5
16 = 10 + 6

You now have four numbers: 10, 10, 5, and 6.

You must multiply these four numbers, two numbers at a time, until you've done all 4 combinations. There are 4 combinations because there are 4 digits in the numbers you are multiplying (15 x 16 there are 4 total digits: 1, 5, 1, and 6. If you multplied 156 x 165 there would be six combinations)

The four combinations are:

10 x 10
10 x 5
10 x 6
5 x 6

10 x 10 = 100
10 x 5 = 50
10 x 6 = 60
5 x 6 = 30

You then add these 4 products together.

100 + 50 = 150 + 60 = 210 + 30 = 240

15 x 16 = 240

Basically what you are doing is instead of doing one really hard multiplication problem in your head, you are breaking it down into 4 easy multiplication problems.

[Muses_nightmare]

see my problem is, I forget the numbers instantly as I figure them out. So I just use the chips in my tray to figure it out, most times it's pretty easy, like a 19 to 1 on a $5 bet is $95 as there are 20 chips in a stack and a stack of $5 chips is $100. I hate oddball bets though.

[Lingering Grin]

Basically what you are doing is instead of doing one really hard multiplication problem in your head, you are breaking it down into 4 easy multiplication problems.

You can do it easier in 3

Remember, you're multiplying by 10.

15 x 16:

5 x 10 = 50

5 x 6 = 30

50 + 30 = 80

10 x 16 = 160

160 + 80 = 240


Removes a step if you just multiply by 10, rather than breaking both numbers down. Works with any multiple of 10... like twenty is the same, except you have to double the final number

[PepperElf]

my version:

pull out a calculator and use it.
either on the math or the guy's head if he pulls another attitude

nothing sucks more than someone trying to talk at you while you're doing math.

[Muses_nightmare]

my version:

pull out a calculator and use it.
either on the math or the guy's head if he pulls another attitude

nothing sucks more than someone trying to talk at you while you're doing math.

oh if only we were allowed a calculator, that would make my job 10x easier. God only knows why I took a job that requires me to do math in my head, probably the benefits. :P

[Muses_nightmare]

You can do it easier in 3

Remember, you're multiplying by 10.

15 x 16:

5 x 10 = 50

5 x 6 = 30

50 + 30 = 80

10 x 16 = 160

160 + 80 = 240


Removes a step if you just multiply by 10, rather than breaking both numbers down. Works with any multiple of 10... like twenty is the same, except you have to double the final number

How sad is it that simple math like that seems like advanced calculus when I have to do it in my head within a few seconds...I just blank out on math when I do it in my head, could be why I'm considering something to do with art for a career. :P

[Chromatix]

Yeah, this is essentially long-multiplication in your head. It really helps to have memorised your times tables for this.

I find that I only need to keep track of three pieces of information to do this:

- Which digits you are up to in the multiplicands.

- The result of multiplying those digits.

- The cumulative total.

Just work through every pair of digits, multiply them using your memorised times table (with the appropriate number of zeroes afterwards), and add the result to the total.

If you can pin up a 9x9 times table behind your desk, you don't even have to remember that. A small abacus may also help for keeping track of the total.