Confirmation bias, not bad luck
Dear Antonio,
I know that luck is part of the game, but why does it seem like every damn coin flip goes against me? Whether I'm overcards versus pocket pair or pocket pair versus overcards, the breaks never fall my way. What's the deal? Does God hate me or what?
Snakebit
Dear Snakebit,
You're suffering from a little thing called "confirmation bias." You don't actually lose more than your share of coin flips, but it seems that way to you because you notice and remember the losses more vividly than you notice and remember the wins. If you want to prove it to yourself, just keep track of those tossup situations for a while and you'll see the odds even out. On the other hand, why not just suck it up and deal? I don't recall seeing the words "life is fair" printed on the contract.
· Antonio
