Providing the answers before posing the questions is part of our cultural fabric, from that infamous quiz show Twenty One of the 1950s to Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, to the Democratic National Committee of the, well, present.
And let us not forget Jeopardy, which, although hosted by a Canadian, perhaps best exemplifies this American obsession with—and bass-ackwards approach to—the pursuit of trivia. Therefore, in the spirit of the favorite TV game show of Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in the 1988 Academy Award-winning film Rain Man, here’s a little table test, Trebek-style.
Just remember to phrase your responses in the form of a question.
ROUND ONE
“Who (Who, Ooh) Wrote the Book, for $200”
His 1962 book, “Beat the Dealer” proved that players could, by keeping track of cards dealt during a round of blackjack, potentially gain a mathematical advantage over the house.
“Math Madness, for $400”
The house advantage on double-zero roulette to the second decimal place, or 5:55 on your watch.
“Hold Me Now, for $600”
While slot machine hold percentage is calculated by dividing win into handle, table games hold is calculated by dividing win into this.
“Daily Double”
An anagram of this simple table game spells out, “Orca Was In.”
“Dice, Dice Baby, for $800”
Only a few casinos accept these bets on a craps game because they can lead to scams between players and dealers.
“Name that Game, for $1,000”
Created by Englishman Geoff Hall, this blackjack derivative features gold coins and a pot-of-gold side bet.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
“Living on the Edge, for $400”
This mechanism puts players at a mathematical disadvantage in the base game of Three Card Poker, Caribbean Stud and High Card Flush, among others.
“The Lingo Ate My Baby, for $800”
You get 27 of these in baseball, but often in poker, you may be down to one or two.
“Daily Double”
In a standard deck of playing cards, these are the two Jacks that only have one eye.
“Banned at Barona, for $1,200”
Or at any California casino for that matter, these two traditional table games are ubiquitous in most every other market in the United States.
“Going, Going, Gone, for $1,600”
This once-common supervisory job in baccarat, which required sitting atop an elevated platform, has gone the way of the dodo bird and the bolo tie.
“A Little Alliteration, for $2,000”
When it was first commercialized in England, Three Card Poker was originally called this.
FINAL JEOPARDY
“Russian Roulette”
Not only was his 19th century novella The Gambler inspired by his own addiction to roulette, but his completion of it was further motived by his need to pay off casino debts.
ANSWERS:
ROUND ONE
Who is Edward Thorp?
What is 5.26%? (aka five-to-six.)
What is drop?
What is Casino War?
What are call bets?
What is Free Bet Blackjack?
DOUBLE JEOPARDY
What is dealer qualifying?
What are outs?
What are spades and hearts?
What are craps and roulette?
What is a ladderman?
What is Britt Brag?
FINAL JEOPARDY
Who is Fyodor Dostoyevsky?
