By now we should be sufficiently reminded of the completely random nature of honest VP games. (Recall Frank's coin with 2.6 million sides, or Mickey's hand held deck experiment, or read any reputbale VP book ever written).
Most veteran VP players already know that the "patterns" that seem to occur during VP sessions are really only a series of random events that seem related only after they occur.
Still the human mind insists on imposing order where there is none, and from time to time we can have some fun messing with people by taking advantage of this completely natural inclination.
About a year ago I convinced a friend that, in Jacks Or Better,or Bonus Poker, it was virtually imposssible to make a full house from the Aces/Eights 2-pair combo. I called it my "Hitchcock Hypothesis" (Wild Bill held Aces and Eights the day he was shot).
Instead of remembering that improving any 2-pair draw is a
23.5 to 1 proposition, my friend said "Really?" and immediately began noticing that I seemed to be onto something. "Noticing" is the key word. By deviously planting the fake hypothesis in my buddy's mind, I assured that he would give far too much weight to the suggestion. Every time he didn't fill the Aces/Eights draw, his belief in the faulty axiom deepened exponentially --- because of the undue notice he was applying.
When he finally did catch an Ace or and Eight one day, my gullible friend felt like he won the lottery. And when I came clean and admitted my prank, he didn't believe me!
I guess I'll have to adapt Mickey's deck o' cards demo (with maybe filet o' fish for lunch). I'll have him set up the Aces and Eights start and then deal him the final card of the hand over and over until he becomes convinced that random is indeed random.
