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BGonline.org Forums
As a teacher, Phil is wrong to use the word “percent.”
Posted By: Taper_Mike In Response To: As a teacher, Phil is wrong to use the word “percent.” (Bob Koca)
Date: Sunday, 16 September 2012, at 5:02 a.m.
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Bob: When one says something like 5% error the question is 5% of what? If it is being consistently used as 5% of the stake then what is the problem? That’s a fair question. I see these two problems.
- As a teacher, Phil has a special responsibility not to cloud over the distinction between percent and points of equity. If he teaches his students to misuse the terms, or conflate them, he has done a disservice. As a player, of course, he can call them whatever he likes. Among those who understand, terminology does not matter (which is the point you make).
I was careful to preface my subject with the phrase “as a teacher” precisely because the issue is critical only when Phil puts on his instructor’s cap.
- A play that loses 0.05 points of equity does not lose 5% of the stake. For one thing, the stake itself is uncertain, because gammons and backgammons can double or triple it. When you say 5% of the stake, for instance, does that mean 5% of the 2 points you lose when you are gammoned, or does it mean 5% percent of a single point? In addition, even at DMP, where there are no gammons and backgammons, the size of an error is magnified when you equate percentages with points of equity. At DMP, the equity scale ranges from +1.00 to -1.00. A 0.05 point loss of equity represents only a 2.5% swing. When Phil reads 0.05 off the screen and says, “you just lost 5% of your equity,” he is dead wrong. Students who are just learning the concept need to be aware of the difference.
Mike
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