What are the odds of loosing 5 coinflips in a row?

#1 8th April 2008, 5:16 AM

What is the odds of loosing 5 coinflips in a row?

And I also wonder what the odds is for loosing 10 coin flips on a row is?

THanks

( Need an answer for this to determine my stock bankroll)..

Updated Feb 2018:

There are some great replies below and I encourage you to read all of them. This is the best short answer:

Odds of losing (or winning) a 50-50 x times in a row is simply 0.5^x

So 5 is 0.5^5 = 1/32
10 is 0.5^10 = 1/1024

The roulette debate thread mentioned in one of the posts is this one and worth checking out:

Roulette I think I have it worked out

#2 8th April 2008, 6:23 AM

Odds of losing (or winning) a 50-50 x times in a row is simply 0.5^x

So 5 is 0.5^5 = 1/32
10 is 0.5^10 = 1/1024

But if winning coin flips is how you're going to build your poker roll, I think you may be approaching it the wrong way .

#3 8th April 2008, 6:41 AM

Thanks alot

yes, that would be a little wrong way , lol

I am going to take so called coinflips in the share market....Swing trading I think they call it....

Lol, I play to much poker, thinking everything in poker terms

#4 8th April 2008, 7:43 AM

I thought the odds never change its 50/50 regardless of earlyer resaults.

Lets say u flip a coin 100 times and a 100times it comes up heads that haves no effect on that the next time u flip the coin its still 50/50 that heads comes up.

Or am i an idiot?

#5 8th April 2008, 7:48 AM

Originally Posted by sindri_93

I thought the odds never change its 50/50 regardless of earlyer resaults.

Lets say u flip a coin 100 times and a 100times it comes up heads that haves no effect on that the next time u flip the coin its still 50/50 that heads comes up.

Or am i an idiot?

This is true for each individual toss. But the odds of 5 heads in a row is not 50/50. Nor is a sequence of HTTHH.

You are absolutely right, but it's different from the initial question. Future results are not dependent on previous flips, but if we make the prediction beforehand about many flips than we take those many flips all into account.

Perform this experiment: flip a coin 5 times 100 times (500 flips). If even close to 50 of them are a set of 5 heads, I will give you all 500 coins you flipped .

#6 8th April 2008, 7:52 AM

I see it now i misread the first post thought he whas asking about future odds.
So i guess i am an idiot

#7 8th April 2008, 6:10 PM

I was in a family tournament a year and a half ago and got HU with my cousin's wife. I got here down to two BB's and we agreed to just shove every hand.

Six hands later she was the winner. Sick.

And the first 5 hands I was ahead pre-flop.

#8 8th April 2008, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by zachvac

Perform this experiment: flip a coin 5 times 100 times (500 flips). If even close to 50 of them are a set of 5 heads, I will give you all 500 coins you flipped .

umm... I did this... yeah... and that was the results... so send the 500 coins... really... I did it... I took a video... but my camera was out of tape so it didn't record ... oh wait, at your age, tape is what we oldies (OK, I'm only 31) used to record stuff to. So for you... my SD card was defective and it didn't record right.

#9 9th April 2008, 12:27 AM

Originally Posted by K_Kahne_Fan

umm... I did this... yeah... and that was the results... so send the 500 coins... really... I did it... I took a video... but my camera was out of tape so it didn't record ... oh wait, at your age, tape is what we oldies (OK, I'm only 31) used to record stuff to. So for you... my SD card was defective and it didn't record right.

lol ok I just sent the coins, they should be there the week after never .

#10 9th April 2008, 10:42 AM

lol pretty damn strong if u ask me haha, i get the short end of the coin flip alot hahah

#11 9th April 2008, 11:20 PM

Hello, I'm new to this forum. About this coin flip quiz. I think this is an interesting topic when refering to progressive betting. ie.(bet 1 and lose so bet 2 and lose so bet 4 and on and on) If you had an infinite amount of money your heads/tails will eventually land and you would win 1. The problem with this idea is:-
1. There are limits on most casino's (eg. red/black on a roulette table) might be max bet 32 if min bet 1 = this would give you the chance of (for example seven reds - the same as 5 heads -apart from green)
2. you are betting the risk of 100 for 1 on every combined betting.

Which is better odds: bet 32 in hope to get 1

or

five heads/reds landing

Also to reach a reasonable roi of say 20% of 32 you would need to do this 6-7 times in a row

Hope this is not too confusing.

My question is:- Is progressive betting worth it?

#12 10th April 2008, 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by SavagePenguin

I was in a family tournament a year and a half ago and got HU with my cousin's wife. I got here down to two BB's and we agreed to just shove every hand.

Six hands later she was the winner. Sick.

And the first 5 hands I was ahead pre-flop.

I got HU with my cousins wife once, the family never did forgive me.

#13 10th April 2008, 8:49 AM

Originally Posted by Richard Warner

Hello, I'm new to this forum. About this coin flip quiz. I think this is an interesting topic when refering to progressive betting. ie.(bet 1 and lose so bet 2 and lose so bet 4 and on and on) If you had an infinite amount of money your heads/tails will eventually land and you would win 1. The problem with this idea is:-
1. There are limits on most casino's (eg. red/black on a roulette table) might be max bet 32 if min bet 1 = this would give you the chance of (for example seven reds - the same as 5 heads -apart from green)
2. you are betting the risk of 100 for 1 on every combined betting.

Which is better odds: bet 32 in hope to get 1

or

five heads/reds landing

Also to reach a reasonable roi of say 20% of 32 you would need to do this 6-7 times in a row

Hope this is not too confusing.

My question is:- Is progressive betting worth it?

There is a thread here already with this topic, Search "I think i can beat roullette".

The general consensus was that no this system would not work, also try searching on Wikipedia or Googling the 'Martingale' betting system.

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What are the odds of loosing 5 coinflips in a row?

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