thependulumswings

The national Powerball Lottery jackpot hit $560 million last evening.  Did you win it? The odds were long.  If not, you have another chance at fame and fortune starting today.  Did you fill out your NCAA March Madness Tournament Challenge bracket?

Warren Buffet, who is of some fame and fortune himself, is offering his 400k employees a chance at a million bucks a year for life if they “just” correctly predict the Sweet Sixteen this year.  The calculated chances of that are roughly one in a million.  So you’re saying there is a chance!

That chance is far better than his recent years of bracket challenges when everyone was invited to play for the same payout.  But, then you had to have an entry that stayed clean for all 63 games of the 64 team tourney field.   The chance of that was a not so reasonable 1 in 9.2 quintillion.  How much is a quintillion? It’s one billion billions, or a one followed by 18 zeros. Or, if you are a visual person it’s 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.   Makes the nation’s debt look pretty manageable, doesn’t it?

Need inspiration, do you?  Early March madness occurred on March 8th when what may be the greatest parlay wager ever to hit at a U.S. sportsbook was placed.   A bettor at a Vicksburg, MS casino placed a $25, 20-leg bet that paid $104,412.44.  The parlay featured point spreads, money lines and over/unders on a mix of Friday night NBA and college basketball games. The bettor backed 14 favorites, three underdogs, and three overs. Every single one hit.  So you’re saying there is a chance!

If you haven’t filled out your bracket yet, you still have a few hours before the first jump ball is tossed up.  March Madness actually ends when one team cuts down the nets in early April.  You know what April brings don’t you?  Showers.  April showers bring, of course, May flowers.

Oh, and if your bracket is still holding up then, you should stay indoors.  One of those showers could bring lightning.  The chances of getting struck by lightning are about 1 in 300,000.  So you’re saying there is a chance!