A sucker bet is a gambling wager in which the expected return is significantly lower than the wager(s).
Variants include:
- Parlay: One bet ticket written with at least two wagers (all must win for the ticket to cash).
- Teaser: A sucker wager that allows bettors to add and subtract points from posted odds.
- Exotic: Any wager other than a straight bet or parlay (also referred to as a proposition or prop).
For example, the chances of correctly guessing the order of the final 3 cards of Faro is usually 1 in 6, yet the bet only pays 4:1 or 5:1. Taking insurance in Blackjack is also often considered a sucker bet.
The name originates in that sucker bets are often created to lure inexperienced players into betting against large odds, blinded by the offer of "fast money".
Famous quotes containing the words sucker and/or bet:
“That’s a sucker game, Doc. There’s probably fifty fellows around town just waitin’ to see you get liquored up, so they can fill ya full of holes. Build themselves up a great reputation—the man that killed Doc Holliday.”
—Samuel G. Engel (1904–1984)
“Daniel: I’m glad to know you.
Jerry: How can you be glad to know me? I know how I’d feel if I were sitting with a girl and her husband walked in.
Lucy: I’ll bet you do.”
—Vina Delmar, U.S. novelist, playwright. Daniel (Ralph Bellamy)