Chances are…

All through its amazingly long history, gamblers of all sorts have contributed to the intrigue & romance surrounding the gaming world. These days, wagering is far from being limited to poker rooms, casino parlours, race tracks, bingo halls, and of course the 2000-plus online casino sites. In fact, virtually any contest today includes its own betting odds, along with those always ready and willing wagerers bent on beating them.


Though there is no end to where odds may be placed, we have compiled some of the more common and not-so-common odds for your entertainment. Kindly note, however, the following estimates are based on American data and represent approximations only. To our non-American visitors, we apologise sincerely and promise to publish a more international odds list ASAP.

Chances of being killed by a lightning strike: 2,290,000 to 1


Chances of lightning striking you: 587,000 to 1


Chances of being murdered: 19,000 to 1


Chances of getting away with murder: 2 to 1


Chances of getting a royal flush in poker with first 5 cards dealed: 655,750 to 1


Chances that a 1st marriage will survive without separation/divorce for fifteen years: 1.4 to 1


Chances that a marriage comprising two celebrities will last a lifetime: 4 to 1


Chances of becoming the United States president: 10,000,000 to 1


Chances of dating a super model: 89,200 to 1


Chances of getting a hole-in-1 in golf: 5,000 to 1


Chances of becoming an astronaut: 12,100,000 to 1


Chances of winning a Olympic medal: 655,000 to 1


Chances of being killed by parts falling from a plane: 10,000,000 to 1


Chances of being killed by a shark: 3 hundred million to 1


Chances of being injured by fireworks: 22,000 to 1


Chances of being injured from operating a chainsaw: 5,100 to 1


Chances of being injured by mowing the lawn: 3,554 to 1


Chances of fatally slipping in bathtub/shower: 3,333 to 1


Chances of drowning in the bathtub: 693,000 to 1


Chances of being killed next year from any form of transportation accident: 87 to 1


Chances of being killed on a five kilometer bus ride: 450,000,000 to 1


Chances of developing hemorrhoids: 28 to 1


Chances of twins being born: 90 to 1


Chances of being on airplane with a drunk pilot: 115 to 1


Chances of being IRS-audited: 180 to 1


Chances of marrying a millionaire: 220 to 1


Chances of writing a New-York Times best-selling book: 228 to 1


Chances that your son/daughter is a genius: 265 to 1


Chances of catching a baseball at a professional ball game:776 to 1


Chances of becoming a professional athlete: 24,550 to 1


Chances of winning a Hollywood Oscar award: 12,200 to 1


Chances of sighting a U.F.O. today: 3,200,000 to 1


Chances of winning California's lottery: 13,000,000 to 1


Chances that you will become a saint: 22,540,000 to 1


Chances of having your identity swiped: 200 to 1


Chances of a meteor hitting your home: 182,138,800,000,000 to 1


Chances of an asteroid hitting Earth in the next hundred years: 1 in 5,500


Chances of dying from an asteroid hitting Earth: 20,000 to 1


Chances of being killed from an airplane accident: 355,318 to 1


Chances of being executed for capital punishment: 1 in 3,221,700