Re: entrapment game

In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Robert 
Hutchinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
> Dgates says...
>
> > But I'd still like to watch a couple rounds first to see how amounts
> > went up as high as $39 and $407!
>
> Re: $39, note that the original poster said that the top two bids
> *combined* always totalled at least $39.
>
> > The only way I can see that
> > happening is perhaps if there's a small group doing the bidding, they
> > all start with $100 and their real goal is to walk out with the most
> > money.
>
> "$19.51."
> "(I really don't want to see that guy win ...) $20.01."
> "(Hey, he spent a penny just to make me lose almost twenty dollars! Well,
> two can play that game ...) $20.51!"
> "(I'm not going to be the last one to bid ...) $21.01!"
> "(I'm not going to be the last one to bid ...) $21.51!"

If you want to make the other guy feel that he has lost out, there's a 
cheaper way than outbidding him.  Just wink to the auctioneer.

> I had some strategies written out, but after having read them over, I'm
> very tempted to say that the optimal strategy in "real life" is not to
> bid at all, given the tremendous amount of oneupsmanship to be found
> among humans.

Nick
--
Nick Wedd    [EMAIL PROTECTED]