Dip in the Pool Summary

On board a cruise ship Mr. Botibol decides to take part in the ship's auction, which is a bet about how far the ship will go the next day. He talks to the purser, who tells him that the pool is up to $7,000, with numbers selling for $300 - $400. Mr. Botibol begins to consider the things he could buy with such money, and decides to place a bid. He then, based on information he thinks is accurate, bids on "low field," or all of the numbers/distances lower than the lowest one bid. However, the next day, the ship is making unusually quick progress, and Mr. Botibol realizes that he will lose his money, in addition to not winning anything. He decides that a man overboard would slow the ship down sufficiently, and that if he "falls," they...