“[…] My father religiously recorded Play Whe scores until my whining caused him to give way and he reassigned the task to me. It was a good bonding opportunity for us and I became his diligent researcher, writer and lucky charm.
“[…] To my delight, he believed that if I was with him when he placed his bets, he was more likely to win…”
The following letter to the editor about Trinidad and Tobago’s alleged relationship with Play Whe was sent to Wired868 by Alana Abdool:
Trinis are known for their unreliability. In this regard, they are suspiciously consistent. But if a Trine could count on one thing, it would be superstition.
Superstitious beliefs come about because of a belief in luck, fate, chance or magic. The fact that so many Trini are superstitious is probably why Play Whe has such a widespread appeal, quite unlike standard casino games.
We believe that Play Whe is not about random luck. Profit is based on our knowledge of local symbolism, dreams, gut instinct, “signs” and important news events. I believe this superstitious culture is why Play Whe became iconic and successful.
Casinos bank on the security offered by probability models. That is why they are profitable. Casinos win by paying out winnings that are lower than the odds or odds that would make an even game break.
I watched the debate over the “mistakes” in the last Play Whe draw and speculated about the thought that went into the “how to score the bus” patterns in Play Whe that would work in order for BKKB to remain profitable. Although my first considerations should have been the premature appearance of the red and white balls during the live draw, and the odds of them matching the results exactly.
Trinis are influenced by local superstitions and events when placing their bets; their choices are not random. While I don’t believe in Play Whe superstitions, I used to—and more so in luck and fortune.
Luck and magic had little place in my cultural upbringing, so they were never major factors in guiding my thinking. I relied on the community to educate me on the omens that would bring good or bad luck and the symbolism in objects and events.
Beyond their superstitious ideas, when they accepted them, they believed that even God could send signs as to what sign to play in Play Whe.
My father religiously recorded Play Whe scores until my whining caused him to give way and he reassigned the task to me. It was a good bonding opportunity for us and I became his diligent researcher, writer and lucky charm. Recording the daily results was simple, but only he could analyze the Play Whe results to create the Play Whe chart and call the numbers to bet on.
I trusted the process because I didn’t yet have the scientific repertoire to systematically evaluate his Play Whe chart.
Using a combination of a Play Whe chart with carefully defined geometric patterns of numbers and deep instinct about local events, he enjoyed incredibly inexplicable profit streaks. Even more uncharacteristically – but to my delight – he believed that if I was with him when he placed his bets, he was more likely to win.
I believed in this affirmation of my destiny until I realized that it only worked for my father and not for my mother. The conviction he had of my fate was, in fact, purely coincidental.
I was convinced it had nothing to do with me after watching my mother make a particularly unlucky and hilarious bet. In utter disbelief and disappointment at my father’s winning streak compared to hers, my mother – when the odds were 24:1 – bet $1.00 on each of 22 different brands and still lost.
These are examples of dynamics that influence individual behavior. It’s just a consideration of how many Play Whe players can run NLCB models.
A person may be influenced to play “Dad Man” because of the morbid undertones of a dream. But this is markedly different from many who are more inclined to play “Jamette” because of a harsh report of political depravity.
Play Whe is emblematic of Trini’s superstitions, and after the Play Whe “bug” fiasco is over, I hope the originality of the game is still around.
