It's all in the conventions..
Nitpick away! It's encouraged!
I keep getting confused with this myself. Technically (which is to say, mathematically), which way you write it depends on what you're expressing. If there's a 70% chance of rain today, the odds of it raining are 7:3. The odds of it NOT raining are 3:7. So when I think of the "odds of getting a pair", I think if it as 1:16. The "odds against getting a pair" are 16:1.
I guess in poker, everything you want to happen is always unlikely. So the convention makes sense that you always assume you're the underdog, unless specifically stated otherwise. (Perhaps this is obvious if you follow sports betting, which I don't).
Looking in my poker books and surfing around a bit, it seems you're right, and it's no wonder I'm confused - it's ALWAYS expressed x:1, and you qualify by saying underdog or favourite. Now I see! (And I've edited to match).
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