History Main / ILikeThoseOdds

* In ''Machinima/LeeroyJenkinsVideo'', Jamaal, after being told [[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect the party's chances of survival]]. He notes that the odds are better than usual, which says a lot considering that Abduhl estimated (at best) a 32.33[[note]]repeating, of course[[/note]]% chance of survival.

* In WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender, Iroh is kidnapped by Earth Kingdom soldiers. Zuko tracks him down and frees him. At that moment, the soldiers say that they have the firebenders outnumbered, and Iroh replies with "Ah, that's true, but you are clearly outmatched."

** In ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'', Hrun the Barbarian declares he'll fight both dragonlords at once:

** In ''Discworld/TheScienceOfDiscworld'' the wizards are informed that the chances of the new thaumic reactor (they're planning on using to heat the building) from going critical and blowing up the entirety of creation is 50-to-1. They think that this is entirely reasonable since "I wouldn't bet on a horse at those odds". Apparently an inch of ice on the ''inside'' of your bedroom window gives you a very personal perspective of risk.

** Moist Von Lipwig of ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' and ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' likes to invoke this trope for the purposes of entertaining the crowds that invariably appear around him. For instance, a stable owner who took offense to something Moist said about his horses decided to get back at him by bringing him the most evil-minded, vicious horse he owns. Moist's response? He asks the grooms to take off the horse's saddle, because it'd just slow him down.
** Also, in ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'', Twoflower points out that there's only one possible outcome when seven old men take on the thousands-strong army that's surrounding them: They'll win. Otherwise, the world's just not working properly.
*** In ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', those same old men, the greatest barbarian heroes the world has ever known, find themselves facing a single city guard armed with an ordinary nonmagical sword. A man who knows exactly who they are and what they've done, but still stands against them to try to save the world. They don't like those odds at all.

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[[folder:Literature ]]

** During "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E3TheCreatureFromThePit The Creature From The Pit]]," [[OnlySaneMan Romana]] estimates their odds of success at 740,384,338 to one against. The Doctor claims that this is his lucky number.

* In ''Series/TheMandalorian'', the Mandalorian gets into a standoff with the Stormtroopers guarding the Client.

* The film of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Return of the King]]'' has Gimli do this when it's announced that Gondor's army will attack the Black Gate to provide a distraction for Frodo and Sam.

* A RunningGag in the 1960s ''Series/{{Batman}}'' series, as the Dynamic Duo faces hordes of {{Mooks}}. In one episode it got inverted: Either the Riddler or the Joker said to Batman, "There's six of us and only two of you. But we're not afraid!"

Sometimes in SarcasmMode, other times a BadassBoast. This is when the chances of survival, or the level of opposition, are presented to a character and he is apparently at a disadvantage. He responds that he wouldn't have it any other way or that it is actually in his favor. Often, they'll remark that they've beaten worse odds without breaking a sweat. For an added bonus, he might boast about giving himself [[WillfullyWeak a handicap]] [[SelfImposedChallenge just for fun]].

* In ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress'', when Mike tells the main characters that the chances of having a successful revolution are of 1 in 7, they immediately cheer. This is because (a) it's still much better than they had estimated with their inexact human brains, and (b) a Loonie (a Moon inhabitant) is always willing to take a risk if the odds are better than 1 in 10.

--> "They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. [[BadassBoast They can't get away from us now!]]"[[note]]The Battle of Chosin Reservoir is also known for General Oliver P. Smith, commanding the surrounded Marines, declaring "Retreat, hell! [[NoExceptYes We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction]]." The Marines had to fight their way past the numerically superior Chinese forces that surrounded them in order to breakout towards the friendly lines.[[/note]]

-->'''Gunn:''' I'll take the 20,000 on the left....

'''Kirk:''' So get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight.

--> "They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. [[BadassBoast They can't get away from us now!]]"

** In addition to the page quote, Fry also uses the phrase in a completely straightforward manner in the episode "Overclockwise": He intends to kill himself by barreling over Niagara Falls, and asks the barrel salesman what are his odds of survival.

* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'': Dr. Mann, who's been marooned on a distant world for years, mentions 50-50 odds are the best he's had in all that time. [[spoiler:In a dark subversion, he's trying to murder the hero at the time, but smashing the hero's space helmet [[UsingYourHead with his own]], at the risk of smashing his own faceplate.]]

* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'': Dr. Mann, who's been marooned on a distant world for years, mentions 50-50 odds are the best he's had in all that time. [[spoiler:In a dark subversion, he's trying to murder the hero at the time, but smashing the hero's space helmet [[UsingYourHead with his own]], at the risk of killing both of them.]]

* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'': [[spoiler: Dr. Mann, who's been marooned on a distant world for years, mentions 50-50 odds are the best he's had in all that time.]]

'''Dalek Sec:''' [[AC:We would destroy the Cybermen with only ''one'' Dalek! You are superior in only ''one'' respect.]]\\

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[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' this comes up when the Daleks declare war on the Cybermen.
-->'''Cyberman:''' We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?\\
'''Dalek:''' FOUR!\\
'''Cyberman:''' You would destroy the Cybermen with ''four'' Daleks?\\
'''Dalek:''' WE WOULD DESTROY...THE CYBERMEN...WITH '''ONE''' DAL-EK! YOU ARE SUPERIOR IN ONLY ONE RES-PECT.\\
'''Cyberman:''' What is that?\\
'''Dalek:''' YOU ARE BET-TER AT ''DY''ING.
** And then promptly gets turned around:
--->'''Rose:''' Five million Cybermen, easy. One Doctor? ''Now'' you're scared.
** In the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor", there's an inversion. Gallifrey is under attack by a billion billion Daleks. If the Daleks knew there were three Doctors on the planet, they'd call for reinforcements. [[spoiler: The thirteen Doctors save Gallifrey and destroy the Daleks.]]
* In ''Series/{{Friends}}'', in the chapter where the guys buy many lottery tickets as there is a lot of money on the jackpot, Ross says he won't join, because it is "42 times more likely" that they will be struck by lightning. Chandler answers that, as they are six, it would be only 7 times more likely. Joey says the trope verbatim.
* ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'': In episode three, faced with a small army of [[MechaMook Mecha Mooks]] that have just taken down the other three rangers, all [[HollywoodCyborg Dillon]] has to say is "Venjix should've sent more."
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': While John isn't exactly happy about it, he does believe they can beat the bad odds since they have before.
-->'''Crichton:''' This Eidelon education program... What are the odds it'll work?\\
'''Aeryn:''' Not good.\\
'''Crichton:''' "Not good" is the best odds we ever get.
* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'': In his eponymous episode, Gwaine helps Merlin and Arthur in a bar fight simply because they were hugely outnumbered and "I kinda like the look of those odds."
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', "Critical Mass":
-->[[spoiler:'''Colonel Caldwell:''']] I warn you, as a Goa'uld, I now possess the strength of many men.
-->'''Ronon Dex:''' Won't be a fair fight. ''[wins handily]''

[[folder: RealLife]]

* In ''Film/{{TheMagnificentSeven1960}}'', one gunslinger hears a job-offer and ''inverts'' this to obliquely question his recruiter's sanity:
-->'''O'Reilly:''' What's the opposition?\\

** And again in the 2009 ''Film/StarTrek'' movie:

* ''Film/DumbAndDumber''. Qualifies as sort of a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming.

* In ''[[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers The Vicomte De Bragelonne]]'', d'Artagnan proposes to raise his own army of forty men and restore Charles II to the English throne (for profit!). Planchet, who is putting up half the money, protests: "Forty against forty thousand! That is not enough. I know very well that you, M. d'Artagnan, alone, are equal to a thousand men; but where are we to find thirty-nine men equal to you?"

* As a student, LargoWinch once got in a fight with a bunch of upper-class douchebags, and when asked what he had to say for himself, he admitted to using an unfair advantage like a true coward by outnumbering them: "They were only three."

** In addition to the page quote, Fry also uses the phrase in a completely straightforward manner in the episode "Overclockwise": He intends to kill himself by barreling over Niagara Falls, and likes the stated low odds of survival.

** In "Lisa's First Word," Krusty the Clown vows (on TV) to "spit in every fiftieth burger" and Homer replies, "I like those odds!"