To stack the odds in favor of sb

Question

I'm totally puzzled what it might mean in a sentence like:The weapon of the paparazzi is the camera, and new digital technology stacks the odds in favor of the celebrity photographer.Any idea?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
I'm totally puzzled what it might mean in a sentence like:

The weapon of the paparazzi is the camera, and new digital technology stacks the odds in favor of the celebrity photographer.

Any idea?

Cause the odds to greatly favour the photographer.

eg The odds of Tom winning the fight after school are 2 to 1, because Tom is fitter and stronger.
But Tom brings a knife and a baseball bat. These weapons stack the odds in favour of Tom. Now the odds are 200 to 1 that Tom will win.

Best wishes, Clive

SeroMack · Answer

So, the verb to stack in this context can stand for to cause/to increase ?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

The paparazzi are oftne described as "enemies" of celebrities - the stalk them, chase them, espceially in potentially embarrassing or sensational situations. They are blamed to some extent for the accident in which Dianna was killed.
"Stacking the odds" means to create an unfair advantage in a game or competition. For example, using dice that are weighted to favor a particular outcome are "stacking the odds" in favor of the gambler who is aware of the bias.
In this case, the new digital camera equipment allows a photographer to be much further away from his subject to get a good picture. The image processing software also is an advantage, because it can enhance a picture from shadows. Thus, it is harder and harder for the celebrities to evade their pursuers and find some privacy and peace.

SeroMack · Answer

Thanks Alphecca, thanks Clive! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you Alphecca, excellent explanation!

Omia Liu

To stack the odds in favor of sb

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