Have You Lost Your Marbles?
And your life? One way to beat the Emperor is to put one white marble in one bowl, and the other 49 white and 50 black in another bowl. If the Emperor is a man of his word, this method will give you the best chance of winning.
Another option is to put all the white marbles in one bowl, and all the black marbles in another bowl. This way you’ll have a 50/50 option of getting the white marble and surviving. Now, which option will you choose? Option 1 or option 2? And remember… You marbles, or your life.