Cost: $1

Maximum prize: $3,000

Appeal: There are a dozen ways to grade a person’s achievement relative to their potential—he’s not living up to his potential, she’s meeting hers, and so on, and so forth. There’s the surface-level commentary stated in the expression, but there’s also a deep gloom inherent in the phrasing that often goes unrecognized. When a well-meaning observer remarks, Sally’s living up to, or worse yet exceeding her potential, there’s the unwritten implication hovering in the vapor like a cartoon thought-balloon: Sally’s potential was considered and quantified, and expectations were set low. Years on, resting at last in a large oak box, may I be so lucky as to have a friend eulogize, he achieved one thousandth of his potential. The Shamrock Tripler is a dumb ticket. But the concept—the potential it fails to achieve—is gargantuan. Look at the word TRIPLER, metallic like the gold coins stumbling to earth from heaven. Consider the leprechaun, hidden perhaps behind the yellow game-box, and imagine if the Shamrock Tripler evolved into a quadrupler, and the leprechaun entered stage-left. Do not buy the Shamrock Tripler, as a ticket it disappoints, but say encouraging words to it should you see it at the store. Its potential is limitless.

Fun: 1 / 10

Graphic Design: 2 / 10

Eroticism: 1 / 10

Overall value: 2 / 10